Favorite knife steel

Heat treat is very important. I've seen higher end steels fail because the heat treat sucked, and lower end steel's do great with a good heat treat.

Aus 8 has served me fairly well for edc
I have one knife that has ats-34 and it has taken a beating for the 15 years I've had it but it is still going strong.
Just got a new knife in vg10, we'll see how it holds up.
Not a big fan of S30v.
1095 is a nice steel as others have said for sharpening, edge holding, etc. My ka-bar uses it and its sharp as hell.
I've heard a lot of good things about d2, and I plan to pick up a benchmade griptilian in d2 soon.
I haven't yet gotten into the really high end knives as I'd rather spend the money on guns and gun accessories. Man I have some expensive hobbies.
 
I saw a pocket knife on a site the other day that boasted of its "surgical steel" blade. Whoo-hoo!
 
I have a fixed blade with Damascus steel and it is excellent. If the Damascus is done right, it can be very good IMO. There is a difference between good Damascus and cheap Damascus.
 
I'm excited to try M4.
I've never been unhappy with S30v. I haven't really cut anything crazy with my new ZT but Elmax seems good. It has a really nice stonewash on it.
 
I have been quite fond of n690 on recent knives. I think it holds an edge for me far better than s30v and s35vn. On the higher end I LOVE s90v!!! Stays sharp forever and ever. Cpm3v is my favorite carbon steel. Tough as shit and holds a good edge.
 
The best knife I ever had in S30V was a Spyderco Military. That was a really great knife, but I had let to go to someone that wanted it worse than I did. That knife ended up going to Afghanistan so I think it kept doing good things for it's owners.

I currently have a knife I made in M390 I am playing with. I have high hopes for this steel, but I doubt it will knock S90V off it's pedestal.
 
Never met a steel I didn't like... or couldn't at least deal with. They all dull eventually... ;)

-Brett
 
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Carbon rocks
 
440C - Yup, that's right. It takes a very fine, yet toothy edge that I like.

D2 - Once sharp, it stays that way for a good long time. I also like it's stain resistance.

Edit - I am also going to add S30V to the selection as it has always treated me well.
 
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INFI is my top choice. Sharpens easily, keeps an edge, and has great toughness.

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Thanks! Im quite proud of my polish.

im curious about INFI, is there only one brand that uses it?
 
HwangJino said:
Thanks! Im quite proud of my polish.

im curious about INFI, is there only one brand that uses it?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's proprietary to Busse, although the makeup of it has been posted a number of times. It's not just the steel that makes it excel though, it's the alloy combined with a top-notch heat treat and then backed by one of the best warranties in the industry.
 
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