Favorite knife steel?

W

Wabajack

Joined
Jan 16, 2007
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So what's your favorite steel for a sub 5" blade? And why?

Right know I would say that my favorite is a toss up between 0-1 and 52100, I chose 0-1 because it's one of the best when it comes to edge retention and seems to suite my needs well (they call me “special” when it comes to sharpening :rolleyes:) and I chose 52100 for it's all round excellence in toughness, edge resistance, etc. (I’ve heard it’s one of the best) but it's a bear to work with (for me anyway) I find heat treating it difficult to get "perfect". ;)

PS- If your favorite steel is a proprietary please name the "runner up" (not proprietary) this is because I am very interested in steel that would be available to me. :D
 
I like the 8670 steel that John Greco uses in his knives. It takes a very sharp edge and holds it well and is very tough. I also like 52100 and D2.
 
I like 154CM too, a lot. It takes a razor edge, although I haven't had any S30V knives YET. So I can't really attest to the quality of that.

If I could have it in a folder I'd take Swamprat's SR101, or of course INFI. In a fixed blade, obviously I would prefer the ladder.
 
It would be AEB-L or CPM-154 depending on the application.
 
I am really new to all this, can anybody direct me somewhere to learn about the steel types you guys are talking about?????
 
I like laminated VG-10 and silvery steel the most, although the steel doesn't matter to me so much as the blade design.
 
DreamHawk said:
I like 154CM too, a lot. It takes a razor edge, although I haven't had any S30V knives YET. So I can't really attest to the quality of that.

If I could have it in a folder I'd take Swamprat's SR101, or of course INFI. In a fixed blade, obviously I would prefer the ladder.
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How useful would either SR101 or INFI be in a folder? No doubt both are very tough but there are better steels for edge holding and I imagine you would break the pivot on a folder before breaking the blade of a well made knife made of something like 154CM or S30V.
 
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