Favorite Steel

[Nal0n]

So basically any steel in any of the more expensive knives offered by the big name companies is what this thread tells me.

Basically every Steel with ~ 0.7% + of carbon can, with the right heat treat, be turned into a blade that serves 99% of all cutting needs 95%+ of all people on this world may ever have

Any discussion beyond this is knife knuts splitting hairs

 

[ericvar101]

1. M390 has one of the best edge retentions in a stainless and is fairly easy to sharpen.
2. S90V and S110V are vary similar, good edge retention but kind of difficult to sharpen.
3. Elmax good edge retention and good toughness.
4. S30V very common, lost of knives made it in good all around steel. holds a great working edge for a long time.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

First of all, I'd like to thank all of ya'll that came out of the closet in favor of Aus-8. I like it too. You put yourself up for ridicule and didn't back down. I'd also like to commend the members who didn't laugh, ridicule and be an all around mean person to the folks that made that admission.

Although I like aus-8, it is not my favorite. My favorite is a custom in 52100 I bought recently from a knifemaker here. Helped process a couple of deer recently and it cuts and skins better than anything I've ever used.

Currently:

52100
1095
5160
440-c
Aus-8

Its in the proper heat treatment. 440C properly Hted will shine even better! The AUS-6 AUS-8 And AUS-10 steels are Japans competing versions of 440A, 440B & 440C.

 

[bodog]

Basically every Steel with ~ 0.7% + of carbon can, with the right heat treat, be turned into a blade that serves 99% of all cutting needs 95%+ of all people on this world may ever have

Any discussion beyond this is knife knuts splitting hairs

+1

I'm guilty of it, too.

 

[bodog]

I'm still curious about Vanadis 4 extra Superclean. ZT is putting it out there, and the data sheets are available, but no one seems to know much about a steel that Bohler itself says is great for knives because it balances the toughness of 3v with the edge retention of M390. Surprises me.

http://www.uddeholm.com/knife_steel.htm

"Other knife steel grades
Receommended steel grades for hand knives

Uddeholm Vanadis 4 Extra

This is a PM tool steel grade designed for maximum toughness and is recommended for use in tactical utility knifes, where a high reliability is needed. Although it can be hardened to 64 HRC, the recommended hardness range is 58-62 HRC.

Uddeholm Vanadis 4 Extra.pdf


Uddeholm Vanadis 23

A PM high speed steel, similar to PM M4. It is the right choice for knifes demanding maximum hardness and high wear resistance, as a hardness of 66 HRC can be attained.

Uddeholm Vanadis 23.pdf


Uddeholm Vanadis 10

Very high alloy content with 10% vanadium and a hardness of 60-66 HRC makes this our most wear resistant PM grade. It is suitable for knives n prolonged (professional) use in abrasive environments, where the demand on toughness is not predominant.

Uddeholm Vanadis 10.pdf


Uddeholm Sleipner

Uddeholm's modern version of the classic D2 tool steel, with improved toughness to better fit active knife use. Even though this is not a PM steel, the finer steel structure in Uddeholm Sleipner gives better machinabilty, polishabilty and edge retention. The hardness range is 58-64 HRC."

 

[sirupatespecial]

So basically any steel in any of the more expensive knives offered by the big name companies is what this thread tells me. Or rather, I can tell which companies and price points people have dabbled in. And anything by Busse or BRK for fixed blades.

People's experiences are rather limited, huh?

Let's see, Benchmade and Spyderco at the top of the list, followed by KAI, followed by CRK and some Hinderers for folders.

Busse and BRK clearly at the top, followed by some custom made or homemade knives for fixed blades.

I think those knives cover pretty much every post in this thread. Just an observation.

Really? In my quick poll I found 1095 to be the favorite. Which was suprising to me since many(most)(all?) members here have been accused of being steel snobs at one time or another. And really, is there any steel more common or low tech than 1095.

And it's not suprising to me that "high end" knife company's would use high end steel. And high end steel is called that because it is, supposedly, better than other steels. So, no I wouldn't say that forum member's "experiences are rather limited". Actually I'd say they are rather broad. If you asked the avg Joe what his favorite steel was he'd probably look at you like you had three heads.

 

[BenchCo Spydermade]

So basically any steel in any of the more expensive knives offered by the big name companies is what this thread tells me. Or rather, I can tell which companies and price points people have dabbled in. And anything by Busse or BRK for fixed blades.

People's experiences are rather limited, huh?

Let's see, Benchmade and Spyderco at the top of the list, followed by KAI, followed by CRK and some Hinderers for folders.

Busse and BRK clearly at the top, followed by some custom made or homemade knives for fixed blades.

I think those knives cover pretty much every post in this thread. Just an observation.

I didn't see it that way. I noticed a lot of people who liked aus8. Other people favored carbon steels. Of course spyderco benchmade kai crk are huge companies that many people have experience with so they will have their influence. One cannot favorite a steel they haven't experienced.

 

[bodog]

Yea, at least we're not hearing people talk about gerber. I'm no expert and don't claim to be. But then again, I'm not talking about the limited number of steels I've worked with and how they're great. But since it seems to show something, here is my list:

S110V
ELMAX
D2
S60V(back when it was still 440v)
CPM154
S35VN
S30V
154CM
440C
14C28N
AUS6


Yea, you can tell it's been primarily ZT, Kershaw, Buck, Benchmade, Protech, and SOG knives with a couple others thrown in. That in no way makes my opinion valid because I'm betting money right now a good heat treater can make 1095 or VG10 scream louder than what I've experienced with production knives. So what I think is the best is a moot point because I know enough to know I don't know anything. I used to pick up what I thought were good knives on the cheap, then I progressed to going with what big name companies produced, now I'm into researching individual steels for the tasks I perform heat treated and formed into a tool by a quality smith without much regard to what Spyderco or Benchmade is doing, though I keep my eyes open because they have people there that know more than me. What other people say doesn't mean much anymore unless it's straight from the maker's mouth, and only if they back up what they say.

I can't take a Benchmade and abuse the crap out of it and then send it back demanding a refund because it didn't perform as well as their advertisements said it would. An individual smith most likely will. If it's 1095, great. If it's D2, cool. If it's some obscure, rarely mentioned steel, that's cool, too.

Point being, I didn't want to think I sound like a subject matter expert by listing steels that I've experienced and in actuality sound like a dumbass to the few people who actually do know what they're talking about. My experience with production knives does not really make me qualified to make a statement and I did it just to show I'm not a troll.

I'm much more interested in what bladesmiths carry everyday over what fanboys carry. Maybe I should open a thread just for that instead of watching a general thread with people with any and all experiences posting what might or might not be info worth listening to.

 

[michaelm466]

It really depends on how much you like sharpening and how often, you can go with a lower carbide steel like S30V, VG-10, 154cm, and not spend 5mins sharpening them and do it say once every 2 weeks, or you can go with something like AUS-8 or 8cr13 and spend 3min sharpening them once a week, or you can go with something like S110V or CPM-10V spend 30 minutes sharpening every 3-6months.

For me it depends on the type of knife which steel I've come to prefer:

EDC/Slicer/FFG or high hollow grind folding knife: the higher edge retention the better- S110V, CTS-20CP, S90V,CTS-204P, M390, CPM-M4 in that order

Hard use, bigger beefier folder: CPM-M4, CPM-3V, S30V in that order

thinner/woods fixed blades 5" and under, I go for edgeholding again, my favorites are a couple customs in CPM-10V, a production in M390 and a few 52100 blades

anything bigger than that, that will be used for chopping and or batoning, toughness starts to come more into the picture, so I prefer 3V because of its good balance of toughness and edge holding, anything bigger than say 10-12" I might sacrifice even more edge holding for even more toughness and go for S7 or 5160.

 

[D-R0CK]

My favorite would have to be 14C28N. It's the steel that I can get the sharpest and has held up well in all the uses I've put it through.

Agreed! I've had knives in vg-10, s30v, 154cm, and I prefer the 14C28N over all of them. It's a great balance between performance and cost, it comes up in a lot of mid/upper kershaws and is excellent. It keeps a razor edge (no surprise, since it's a razor steel modified to be a great knife steel) longer than the steels I listed, and is MUCH easier to sharpen. I've never used it in hard use though, and haven't tried M390 or ZDP yet. I think one of the reasons it isn't generally touted as an equal to VG-10 is it's lower cost. If it were only in $150+ knives, I think it would be a brag worthy "steel snob" steel.

 

[bodog]

And once I finally get a knife that I'm truly happy with regardless of the cost, I'm sure I'll wear that everyday along with what I first looked for back in the day, a cheap throw down knife that's the best for the buck, like opinel or back to buck or something.

 

[bodog]

I think it would be a brag worthy "steel snob" steel.

That's what this thread seems to be about and it kind of frustrates me. Honestly, one of the best cutters I've used is an 8CR knife from pampered chef of all places. I can make that knife a miniature light saber and it stays pretty sharp for awhile and it's easy as crap to resharpen. Who can I brag to about that?

 

[mrdabble]

Ay I'm glad you know all the brands here from looking at the list of steel but this is not "do you want a lesson in steel" or "how limited is your experience compared to mine".

"Favorite steel", which I'll pass on sharing so that my limited knowledge won't be stereotyped into the types of knives I own.

We came here to discuss our favorite steels, because it does show something. It represents the thread.

You've gone above and beyond to alienate other who shared previously and any future members who wish to share theirs but now feel inferior.

Just an observation

 

[bodog]

Sorry man, I definitely didn't want anyone to feel inferior as I wasn't trying to be superior. I was trying to throw a dose of reality into a thread that could lead a newbie into searching for the highest priced fad steel instead of looking into cheaper alternatives or going to a custom maker. It happened to me going out for an XM18 and being sorely disappointed. I followed the words of fanboys because there weren't many people saying "hold it buddy, this is an overpriced, but quality, knife and you can find something better for cheaper or the same price." A lot of these threads turn into a snobby type of atmosphere and guys trying to learn should at least be made aware of that. For instance, my snob knife will be either CTS-XHP or Vanadis 4E, I'll show it off and brag about it and sharpen and polish it like a madman. But I also realize that I'll probably pull out a boxcutter or prying tool to do the dirty work.

PS,it was refreshing to hear people buck the fads and mention a low cost steel as their favorites. That's some honesty that new people should hear.

 

[link2derek]

Outdoors (wood/bush/fire craft): 1095 or A2
Indoors (kitchen and food prep): Any decent SS

 

[sirupatespecial]

That's what this thread seems to be about and it kind of frustrates me. Honestly, one of the best cutters I've used is an 8CR knife from pampered chef of all places. I can make that knife a miniature light saber and it stays pretty sharp for awhile and it's easy as crap to resharpen. Who can I brag to about that?

I don't see it as a "brag thread" just what you like. If you like 8cr then just say so. I have a couple of 9cr blades that I really like too.

I'm thinking I have pretty much all the knives I need(shudder). I think you are doing what is right for you by researching and listening to what bladesmiths have to say. I said in a thread a while back that any future fixed blades I bought would be from a 'smith. Nothing wrong with that. Don't know if I can keep that promise....really want a big chopper for some reason and a 13"(or so) forged chopper is.....pretty dang expensive....from a smith. Anyway. Enjoy your hobby. It's not life or death or anything. For most folks anyway.

 

[Gator97]

I'm still curious about Vanadis 4 extra Superclean. ZT is putting it out there, and the data sheets are available, but no one seems to know much about a steel that Bohler itself says is great for knives because it balances the toughness of 3v with the edge retention of M390. Surprises me.

I do, a bit I own a Custom fixed blade form Fred Haakonsen, Vanadis 4E, 66HRC. Exceptional performance, as a light/medium cutter. In other words, I didn't chop with it, but on various materials it shower very good edge retention with fairly tin edge, about 12-14 deg. per side. Cardboard, plastic, rope, rubber etc. Not a single chip by the way, and I did examine the edge after testing with a microscope.

 

[HusslinHoosier]

My favorite would have to be 14C28N. It's the steel that I can get the sharpest and has held up well in all the uses I've put it through.

I love my Kershaws in this steel. Really takes a keen edge and does not require much maintenance in my experience.

 

[sirupatespecial]

I love my Kershaws in this steel. Really takes a keen edge and does not require much maintenance in my experience.

See, this is what I like about these threads. Never heard of 14c28nsomethingorother.

We're all nuts, ya'll know that, right?

 

[bodog]

I do, a bit I own a Custom fixed blade form Fred Haakonsen, Vanadis 4E, 66HRC. Exceptional performance, as a light/medium cutter. In other words, I didn't chop with it, but on various materials it shower very good edge retention with fairly tin edge, about 12-14 deg. per side. Cardboard, plastic, rope, rubber etc. Not a single chip by the way, and I did examine the edge after testing with a microscope.

Dang, 66 HRC? I was asking for it to be at about 62. You think that's shooting too low? Do you happen to know where to get the raw steel? Would you compare it to any other steels?