Heavy-Use Steel

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Dash Lambda

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Among other things, I have been looking for a good heavy-use blade that I can torture.

And I don't mean budget or easy to sharpen, I mean I could whack it on Satan himself over and over and over again and it wouldn't care. So far I've looked at things like S35VN and various VG# steels, but I want ti pick at the expertise in this forum for the best possible option.

I'm looking for a blade steel that can be put through hell keeping its edge, and of course without breaking.

I've looked at ZPD-189, and it looks rather impressive, but from what I see it isn't unanimously the best among people that have reviewed it. Is there a difference between that on a Spyderco and on, say, a Rockstead TEI?

Beyond that, are there any better choices? I understand that there can never be a perfect steel because it all depends on what you're going to use it for and how, but I've told you my use.

So, what's the best steel?
 
1095 with a good ht should hold up well for most stuff and don't break the bank. Esee makes great stuff. Infi and cpm 3v are about as good as it gets though
 
OK........If your really taking a trip to hell and back, 3V will break or chip. Try to buy a full tang fixed out of S5, or CPM 1V.
 
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I'm assuming from the fact that you're interested in ZDP-189 that you're looking for extreme wear resistance and not toughness/impact resistance. High toughness steels aren't too hard to come by - even 1095 carbon steel will serve very well in that regard (but dulls and sharpens easily), and is extremely cheap. If you're looking for an "apocalypse" blade, high toughness is what I would look for, since you won't be able to spend hours sharpening.

Good high wear resistance steels include S90V, S110V, and ZDP-189. These are all prone to chipping and are best suited to lighter duty folders, however.

If you want something that will strike a good balance (I'm assuming in a fixed blade), S35VN, 20CV, and 3V are good options.

There is no "perfect" steel though. If you want toughness you have to give up some wear resistance, and vice-versa.
 
OK........If your really taking a trip to hell and back, 3V will break. Try to buy a full tang fixed out of S5, or CPM 1V.
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Have you made knives out of S5 and 1V? They aren't common steels. One well known knife maker did a lot of experimenting with 1V and found it to be unsuitable for knives. I'm curious about your experiences with it. What hardness did you run it at? How thick, what edge angles, etc? I thought it looked good on paper like some steels do but didn't pan out in real life.

S5 should be good but as I stated it's rare.

K........If your really taking a trip to hell and back, 3V will break.
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This isn't correct. Not even close. It's one of the very best hard use knife steels available.

Change* Next should have been in answer to comment on Rex 121. Not talking about 3V here.

Not going to be the toughest steel around. Farid Mehr is the only one I know of that uses it.
 
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S7
L6
5160
3V

All of the above ^ have more than adequate toughness.
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Excellent choices. I'll add Cruwear, PD#1, Z wear, 4V, Vandis 4E, A8, A8(mod)( that is Chipper steel)
 
If you are going to whack the knife on something hard, ZDP is one of the last steels that you would want.
 
I hesitate to place my choice after the Mastiff commented, but how about good old CPM M4? :)

With BK810 it seems to stand against all day use in woodwork, fiberglass tape, dry wall without losing sharp edge. S7? I saw it being used in firearms parts as strong steel against concussive stress, but didn't see it for blade.

I like M4 for durability, and S110V and M390, as stainless choice.
 
I hesitate to place my choice after the Mastiff commented, but how about good old CPM M4? :)

With BK810 it seems to stand against all day use in woodwork, fiberglass tape, dry wall without losing sharp edge. S7? I saw it being used in firearms parts as strong steel against concussive stress, but didn't see it for blade.

I like CPM-M4 for durability and edge retention, and S110V and M390 as stainless steel choice. I would like CPM-3V, but haven't tried torcher test like batonning against hardwood, etc..
 
I hesitate to place my choice after the Mastiff commented, but how about good old CPM M4? :)

With BK810 it seems to stand against all day use in woodwork, fiberglass tape, dry wall without losing sharp edge. S7? I saw it being used in firearms parts as strong steel against concussive stress, but didn't see it for blade.

I like CPM-M4 for durability and edge retention, and S110V and M390 as stainless steel choice. I would like CPM-3V, but haven't tried torcher test like batonning against hardwood, etc..
 
ZDP will be great until it actually needs sharpening, then it becomes a chore, personally, I like having 'Middle-Class' steels for my hard users, AUS8, 1095 (Both Kabar and ESEE), VG-, there's probably more but those are my main mans.
Keep in mind that the type of steel is only a part of what makes a knife a good user, the thickness, edge type, blade shape all play a part in how a blade performs.
If you use the right tool for the right job, you'll be fine with the common steels you see around. Experiment! Build up your collection if you haven't done so already.
 
I hesitate to place my choice after the Mastiff commented, but how about good old CPM M4?
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CPM M4 is tough enough to have won more than a couple cutting competitions. Tough and wear resistant as well as not bad for a non stainless steel at not rusting. It's one of my favorite all around steels. Not one I would make an axe or heavy chopper out of. It's not designed for that. It does pretty good at all around EDC stuff though. I prefer it in folders best, with 3V in choppers.

BTW, not even Busse claims Infi is the toughest steel. They admit S7 is tougher, for instance. I'd take 3V in a convexed edge over Infi personally. Opinions are just that though. My liking 3V over Infi doesn't mean I think it's better for another persons needs.
 
Dash Lambda said:
... I mean I could whack it on Satan himself over and over and over again and it wouldn't care...

I'm looking for a blade steel that can be put through hell keeping its edge, and of course without breaking.
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Methinks the humble 5160, PROPERLY heat treated would go far towards satisfying your needs - it might not keep a very keen edge, used the way you anticipate, but it will still have an edge...
 
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