How blade steel affects your buying

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Gary W. Graley

Gary W. Graley

“Imagination is more important than knowledge"
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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I was going to do a poll of different steels listed for you guys and gals to click and select, but, far too many to list and the Polling software limited that, so you can just post the ones you favour and if you want, the ones you avoid.

Seems every year we get a new flavour of steel that takes off and is suddenly the one everyone 'needs' or rather 'wants'. Take S45vn for instance, probably one of the shortest lived ones out there, I know some folks will favour it and that's good too.

Myself I like stainless steels, but I do like how the CPM3v takes an edge, just need to keep it cleaned after using. I have one knife in Magnacut, more a small leather working knife so it doesn't see any EDC type of work so I can't judge or compare its benefits to other steels.

But many years ago, 440C was touted and used by a lot of custom makers, as was ATS-34. Then BG-42 took the scene but I don't think it made as much improvement over the ATS-34, just a new version for us steel snobs to set our sights on ;)

So, lets hear if you have a preference for a particular steel, I'm still looking to get one in Magnacut to try out and hopefully soon, but it made me think of this scene from Jaws...

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

:)

G2
 
Pretty sure most of it is Hype to sell more knives.......
Sure, we all have our favorites, we tell ourselves that This steel right here is Better than That one (yours)..... but really, is it???
probably not.



I like 15N20, A2, AEB-L, 8670, D2 occasionally, 80CRV2, what else?
I've got 4 blanks of 3V at the heat treater, so Next week my views may change? haha

There is no bad steel..... Just depends on what you want it for.

Geometry is more important
 
I like 3V as well, holds a sharp edge for a good time, never had any rust or edge problems (chipping, rolling) with it. But then, I keep my kives clean and don't use them super hard.

Can't say offhand that I ever really hated a particular steel, other than the cheap 420 and below types.
 
I just don't want something boring. Talking strictly of pocket/general use knives rather than specific special purpose knives of course. Let's face it, I've got enough knives to last a life time without sharpening much, if at all, ever again. So with that in mind, I just don't want another s30v, d2 or even m390 blade. Give me something different! Here's an example: now that the Military 2 has been announced, I'm really excited because the overall knife ticks all my preferences but I doubt I'll buy one in plain old s30v. I've got no need for the knife in the first place, much less in a steel that I've had in a hundred knives before. I don't need the latest hotness, but I don't want the boring tried and true either. I'd rather have a PM2 in 1095 than S30v at this point.
 
It depends on the knife and my intended uses, of course, but broadly speaking:

- For modern folders, I gravitate towards M390/CTS-204P/CPM-20CV (all basically the same), am happy with S35VN/S45VN, and will live with VG-10 or its approximate equals if I really like a knife. I don't tend to go "lower" than that.
- For fixed blades, anything in the S30V-S35VN-ELMAX "zone" is great, I'm not too fussy as long as it's stainless and a good all-around performer.
- For traditional slipjoints, as long as it's stainless I don't care what the steel is.

I used to buy non-stainless steels, but I've refined my collection to the point where I don't see a reason to do that anymore (outside of special cases, like an annual BF knife in 1095).
 
feuerizer said:
I keep my hands away from 8cr13mov. That is crap.
Click to expand...

While far from my favorite steel, I've had no issues with my Bow River. It makes an excellent kitchen knife:

H01aQ4U.jpg


That said, I love 3V and AEB-L, and anything in a quality heat-treated 1095 or 5160.
 
Proper Heat treatment is key for sure!

I had a nice small fixed blade from john april john april when we were both at the Ashokan Seminar a few years ago, I think the steel was 1080's something I always get 1084 and 1085 mixed up, but it took an exceptional edge, plus John's grind work is well done too, this one sits out west with woodysone woodysone and if he ever tires of it, I'd take her back ;)

IMG_6955 by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

IMG_6959 by GaryWGraley, on Flickr



G2
 
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shane45-1911 said:
While far from my favorite steel, I've had no issues with my Bow River. It makes an excellent kitchen knife:

H01aQ4U.jpg


That said, I love 3V and AEB-L, and anything in a quality heat-treated 1095 or 5160.
Click to expand...
My bad experience comes exactly from that knife! I use it in the kitchen, too.
The steel does not hold up well. I even have chimps and I use it only for vegetables. On the other hand the ergonomics are really good.
 
feuerizer said:
My bad experience comes exactly from that knife! I use it in the kitchen, too.
The steel does not hold up well. I even have chimps and I use it only for vegetables. On the other hand the ergonomics are really good.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I use mine hard in the kitchen with zero issues - no chips (and definitely no chimps) at all, even after hitting bone many times. A few swipes on a honing rod once in a while is all it has needed to stay quite sharp.
 
I seem to be more interested in 20CV and M4 of late but I found I like Nitro-V quite well.
Good D2 and VG10 are alway acceptable for me.
At the moment my most often carried knife is an older Para2 in S30V with Flytanium black micarta scales and a deep carry clip I found in a box of misc things I'd tossed aside over the years. It is perfect for what I need a knife for, such opening bags of dogfood and sunflower seeds for the bird feeders.

I've gone thru a lot of "I got to have that one" over the years in this hobby. I've cooled off a good amount on all of that now.
I suppose if I had to keep just two pocket knives that most suit me, that user PM2 I described above and my old Cabela's Griptillian in D2 would be fine.
Everytime I decided to sell off some knives, I usually wish I hadn't...and the accumulation continues!
 
It's funny, but it mainly affects my purchasing for mid-range knives between $150-$600. For higher-end knives, I have a lot of lower-end steels. Not bad steels, and they're probably well heat treated and perform optimally, but I don't mind as much for those knives because they're for the collection and their performance is not highly relevant to me. Is Magnacut a better stainless steel than CPM154? Probably. But if it's better, it's not so much better that the knife design and maker's skill don't outweigh that, and for a collector knife, the maker and the design matter a lot more than the steel. For a user, I'd prefer the better steel.
 
It used to more. I was on a hype train.

I still like different steels and such, but nowadays I see I do not NEED a powder metallurgy steel or whatever. I've used BD1N, K390 and Inox the most this week, and I chose it cause of the knife, size and profile, not steel.

Actually, wait, no - I was specifically using K390 more because I want to patina it. But for purchases? Probably affects me a little more than I'd like. "10 more VN's!" type thinking. I think I was kind of treating knife buying compulsively/addictively when I first started off in December-ish. That has calmed down.

Just did a quick mental count and I think that I have seventeen different Spyderco steels. Probably near 27 different steels, total.
 
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