How blade steel affects your buying

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I've currently around 50 different steels in mainly knives but also chisels, saws, Axes, plane blades etc.. I recently purchased a parang in 5160 and have used extremely heavily, leaving my axe to prep hard wood rounds for the fire for winter. I've been absolutely amazed at the durability. I'm guessing Bidor know how to heat treat their steel as its fast becoming my favourite "cutting" tool. So easy to sharpen, a simple strop is enough, and that's after 1hr heavy use.

I wouldn't now entertain a more modern steel for hard use other than to satisfy my curiosity.

I'll be purchasing more My parang blades (a small 8" duku and 125 golok machete).

I must be a simple man as this old simple steel meets all of my requirements for hard use.
 
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K.O.D. said:
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Very nice. Here is my Biryukov in S90V.

I don't have any knives in S125V. Reading up on it is interesting. Based on Larrin's table, it is at the bottom end for toughness but the very top for edge retention.

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Chronovore said:
Very nice. Here is my Biryukov in S90V.

I don't have any knives in S125V. Reading up on it is interesting. Based on Larrin's table, it is at the bottom end for toughness but the very top for edge retention.

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Very nice. He likes to make big knives.
 
Magnacut has been out for a while now, and I’ve had a couple of different knives with that steel but frankly my day to day uses haven’t pushed them any further than my ’normal’ steels that I have so I was wondering if anyone has seen a marked difference between it and the usual suspects?

G2
 
I bought a PM2 in Cruwear with canvas micarta scales and I absolutely love this knife. Maybe it's because of Spyderco's particular polishing technique, but the blade feels almost like it's very lightly oiled, even when I've just cleaned it and I know that it's dry. I like the way it feels on the sharpening stones, how easy it is to resharpen and how well it holds an edge. Maybe I like the scales, which I disliked at first, or maybe it's the compression lock that makes me prefer it, but above all I think I just like this particular steel. From all I've found to read about the steel it's fairly evenly balanced between edge retention, toughness, ease of sharpening and corrosion resistance (although it's very slowly developing a patina unlike any other I've owned). I'm sure that down the road I'll buy a knife in Maxamet or whatever the leader in edge retention is at the moment, but while taken as a whole I really like this knife, in the end it's really all about the steel. I like Cruwear.
 
Magnacut is not just this year's fad steel, it blows pretty much every "balanced" steel out of the water. It matches the performance of some of the best high alloy tool steels without their tendency to rust, which no one thought could be done.

For high edge retention, I prefer S90V since it's a little tougher than other high edge retention stainless steels.
 
In general my EDCs are whatever steel I pick up date day. I have bought a few specifically because I wanted to try the steel including Maxamet, Cruwear, S90V, and S110V. I’ll be traveling to visit relatives for 10 days soon so I’m taking my Maxamet PM2 to beat on just to see how long the edge will actually last.
 
Gary W. Graley said:
Magnacut has been out for a while now, and I’ve had a couple of different knives with that steel but frankly my day to day uses haven’t pushed them any further than my ’normal’ steels that I have so I was wondering if anyone has seen a marked difference between it and the usual suspects?

G2
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I have not tried Magnacut steel yet and I would like to but, like you my everyday cutting needs are not that demanding where I need a modern supersteel.
 
I can be a steel snob but it is more associated with expectations for the price point. If I’m paying mid-tech prices, the expectation is the steel will reflect that price point.

Ultimately, I have the equipment to get anything that holds a edge screaming sharp. There are other specs that are far more important to me.

A bad batch of Elmax killed it’s reputation for some people. Elmax may be my favorite steel.
 
I have knives in most knife steels my favorite steels would have to be
3v for most knives
Infi for choppers if not 3v is a close second
And I have magnacut sebenza wich has amazing performance but to be honest s35 vn on my zaan gets my carry more often
And for lower end 14c28n or any of its variations do the job

The steel I don't like are chippy steels I had bad experience with cts-xhp, d2, 189zdp, maxamet, and the like.
 
It doesn't.
Of course I only own/carry/use traditional knives ... preferably multi blades. The old "obsolete" steels like 10xx, and the 440A/425HC class steels do everything I need ... which is a "good" thing, since traditionals (that I can afford) might go as high/modern as D2 or 440C, for the most part.
I did splurge and get the 2018 Buck 301 BF 2 blade "stockman" with CPM154 blades though. I think that is the most advanced blade steel I have ... unless my Buck 110 with a S30V blade is a later "latest and greatest" "super steel" than CPM154 ... 😇
 
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afishhunter afishhunter I agree that there are a lot of what most new people into knives find as 'old' steel and seem to shun them or look down on them, I've done that myself truth be told. This Case Muskrat that my friend DocJekl DocJekl so kindly sent me, while it isn't a model that I have ever owned, just didn't click with me so I never picked one up, but after touching up the edge a little bit, it cuts way above my expectations. Cut up several boxes and it did admirably and slicing up some foam to pack some knives up it also cut easily with it's sharp toothy edge. So thanks Doc for allowing me to try one of these folders out.

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

G2
 
Carbon steel did it all for me up till about the mid ‘80s. I could go back to it now without issue. And I will as soon as Microtech starts using it in their OTF’s
 
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