How blade steel affects your buying

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I don't really have too much of a steel preference. I do like stainless steels and I like the high tech blade steels as much as the next knife nut but it isn't really that important in my decision to buy a new knife. The design, handle shape, etc. are much more important to me. Lets face it; so many great steels have been released over the last 10 years that I doubt that I wouldn't be happy almost all of them. My current EDC happens to be S35v but I have EDC knives with S30v and they were great. That same can be said of D2 and VG-10 so blade steel is not really something I worry about when buying a new knife.
 
I’d be lying if I said it didn’t, but it all depends on the brand of folder. Fixed blades, not so much as whom the builder is and the geometry of the blade. At the end of the day, if I use my knife hard, it really doesn’t matter what the steel is because it will probably need some type of attention if I’m going to carry it the next day.
 
Great Question! Steel definitiely is a major factor for me. after being a knife nut for so many years I have found favorite knives and sold off most others. Having bought hundreds I doubt I own 25-30 knives and don't really feel compelled to buy often. I don't use anything other than stainless. Too many knives have rusted from being in my sweaty pockets. My next knife purchase will most likely be magnacut. The problem is waiting for it to come out in a knife I want. Magnacut Spyderco Manix would be an instant buy, but I could use another medium fixed blade as well. (I am not fond of Bradford after a bad customer sevice experience, else I would already have one.) M390, S30V are two of my goto steels. I like VG10 as well due to it taking such a keen edge with ease. Having been spoiled by Spyderco's excellent heat treats, and having found the same steel from other manufcturers perform decidedly subpar, I am somewhat picky about manufacturers as well. (I used to hate S30V due to getting it first in a Sebenza!)

That's really why I rarely buy knives anymore, I'm picky. Picky about manufacturer. Picky about blade steel. Picky about handle material. And then If I find one to buy, I have to ask myself how it would be better and get used more than what i alredy own.

Grizz
 
If it's a safe queen or too fancy to use from a known maker then the steel isn't the first thing I think of but if it's a user then I do consider the steel somewhat however I have many examples of different steels and it is mostly just a matter of keeping up with the Jones in the knife world.
 
This just arrived, it's a fairly smallish folder with just under a 3" blade, French with Juniper scales, love that peppery smell from the wood. Blade steel is 14C28N which I also like as it takes a very nice edge. This will be a light duty carry knife.
14C28N which is also a steel that I like too.

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

The French don't seem too hung up on the latest steels, for the most part, like Opinel and a wide variety of the ones made there, at least for the bulk of the ones I've seen. A lot of sandvik steel is used for their stainless blades.

G2
 
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Steel matters to me when buying a knife.

I want to have something I like and depend on. Most of the time I can get along with a multitude of different steels.
I like everything from h1 to k390, I just need to know whats in my pocket.
 
I wish makers and manufacturers spent their time focusing more on blade geometry and heat treat, and less on steel choice. I’d rather have a thin, property heat treated blade in pretty much any steel.

That said, and all else being equal, my preference will always be for steels that are conducive to edge stability. In a nutshell, thin and acute edges cut better and longer than thick and obtuse ones. For such an edge to survive, the steel needs to be hard to prevent rolling, and it needs to be tough (usually through smaller carbide size/lower carbide volume) to prevent chipping.

Steels that I like a lot: V-Toku 2, CPM 3v, CPM CruWear, 14C28N, AEB-L, LC200N, MagnaCut.
 
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INFI, SR101 (52100), A2, M4, 3V, and 5160 are a few of my favorites. I try to avoid all the _Cr_MoV Chinesium crap but still managed to wind up with a couple.

That said, I still use and enjoy the tried and true like Buck’s 420HC, Case’s CV, and whatever it is Victorinox uses.
 
tiguy7 said:
I am on a ZDP-189 kick right now. It is easy to sharpen and really holds an edge. The goocher is: most everyone is phasing it out. This often happens when I find something that I like.

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Could get Spyderco Endura in either ZDP-189 or K390 and I went with K390 because it's a lot tougher than ZDP-189.

I do however wonder what would ZDP-189 like, but it's sold out now so doesn't matter anyway 🤣
 
I think the latest and greatest Super Steels, they seem to pop up every couple of years, are a bit overrated and are more a marketing tool to continually drive interest and sales. Nothing wrong with this, knife making and manufacturing is a big business, with a big following. There is only so many tweaks you can do to a blade designs and handle to encourage more sales, so generating hype and sales by selling a better steel seems to work well.

Going back 20 or more years, anything from 440C has been more than good enough for my requirements. Yes I do like all the hype and charts on Toughness vs Edge retention vs whatever, but in reality, a well made knife, with a good heat treatment, correct blade geometry and a perfectly ground edge, designed for the intended application will do everything a sharpened piece of steal is required to do.
The most regularly used knives are probably chefs knives and knives used in abattoirs and butchers, you dont see much high tech latest and greatest steels there. Japanese carbon steels, Blues and White have been around forever, and still are sought after by chefs worldwide. Busses INFI has been around a long time without the need to improve. Some makers a renowned for D2 perfection. List goes on.

Personally, I feel that learning to sharpen and putting your preferred angle and type of edge on a knife will have a bigger impact on the knifes performance than the type of steel its made from.
First thing I do with any new knife is put it on the stones and sharpen away, just don't like the mass produces mechanically ground edges. Even if they come shaving sharp, they don't last that way for very long. Maybe Super Steels factory ground edges last longer?? I've always liked S30V on folders, put a fresh edge on this and its great. Carbon steel in the kitchen, Blue2 thinned down to 12 DPS is slicing heaven.
That's my 2 cents worth, don't let reality get in the way of a good story.
 
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.
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Do you sharpen your knife with a dry belt? If not, what do you use to sharpen it with?
 
I used to be some serious steel junkie until I realize design and geometry are far more important than steel...
For now I own several knives in High-tech steel like REX-121, S90V, Magnacut etc. but when it comes to higher end or expensive knife I mostly buy forged suff which are just plain simple steel.

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I like S35VN. Why is it the "shortest lived one out there"? Seems like a lot of it is still being used.

Having said that, I also like some of the non stainless tool steels, like D2. CPM 154 is good. Not a fan of the Swedish steels.
 
It changed over the last couple of years. Once I realized that I don't like to fix chips, I started to prefer tougher instead of high wear resistance steels. And I'm lazy and don't like Patina, so I want to have a few percent chrome. I love AEB-L and NitroV on the stainless side, and M4, A2, A8, S7, 3V, 10V, Cruwear, and a good, non-Chinese D2 on the semi carbon side. I make exceptions if I love the geometry enough, a good 420HC, VG10, N690, or full carbon is not a show stopper, and of course I have plenty of S30V, S35VN, M390, and S90V knives :) 2 Magnacut knives so far, and I use them as my "water-knives".
 
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No steel preference. I only look at it to try to understand if the knife is worth the asking price.

Over the years my favorite knives have been 1095.

Geometry and heat treat are everything.
 
Steel is the ultimate deciding factor for me. For instance, if a knife is available in S30V and S90V, I'll get the S90V version even if it comes at a ridiculous premium over the other,
When I have knives made, the more super the steel, the better.

On the question of D2 or CPM-D2, this steel is fine by me, as long as it's from a reputable manufacturer or maker. I even have a few Chinese D2 knives (Two Sun) that perform very well after an initial sharpening or profiling, and some just refuse to get dull. I have a custom in CPM-D2 HT'd by Peters that I haven't had to sharpen in almost 10 years, just a few swipes on the strop is all that's needed.
 
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