How blade steel affects your buying

Status
Not open for further replies.
The particular type of steel that a knife comes in isn't towards the top of my list; I tend to purchase knives of the same make however. I only have one or two knives in my current hoard that aren't users so I tend to gravitate to steels/makers that are of a known quality and that I can trust their heat treat/etc.

I am skeptical of "international" heat treat, I only have/use American knives. I have read comments in this thread about D2/etc, I have a few knives in D2; and they have performed quite well, perhaps a little harder to sharpen, but nothing too terrible.

CRK/Medford/Spartan/Protech/etc, are names that I trust and I have yet to encounter any issues with their steel - and in particular find them easy to maintain.

My current carry is S45VN (Spartan SHF) and I have been very pleased with it's performance, it has been my daily since last November. Very nice edge retention, a little more noticeable than CRK's S35VN as an example; sharpens quite easily and strops/hones back with not too much effort.

I am going to pic up a CRK in Magnacut at some point, I am curious to try it; and again with CRK I will rely on their heat treat to be done correctly. I have read many reports of Magnacut being treated to too low of a RC and it hasn't performed as it should.
 
Steel matters to me... a whole bunch!
S30 is where I start
M4 is super tough
M390 is a solid choice
S35VN & S45VN are favorites.
S90V is preferred
S110V is at the top of my list. I worry about chippyness: but have yet to see it happen.
 
Last edited:
Bob Denman said:
Steel matters to me... a whole bunch!
S30 is where I start
M4 is super tough
M390 is a solid choice
S35VN & S45VN are favorites.
S90V is preferred
S110V is at the top of my list. I worry about chippyness: but have yet to see it happen.
Click to expand...
Same here, S90V is always my preferred steel. Haven't seen any chipping issues with S110V as well. I have a Manix2 with that steel that I use quite often, with no issues. I usually polish the edges of my users using a paper wheel setup that results in a slight convex, and they have held up with no complaints from me.
 
The steel definitely affects my interest in a knife even though for all practical purposes it's not that important, curiosity being the reason. I like comparing steels that have very different characteristics such as soft carbons and hard stainless, no subtleties, lets you narrow down your preference of qualities.
 
Steels have different properties. That is a real thing, subject to heat treatment of course. It's worth choosing steels that work well for our needs, lifestyles, and local conditions.

Over the last few days, it has been hot, wet, and humid where I am. I've been spending more time doing things in the woods. These are the kind of conditions in which sweat becomes a fact of life for me. Steels like D2, XHP, and even AUS-8 can occasionally spot in my pocket. Yes, I oil my steel and that helps. It just doesn't always go far enough. Using Larrin's ratings, 7.5 seems to be the magic number for me. For instance, I have a bunch of knives in S35VN, N690, and 14C28N in rotation and never have this kind of issue with them.
 
Bob Denman said:
Steel matters to me... a whole bunch!
S30 is where I start
M4 is super tough
M390 is a solid choice
S35VN & S45VN are favorites.
S90V is preferred
S110V is at the top of my list. I worry about chippyness: but have yet to see it happen.
Click to expand...
I was under a simplistic impression like this: If you want to slice things into exact, laser-beam slices for a long time, use S90V, if you want to cut cardboard and just get material separated for as long as possible, use the S110V.
 
shqxk said:
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.

VVVV.jpg
Click to expand...


Why not have all three - design, geometry, and steel??
 
Gary W. Graley said:
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
Click to expand...
You and that knife represent what I am trying to get across. That is a beautiful knife with a handle material that you enjoy; it is much more likely to get used and enjoyed. Blade steel is just one aspect of a knife design; if the rest of the knife is something you don't enjoy then the knife just sits in a drawer someplace and is never used. If the knife is never used then who cares what the blade steel is? How tough or long the edge lasts becomes meaningless if it just sits around.
 
Indeed, and while it was fairly sharp, it’s screaming sharp today after some time with my sharpening stones
;)
G2
 
I'd say most is hype to keep prices astronomical and to cater to the masses who have the jack to spend.
As for me,I just started educating myself about knife steels a couple years ago.
It's def saved me money by not continuing to buy crap junk.
As for me,I use knives,not look at em,so aus 8,bucks 420hc,and 1095 and 5160 are all I need. Each for it's job.
Farm work ,I prefer the 5160 and 1095.
Anything else the others mentioned suit me fine.
 
I purposely purchased a Giantmouse ace grand in orange g10 with Elmax steel because I wanted the Elmax steel. Used it once to cut some taped cardboard boxes (no staples or metal etc) and from the tip of the blade back about in inch it chipped in several places. I have only had the knife a month. I have contacted Giantmouse and they want me to mail it back. We will see what happens.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top