How blade steel affects your buying

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It affects my buying tremendously. For instance, when I see a +$100 knife with AUS8 I just keep scrolling. Same thing with D2. I know all D2 isn't created equal but I associate it with cheap Chinese knives now since they flooded the market with them. I know firsthand that Dosier's D2 is definitely premium steel.
 
calm said:
If you look into the traditional threads steel is mentioned beyond just SS or Carbon Steel . Especially in fixed blades, but you do see several traditional knives in M390, 440C and so on. Even GEC used O1, 1095, 440C, 420 and so on.
Some people care about steel some do not, in all types of knives.
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I would say that GEC using O1, 1095, 440C, 420... is them using pretty standard stuff. Even 440C is decades old now. None of those steels are considered anywhere near state of the art.
 
Fantastic subject for bladesmiths to understand preferences. I believe correct heat treatment and edge geometry are the starting point for a good knife. Good traditional and simple steels can yield excellent knives if used good cutlers. But everyone ends up having a preference for some steels, even the bladesmiths. I like to work 1095,52100, 15n20+1084, 15n20+1095, always good work and excellent performance.
 
It affects my buying insomuch as I want to know what it's made of.
As for decision making on a purchase,it's equal to the thought I give of the overall price,the maker and value to dollar.
I'm not a guy who collects,and not a rich man,so once I see it's bucks 420hc or another brands aus 8 or 5160...then I start adding in the other aspects.
Thise are just the steels that I use and like and have experience with,as well as can afford.
 
Trying out new stuff is certainly one aspect when buying a new knife. I recently picked up a Kizer sway back that has a CPM4v blade, I've never tried 4v before ;) and it looked nice too and so far it's been working out very well.

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Still looking for that magnacut folder, hopefully soon...

G2
 
I always put the geometry and sort of use first when I want/see a knife.
For steel Stainless is a must as I absolutely do not like Patina.
I am always a slow responder when new steel types come out.
When it's new to me, it's old news to the rest of you out there.

I'm still happy on a daily basis with S30V and M390 on my folders.
I also don't mind Buck's 420hc and the old school 440c in my Buck 110.
My preferred fixed blade is a custom one with RWL 34 that I like a lot.
I would like to try S45vn and Magnacut very much though.
 
I didn’t read the whole thread. I’m a user regardless of the price of the knife. That said the most expensive knife I’ve ever owned was a benchmade 3310. And the most expensive I currently own is a buck 192. The buck 192 looks the best of all the similar knives I’ve seen. Some do have nicer overall finishes or handles, but the lines are the best to my eye... so far. And the way it feels in my hand is the best so far. I like the balance, the size.

The example I have is 420HC. Now. I would likely grab a buckmaster 192 if I had the chance and money at the same time to try. But I don’t say man my steel sucks and I want the better steel. I tend to say, oh goody....this steel is capable of being sharpened on my favorite Arkansas stone.

I’d grab a 192 in carbon steel the fastest though. Because carbon steel performs best for all the things I do with a knife. It sharpens easier, to a keener edge, by hand. It cuts and bites better to me. But it requires a touch of maintenance. And carbon steel isn’t expensive to make or hard in tooling.
 
There's a thread over in the Traditional section that talks about 'olden days' of knives as well as knives around the world.

I've traveled quite a lot when I was in the service dept where I worked, got to see a fellow in Pakistan sitting in a small indented area of a brick building using a forge to make/repair things for the glass container factory and in Balochistan Province in the desert it is HOT so I watched him just sit there working away, hammering on making a chisel I think at the time.

And while in Mexico City, on the outskirts in another glass factory, the maintenance workers there all had hack saw blades with black electrican tape wrapped around one end and the other sharpened on a grinder into a small flexible fixed blade knife, primitive but for what they needed, it served the purpose.

Where we sit often determines what we deem important or...not so important. I enjoyed, for the most part, my trips around the world but I always liked getting back home. And after 911, not being able to carry a knife on a plane, I felt like a smoker that couldn't smoke on the plane any more, that took a while to get use to !!!

G2
 
I am a little confused with the moniker "super steel" - can cut harder stuff, but the trade is blade is ticker, behind the edge is ticker, and it is not advisable to sharpen at lower angle. So, if I want a slicer, then 1070 (Old Bear), 1074 (Douk Douk), or 1086 (Opinel) will be my choice. ;)
 
Some steels I 'think' require a thicker edge, while not a 'steel' the Talonite I remember was said it would roll, same as dendritic cobalt as well, talking with David Boye it is meant for more fibrous material ropes and such. But some of the newer steels I believe you can grind thin and still have a fairly hard edge as well.

That may be a good subject for another thread ;)
G2
 
Gary W. Graley said:
Some steels I 'think' require a thicker edge, while not a 'steel' the Talonite I remember was said it would roll, same as dendritic cobalt as well, talking with David Boye it is meant for more fibrous material ropes and such. But some of the newer steels I believe you can grind thin and still have a fairly hard edge as well.

That may be a good subject for another thread ;)
G2
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I guess it depends on what we call modern, but there are many steels today that would be "better" than other popular steels for small knives. For example, from a user's performance perspective 52100 is better than 1095. For another example, 420HC is mentioned a lot and it is a very tough and corrosion resistant steel, but there are steels that would probably work better in a small knife, 14C28N is not as tough as 420HC, but it is tough enough and its wear resistance and achievable hardness make it better suited for smaller knives. Both of the above would allow for thinner blades and more acute edges. There are many other steels today that have better performance and would allow for better performing knives.
 
For me, I value toughness and ease of sharpening over edge retention. Hence, many of the so-called super steels are inferior per my criteria. Some of my favorites include 440c, Aus10, VG10, 9Cr, Sandvik varieties and the like. D2 is somewhat inferior, but good enough for me. In fact, D2 has raised my whetstone skills, so there is that. That's my take. When buying a knife, I am immune to the latest crazes with respect to super steels. M390 can take a hike! ;)
 
Greggy said:
For me, I value toughness and ease of sharpening over edge retention.
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Same here, and I do not have any guided or semi-guided sharpening systems - to me getting a Sharpmaker is probably the right thing to do for getting the job done, but the fun element is gone. One India stone and few Arkansas ones are good enough for my knives.
 
Gary W. Graley said:
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
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I think it matters less if the blade is made with the attention of a good custom/midtech maker.
That way the steel, geometry, profile, weight, heat treat, thickness and length and cost is optimized for a range of purposes and attributes while sacrificing known capabilities.

With mass produced knives, the heat treat of the blades on the edge of the batch will always be different than the blades at the center of the oven.

If the blades are heat treated one at a time w/ care, blade steel can be a primary consideration, as the technical data sheet actually provides an objective discernment of differences in capabilities from other steel choices.
 
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If it can’t be sharpened on an arkansas stone I generally pass unless they are giving it away. Reason being, I like my stones as much as my knives. I build a relationship with a good stone as much as I do a good knife. I prefer carbon steel period. But I use stainless for carry cause I sweat like a pig in summer. (And yes I know pigs can’t sweat.).

But a factor I do consider, is country of manufacture. I don’t buy from the orient generally. I like USA and European made.

Lots of folks consider case or buck stainless as crap compared to the modern stuff. But sharpenability is more important to me than edge holding. I might whittle 2-4 hours a day. That’ll make any knife dull.
 
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