I hate super steels- please reccomend me a manufacturer of super soft steel

Krissig12 said:
Ohhhhhhhh. VG-10........that makes more sense

But still, you have to wonder why he hasn't returned to clear that up, especially since he's been asked by myself and others multiple times.
And then there's still the whole CRK=Sebenza thing. Does he really just not know after 10 years on this forum that Sebenzas are CRKs? Seems unlikely.

As for whether or not he's a troll or just has an opinion....He kinda just threw this whole controversial topic out there and hasn't posted since. Smells like trolling to me.

Also, notice how the title is worded. Read it again and tell me it doesn't sound like a joke to you. Come on, I LOLed pretty hard the first time I saw it, figuring there was absolutely no way it was for real.
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Maybe for that instance I confused CRKT (Columbia River Knife and Tool) with CRK...since I already mentioned I had sebenzas and about every other knife, I mis-read the CRK comment and thought someone was suggesting CRKT.
I probably owned and bought and sold more knives in my lifetime than I can remember. Probably more so than the most avid knife enthusiast currently posting. I have been in and out of fads, low end type and semi custom productions, customs ect. I finally figured out I need to stop being a sheeple and use what works rather than just the newst best and over $200. knife , cause most of that money is on the blade steel. But I would not mind spending $500. on a well made knife with perfect fit and finish, centered blade , non sticking lock, easily serviceable without voiding warranty ect AND a softer steel. Manufacturters keep using the newest balde material to keep interest going and sell more.. But what is really practical in an urban environment where we most used knives for cutting an apple or cut cut open a package once in a while? That is what I use knives for and "my opinion".. I am not saying for anyone to agree with me and I simply asked a simple question.. It is just what I learned after years (decades) and thousands of knives. I just want something easy to sharpen. I don't want to get into $250 sharpening system and all the angles and all that crap. I love knives in general. But the super hard steels are just not as practical (for me) than the latest or best rated steel that most knives have. I am also a fan and Emerson knives and love their form but the one sided bevels and tanto blades are not easy to sharpen either.

So no, this was not a troll thread. I was just looking for suggestions on a good quality well made folders with a softer "mystery" steel like a Victorinox or something. But it was fun reading the responses anyway. Some very helpful and understanding and some typical keyboard types which kind of feed others to spin things out of control without a single comment from me (the OP).
 
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colubrid said:
Maybe for that instance I confused CRKT (Columbia River Knife and Tool) with CRK...since I already mentioned I had sebenzas and about every other knife, I mis-read the CRK comment and thought someone was suggesting CRKT.
I probably owned and bought and sold more knives in my lifetime than I can remember. Probably more so than the most avid knife enthusiast currently posting. I have been in and out of fads, low end type and semi custom productions, customs ect. I finally figured out I need to stop being a sheeple and use what works rather than just the newst best and over $200. knife , cause most of that money is on the blade steel. But I would not mind spending $500. on a well made knife with perfect fit and finish, centered blade , non sticking lock, easily serviceable without voiding warranty ect AND a softer steel. Manufacturters keep using the newest balde material to keep interest going and sell more.. But what is really practical in an urban environment where we most used knives for cutting an apple or cut cut open a package once in a while? That is what I use knives for and "my opinion".. I am not saying for anyone to agree with me and I simply asked a simple question.. It is just what I learned after years (decades) and thousands of knives. I just want something easy to sharpen. I don't want to get into $250 sharpening system and all the angles and all that crap. I love knives in general. But the super hard steels are just not as practical (for me) than the latest or best rated steel that most knives have. I am also a fan and Emerson knives and love their form but the one sided bevels and tanto blades are not easy to sharpen either.

So no, this was not a troll thread. I was just looking for suggestions on a good quality well made folders with a softer "mystery" steel like a Victorinox or something. But it was fun reading the responses anyway. Some very helpful and understanding and some typical keyboard types which kind of feed others to spin things out of control without a single comment from me (the OP).
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There's no need to go down to "mystery steel" level to be able to sharpen a knife easily. Like I said, CRKs s35 is EXTREMELY easy to sharpen compared to most higher end steels these days. But I suppose since you've already owned a few, you know this and have come to the conclusion that even these aren't soft enough for you. If that's the case, there's not much else I can recommend that has the fit and finish you're looking for but with softer steel.....

As for sharpening gear, a decent diamond set up isn't going to cost you an arm and a leg to get. I have a simple double sided diamond "stone" that has a course grit on one side and around a 600 grit on the other, and it's been putting excellent edges on my knives for a good few months now. I can use it for reprofiling S110V or touching up 154 cm, it doesn't matter what kind of steel you have, diamonds are always up to the task.

And I apologize for calling you a troll, but I'm sure you understand how it must have looked to everyone here, what with you opening this strange and controversial thread on April first and not posting again for a long while.....
 
How about a Rat-1 in AUS-8?

Gets sharp easily. Slicer blade shape, FFG. Everything you like about the endura for 1/3rd the cost + easy to sharpen. Flicks open with authority

If you like Emerson but don't like chisel grinds and want milder steel....kershaw's Emerson line has some v-ground knives that might just tickle you. Cheap enough to try and not like too.
 
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Honkie said:
I live in McDonough, wanna borrow my Lansky sharpener?
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Not sure if this is legit but thanks for the offer ( if true). But would you consider $5.00 per knife to do it for me? I have a handful of knives that need it now.

My schedule is way to busy right now being a single dad and a daughter who lives with me and is undergoing cancer (chemo) treatment.
 
co556guy said:
How about a Rat-1 in AUS-8?

Gets sharp easily. Slicer blade shape, FFG. Everything you like about the endura for 1/3rd the cost + easy to sharpen. Flicks open with authority

If you like Emerson but don't like chisel grinds and want milder steel....kershaw's Emerson line has some v-ground knives that might just tickle you. Cheap enough to try and not like too.
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I never had a Rat 1. Something for me to check into. But I am a stickler for centered blades and early lockbars. Just something about leaning blades and late lockups that bug me. So I would have to pick on up in person rather than taking a chance on internet buys.
 
Cold Steel Voyager clip point, large 4" blade. The AUS8 variant has been discontinued so there are a lot of good deals around, and it sharpens very easily to a scary sharp edge.
 
Lots of low alloy steels out there that easily take a very fine edge and hold it well enough. Victorinox's X50CrMO, Svord's 15N20, Buck's 420HC, anything in 1055/75/95, AUS-8, etc. etc.

I generally prefer steels in that sort of class for generally the same reason. The increased edge retention of high carbide steels is, for me, generally negated by more time on the stones. For those skilled at sharpening, the few quick and controlled strokes to restore a low-alloy blade to high sharpness is often worth the greater frequency of honing required, because it takes such negligible time and effort. But we all have our own unique mix of cutting tasks that impart different rates of wear on our blades, so it's good there's plenty of choices for all crowds. :)
 
Many of the knives you listed are no problem at all to sharpen.
I have an idea - post a pic of all those knives you own so we can see what you're working with. If you have any in there that should be easier to sharpen we'll let you know.
 
Honestly, at this point I feel like OP is just trying to see if someone will offer to sharpen his knives for free.

Most of the knives he mentioned owning would be pretty damn easy to sharpen with a simple cheap diamond set up.
 
It's astonishing to me the number of people who insist that the what works best for them is what should work best for others, or equivalently, who use threads like this to thump their knife sharpening chests.

I've got diamond stones and can sharpen a bit but still find 440C too much of a PITA for EDC use.

For the OP, steels I like: 420HC (Buck, Case, Leatherman), 440A (old SCHRADE USA), 1095/1086 carbon (Opinel, old SCHRADE usa, case and many others).
 
It is amazing to me how many folks are part of a knife hobby and post on a knife forum but can't or don't want to sharpen a knife!

I know it is not this way for everyone but sharpening a knife is one of the fun parts of this hobby for me, no matter what steel it is!
 
Craytab,

I'm confused.

This is a matter of preference, like the difference between lager and ale or coffee and tea. Both sides could easily make the same charge of why do you want to avoid sharpening.

Advocates of higher carbide steels ask, "Why don't you want to spend the time sharpening these harder to sharpen steels?"

Advocates of fine carbide steels ask, "Why do you want to avoid frequent touch ups of these easier to sharpen steels?"
 
colubrid said:
Not sure if this is legit but thanks for the offer ( if true). But would you consider $5.00 per knife to do it for me? I have a handful of knives that need it now.

My schedule is way to busy right now being a single dad and a daughter who lives with me and is undergoing cancer (chemo) treatment.
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Sorry to hear about your daughter, I hope she fights that nasty shit with all she has. I do live in McDonough, across the way from Eagles Landing bottle shop. I also have very little free time for my hobbies, or I would love to sharpen your knives (just to get some hands on time on various models). You can also go to Academy on 20/81 and pick up the standard set for 30$, then add various hones and grits as needed.
 
One of my easier knives to sharpen is a Spyderco South Fork in S90V. It wasn't very sharp when I got it and it didn't take much on the Ceramic sticks to bring it to hair popping. Since then I've used it and just barely had to touch it up on them to maintain the edge. Can't see the need for "soft steel".
 
jill jackson said:
One of my easier knives to sharpen is a Spyderco South Fork in S90V. It wasn't very sharp when I got it and it didn't take much on the Ceramic sticks to bring it to hair popping. Since then I've used it and just barely had to touch it up on them to maintain the edge. Can't see the need for "soft steel".
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That's been my experience with it too, doesn't take much to bring it back with ceramics or a SIC loaded strop.
 
Realistically, my experience has been the same for nearly all steel in regards to sharpening.

Granted that I have the correct geometry and the edge isn't chipped/rolled all to hell, it will form a full burr on a ceramic stone in a few passes. Something like M390 at 61+ HRC can take a little longer to even the burr out, but a good 5 minutes on a strop will do.
 
pinnah said:
It's astonishing to me the number of people who insist that the what works best for them is what should work best for others, or equivalently, who use threads like this to thump their knife sharpening chests.
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That's not really the problem. ;)

The real problem is the misinformation that is floating around about how difficult the higher carbide steels are to sharpen.

They aren't difficult at all to sharpen, trivial really with simple things like ceramic sticks and Loaded strops so a person doesn't really need anything fancy to maintain them.

Silicon Carbide stones etc have been around for as long as I can remember (40+ years) and will handle any steel without much of an issue.
 
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