Is D2 steel as brittle as people think or say it is?

I have Dozier's Wilderness Knife which of course is D2, but they used a slightly thicker bar stock on this knife and slightly different edge geometry to minimize the chance of chipping doing such things as chopping with it. It is a real nice knife and the one I would probably carry if all hell broke loose.

I have some Queen knives in D2 that I have not used heavily, but have not observed any chipping as of yet.
 
It really depends on the application, and blade geometry and heat treat. It's too general of a question to give a specific answer to. Brittle, compared to what? At what thickness?

If you are looking at hunting with a knife that thin and optimized for hunting, then D2 is a good choice, although as others have pointed out, there are lots of good choices out there. If you are looking at chopping hardwood, it would be among the last on my list.
 
I used it to stab a plastic 1mm thick fruit bowl. It broke the edge on the front 2mm of tip. I threw the knife out.
 
Guyon said:
I don't have any of Ka-Bar's D2 (yet), so I can't speak directly to performance there. But D2 done well is a great steel.
Bob Dozier's D2 is legendary. I've tried it in a passaround, liked it, and now have a Dozier on order.
I have a Bussekin (Swamp Rat) blade in D2 that is tough as nails. As usual, I'm sure the heat treatment has a lot to do with performance.

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Whoa! Nice Safari Skinner,, old school
Just did a little research on it,, it was designed by Mike Thourot.. very cool
 
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