Is it just me?

[RemyKaze]

Is it just me, or are most of the modern "super steels" more of a pain to use and abuse? The upkeep and maintenance of some of these steels makes keeping them up a hassle without expensive equipment.

I have a Gayle Bradley in M4, and I almost never carry it because it is somewhat irritating trying to get an edge back. I usually carry a Rat 1 or 2 with a knife in S30V or VG-10. The AUS-8 in the Rats has really made me rethink my knife philosophy. A lot of knife enthusiasts obsess about the edge, the geometry and the polish. However, for a busy person who uses their knife constantly on a daily basis, I can't agree with the amount of time needed for the newest, high end steels.
Most folks are never going to be away from their sharpening implements longer than a few days, so why the worry about how long an edge will last? Especially considering that even a high end steel needs to be touched up often to maintain that razor edge. Isn't this mentality more of a "what if" scenario, the same as the whole SHTF zombie apocalypse survival knife mentality?

In regards to the Rat knives, I've literally never had them dull on me, with daily use, and 30 second touchups a day out of habit. That is really a hassle-free knife experience. In fact, I think the only reason I buy more expensive knives is my curiosity about new lock types and interest in a particularly striking design.

Maybe I'm just blowing smoke. I'd love some input from other members, however. As you can tell, I am a knife user rather than a collector or a mixture of the two, and so my perspective comes from that.

 

[Comeuppance]

I like steels with very high wear resistance because it means I ultimately take off less metal and have the knife for longer. Touching up the edge is no issue with a Wicked Edge.

Aside from the wear resistance, I also appreciate the impact resistance of many of the steels. Z-Wear, 3V, M390/204P/20CV, Elmax, and 110V all can take a good beating while still keeping a fine edge. I had a Southard a while ago that I accidentally hit edge-first into a steel pipe with some force (I was pulling up to cut some thick zipties on a pipe fence) and there was ZERO damage. None. Not a roll or a chip. Still shaved hair all along the blade after the zipties and the pipe.

That is why I really like those steels. Also, I haven't found that M4 is particularly difficult to touch up - just time-consuming unless you're using diamond stones. I would touch up the edge freehand with a 1000grit diamond stone before I got my wicked edge and set it to 30 degrees inclusive.

That's another good thing about the steels that have high impact resistance and wear resistance: You can put what would otherwise be a ridiculously fragile edge on them and have them not chip out under use.

 

[Bob6794]

What are you using to sharpen your knives with?

I haven't gotten around to reprofiling my S110V Mule Team, but I can tell you so far I've used it enough that my SAK (one of my primary EDC's) would have required a good sharpening already and this thing doesn't seem duller from it. After my initial reprofile of S110V I kind of doubt it will take me much time to sharpen it back up when I need to, there's not too much steel behind the blade and I am using diamond stones which tend to make short work of knives in comparison to other abrasives.

 

[dalefuller]

You're not the only one. I'm happy with steels like 1095 and 154CM. I have knives in newer steels and I use them some, but I could be well satisfied with my Izulas, my ESEE 4, and my 154CM Emersons and Benchmades. They're all easy to maintain even if I'm away from home for several days at a time.

 

[RemyKaze]

What are you using to sharpen your knives with?

I haven't gotten around to reprofiling my S110V Mule Team, but I can tell you so far I've used it enough that my SAK (one of my primary EDC's) would have required a good sharpening already and this thing doesn't seem duller from it. After my initial reprofile of S110V I kind of doubt it will take me much time to sharpen it back up when I need to, there's not too much steel behind the blade and I am using diamond stones which tend to make short work of knives in comparison to other abrasives.

Sharpmaker. Works great on pretty much everything.

 

[Bugout Bill]

For hard work like cutting dirty materials, sod, and imprecise work, the drawbacks of high carbide steels really become clear. Sure, you can compensate by running a thicker edge on a high carbide steel, but I would much rather have a thinner, low carbide edge.

 

[uxo2]

D2,154 or s30 is about it for me.

No where as bad as 440c

 

[A Justice]

Sharpmaker. Works great on pretty much everything.

There's your problem. The sharpmaker works great on S30V and softer, but you need to maintain harder steel pretty regularly to not end up spending some time with it. I would hate to try taking any steel off of S90V or S110V with the Sharpmaker, even with diamond rods.

You're not the only one though - some people around here didn't like S30V because they think it's too hard. If I had to do a lot of cutting with a pocket knife through a variety of material for a job, I would choose the hardest steel that I could still touch up on a small diamond pocket stone in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[Ajack60]

I noticed a difference in up keep with better steels on conventional stones. I then switched to diamond stones and have not spent extra time on any steel. I have to pay attention to what steel I'm touching up, if its something like VG-10 it doesn't take long at all to get it to shave. I've never desired to have a mirror polish on my work knives, I've found the mirror polish doesn't cut as well. It just looks impressive. I've been hesitant about shelling out big bucks on the latest and greatest sharpening system because the Lansky has done its job for me and the diamond kit is not costly at all. It kills me to see someone buy one of these systems and think they are master sharpeners. The higher end steels do keep their cutting ability longer than most others. I've got a Kershaw Turbulence with the Sandvik 14C28N steel for a work knife(part of my rotation) and a TSF Beast with M390 and the TFS doesn't see the stones as much as the Kershaw.

 

[Let It Bleed]

I have nothing bad to say about the super steels, but I have come full circle myself. I'm content with Case CV or SS; Queen D2 (only b/c that's what they use); ESEE 4 (1095); and Spyderco VG-10. Have a RAT-1 and love the blade and the AUS8 gets sharp easy. It's just such a bulky knife that it doesn't see that much use. Came razor sharp when new though.

I got hooked on the "steel of the month" but no more. They certainly have their uses, but I've learned that handle material, shape and geometry of blade, and type of lock have become more important in my choice of knife. My #1 criteria nowadays, is will this knife tear up my pockets.

My knife buying has also slowed considerably. Probably natural to go a little overboard at first. But it was fun.

 

[Smokinape]

I am really looking for a pure iron ore knife it this point, I wanna really go old school...

 

[philwar]

I agree that it's easier to sharpen up the 'older' steels (including 154CM and VG-10) but as another poster remarked, the Sharpmaker has no problems touching up CPM-154, S30V, CPM-M4, CTS-XHP, 20CV, etc. And since the flipside is that (for example) CPM-M4 holds an obscene edge like nothing else I know, I think it's more than worth it.

 

[Quiet]

I am really looking for a pure iron ore knife it this point, I wanna really go old school...

Boooooo, be a man. Go Bronze-age! :thumbup:

Disclosure: pulled this image from the internet, it appears to be the work of a member of another forum. I am not posting this here in an attempt to get anyone to go there, or to buy it. This is for comedy purposes only.

 

[Smokinape]

Lol...

 

[xander99]

The hardest I have gone is spyderco S30v and it does not seem to have a problem! I do like the idea of sharpening/touching up a blade less, but the trade off is that when you do have to sharpen the blade, it is a little harder then a carbon steel or something softer.

 

[RemyKaze]

I think for myself, it is a time/money issue. I don't want to shell out money for another sharpening system, and I don't want knife maintenance to be a chore. Thus I don't normally go above S30V. I used to be snobbish about AUS-8, too. None of this is stopping me from picking up one of the new ZTs in M390, but if it doesn't go over well, it will be kicked out of pocket.

I will say I had a better experience with the edge on a Contego than with that of my Gayle Bradley...so maybe the edge angle is just fudged. I can get it shaving sharp no problem, but it doesn't "feel" right. Doesn't seem like it is hitting the full potential.

 

[link2derek]

Keep in mind that at one point 440C was considered to be the next best Super Steel. But it seems like steel makers have been more concerned with Rockwell hardness, and not with ease of sharpening. Great edge retention has obvious benefits, and ease of sharpening also has obvious benefits. Currently, those two benefits are mostly exclusive of each other, so the question becomes, "Where within that spectrum do you wish to fall?"

 

[fielder]

I must admit that these days I too favour ease of sharpening and toughness over edge retention. CPM154, vg10, 12c27, 440c, Aus 8, 5160, 1095, Infi and so on all work well for me. I do want to try 3v.

 

[miltmaldo]

I buy knives more for the design and and lock mechanism than steel . Steel is a plus if the edge can hold and not rust . I will say 90% of my knife buying are just because I buy into the hype . I just got a GSO4.1 20cv and the reason for buying was the hype they say edge retention is great and the heat treatment all of that stuff but for me it's about how good it feels in the hand . To be honest all I really need is my Mini Grip or Skyline and my ESEE 4 . But this web site keep making me buy into the hype of other knives . Now let me check out my new ZT 801 I bought this one for the looks and the KVT

 

[Blade-fiend]

As collector I enjoy buying various knives in different and harder to obtain steels. As a User I definitely prefer the VG-10 that spyderco uses on the delica. I too am a fairly busy person and use my knives daily so when I get home I dont want the hastle of sharpening for hours. This is why I dont carry my Zdp dragonfly anymore as it is a total PITA to maintain on the sharpmaker. The knives I have in VG-10, 8cr13, 14c28n and aus -8 all get more use than my knives in cpm154, m4, zdp189 and so on.