longest razor edge?

[Popsickle]

Ok steel junkies, what STAINLESS steels out there hold a razor edge the longest? and what steels are best for SD knives? i see emersons favor 154cm which can get stupid sharp! lets hear your input!

 

[Noctis3880]

For stainless I'd say ZDP-189 or M390.

For SD I would expect any piece of metal would do fine. I believe most prison shivs and shanks aren't hardened steel. For me personally I would merely want something other than Chinese crap with a bad heat treat, as the blade on those would probably snap in half.

I'm not that big a fan of Emerson's 154CM. The thing has a habit of chipping on me.

 

[flatface77]

The term for this is "edge stability". Some steels with less pure wear resistance will hold a shaving edge longer before dulling relatively quickly. 12C26/ AEB-L is known for edge stability but not for holding an edge.

For self-defense the ability to take a good edge is all that counts. If your blade dulls or rusts out in an encounter, it isn't self-defense anymore.

 

[marcinek]

...what steels are best for SD knives?

The sharp and pointy kind.

Nothing else matters. A set of grocery store steak knives will do the job just as well as anything else and are disposable.

 

[marcinek]

Ok steel junkies, what STAINLESS steels out there hold a razor edge the longest? and what steels are best for SD knives? i see emersons favor 154cm which can get stupid sharp! lets hear your input!

The more I think about this one...the more confused I get!

What is different about what makes a good "SD steel" from what makes a good "EDC steel"? Do you need edge rentention on a SD knife? Is one going to be getting into so many knife fights that their SD knife is going to get dull? And if your "SD knife" is getting dull from all the EDC tasks you are using it for...its an EDC knife! Or is it "Well I don't mind an dull EDC, but a dull SD knife is unacceptable."

It's Friday and Happy Hour....I'll let somebody else think about it!

"The knife you stabbed me with has a low molybdenum content. Its has no effect on me! Muuuhahahaha! Now give me your wallet."

 

[Shotgun]

The sharp and pointy kind.

Nothing else matters. A set of grocery store steak knives will do the job just as well as anything else and are disposable.

I read on the forum a while back about how to get around airport security for your self defense knife. Leave your knives at home and hop the plane. When you land go to a steak restaraunt and have a great meal. On the way out pocket the steak knife.

I also heard the number one stabbing weapon of sweden is the mora. No super steels there.