Looking for a knife of D2 steel - reccomendations?

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TheMightyGoat

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I've never owned a knife made of D2 steel, and I'd like to have experience with such a blade. It would have to be a folder, but that's pretty much the only requirement I have, except I don't want to spend a completely outragious price. I've been browsing various sites (onestopknifeshop.com, 888knivesrus.com, agrussel.com etc), but I haven't found many so any help will be appreciated.
 
I don't know if this is considered too expensive for you but knifeworks.com offers Benchmade 806D2 (that's D2 steel) for $110
 
Other options to check out are the Bob Dozier-designed Ka-Bar Thorn (3" blade), the Camillus CUDA Maxx (5.5" blade), and A.G. Russell's limited edition of the Camillus EDC in D2 (2.9" blade).

Personally I would recommend the Maxx, which is my EDC, but only if you live in a place that allows a blade that size. :)

--Bob Q
 
Originally posted by tonybigthumbs
Folder or Fixed Blade, and what is your price range ?
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As I said, I'm looking for a folder. As for price... I guess I'm willing to go up to $200. That Cudda Maxx is mighty tempting, but since I don't have any experience with D2 I'm not sure I want to spend that much on my first one.

For the sake of mentioning, my current EDC is a Dalton Companion.
 
For the sake of argument, the CUDA Maxx would be a heck of a first knife in D2! I know that you specified a folder and under $200, but for a great fixed blade in D2, look no further than Bob Dozier... fantastic grinds, superb heat treat, and wickedly sharp, all with great sheaths to boot.
good luck on your quest
Mongo
 
Originally posted by Mongo
For the sake of argument, the CUDA Maxx would be a heck of a first knife in D2! I know that you specified a folder and under $200, but for a great fixed blade in D2, look no further than Bob Dozier... fantastic grinds, superb heat treat, and wickedly sharp, all with great sheaths to boot.
good luck on your quest
Mongo
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Well, another problem is that I intend to carry this knife with me, and the Cuda Maxx is a large knife to be paired with my Dalton Companion... and I can't imagine replacing my Companion with another knife...
 
let's try some word assocation... when someone says "D2" I say "Dozier".

Ok, that outta the way, in production folders there's the BM 806D2 (complete with god awful BT2 coating:mad: ), the BM 46-01 Balisong (without god awful BT2 coating:) ), uhm what else? The Ka-Bar Dozier Thorn (if that's your thing). The A.G. Russel exclusive Camillus EDC in D2.

Uhh those are all the ones I can really think of right now. Good Luck!
 
Well, if Dozier is out I would go with the 806, Benchmade is the only production company that I have seen come even close to the heat treat quality Bob gets from his knives.

FWIW, I have beat the living snot out of my 806 and the BT coating is in pretty good shape. I'm talking cutting drywall, chiseling out old plaster, woodworking chores, cutting bags of concrete open etc...

Don't buy a Dozier first though, you will probably never be happy with another brand of D2 knife again, or most any other steel for that matter.
 
The new Queens come in D-2 and the price is right but you will have to sharpen them yourself. None of the 5 blades I bought for customer was sharp. If you don't mind spending 20 minutes on a diamond stone go for it.;)
 
Only heard good things about the Benchmade 806D2....must be something pretty dang good :P. I just recently purchased a 941BC1BL and I love it. My first Benchmade and I wish I had the money to pick up the 806D2 as well. Good luck with your findings on D2 folders.
 
I got a Cuda Maxx Stilletto for 127.50 on ebay :)

thank goodness for being on vacation and the auction ending
while everyone was at work/school.
 
Originally posted by tonybigthumbs
I got a Cuda Maxx Stilletto for 127.50 on ebay :)

thank goodness for being on vacation and the auction ending
while everyone was at work/school.
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Speaking of that, why is the bowie version so much cheaper? Is it just that people like stilettos more or is that type of blade more expensive to produce?
 
Another vote for one of the Queen slip joints, should go along with your edc very well.
 
Hmm... I had just decided to buy the Cuda Maxx bowie when I read a thread about how good VG-10 is, and a bunch of people replied saying it's their favorite steel, and now I have to decide if I want D2 steel after all.

Umm... any reccomendations for VG-10 steel? Lol, I must seem like a pain in the ass.

Thanks for all the help though, guys. Everything I know about knives I learn at places like this.
 
When compared to Doziers D2, VG-10 is no match. When compared to everyone else's D2 VG-10 can hold its own. I would put VG-10 on par with ATS34/154CM, maybe a little better.

If you're really looking for an awesome steel I would look at S30V, maybe a Microtech LCC.

For VG-10 look at the AG Russel Strike Force, Al Mar Shrike or SERE and a plethora of Spyderco's.

I like VG-10 quite a bit but IMO S30V beats it hands down for edge retention, so does Doziers D2.

Have you also considered M2? I have a couple of M2 Benchmades and they cut forever... almost zero rust resistance though, so you need to keep an eye on it.
 
Originally posted by cpirtle
When compared to Doziers D2, VG-10 is no match. When compared to everyone else's D2 VG-10 can hold its own. I would put VG-10 on par with ATS34/154CM, maybe a little better.

If you're really looking for an awesome steel I would look at S30V, maybe a Microtech LCC.

For VG-10 look at the AG Russel Strike Force, Al Mar Shrike or SERE and a plethora of Spyderco's.

I like VG-10 quite a bit but IMO S30V beats it hands down for edge retention, so does Doziers D2.

Have you also considered M2? I have a couple of M2 Benchmades and they cut forever... almost zero rust resistance though, so you need to keep an eye on it.
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I guess I'm just looking for whatever steel will take the sharpest edge.
 
Unfortunately there is no perfect steel, otherwise there would only be one high end steel to pick from.

Sharpness is based purely on the person sharpening when it comes to quality steel. How long it will hold an edge under varying tasks is where steels differ.

I would suggest researching the steels a little more in depth and find out what components add to the various steels.

Some steels sacrifice edge holding for ease of sharpening and stain resistance. Some steels will hold an edge a very long time but can be difficult for a novice to bring back to sharpness.

Some knives will excel at abrasion resistance but can suffer from being a little brittle...

There's a lot more to it than just finding one that will get sharp.

Now VG-10, ATS-34 and 154CM all have a nice compromise between edge retention and ease of sharpening while being as stainless as possible.

D2 adds a little more abrasion resistance but can suffer from chipping and is less stain resistant. Can also be hard to sharpen if the heat treatment is not just right.

S30V has great edge retention, low chipping, high abrasion resistance, high stain resistance but is a little more difficult to sharpen.

For a novice who wants a nice steel that is easy to sharpen, does not need much maintenance and will hold an edge for a decent amount of time I still like 440C.

You really can't go wrong with any of the steels I've mentioned because most people will not notice a huge difference between them.

I have knives in all of the steels mentioned and like them all, I'd say the performance variance between them is 5-10% across the board.

I think the ultimate in knife steel from a pure user aspect is M2, but like I said before it can rust easily...
 
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