M2 vs. D2

[dannyvi]

I don't know if this has ever been presented, but which is a better steel? I see D2 has more carbon and should be harder.M2 is presented as a high speed steel and I see that alot of limited editions are usually in M2. Knives with M2 is usually more money than D2 and this is about the same knife except for the steel. Why??

 

[Redguy]

M2 is a high speed steel and it is harder, tougher and can be made sharper because it has finer grain than D2. It has a lots of tungsten so resists heat better than D2, therefore very difficult to heat treat it. D2 is a bit more "stainless", but when it corrodes, it pits.

M2 is a much better steel than D2 overall.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Both have the same max hardness which is 65/66 HRC HRC, D2 is rarely left that hard though and is usually tempered to 58/62 HRC, M2 in cutting tools however is often ran at full hardness. D2 works well in knives with fairly obtuse edge profiles, 15+ degrees per side, M2 is nicer at lower angle as the edge has higher stability. In general, as a blade steel, M2 from a user perspective is usually the better choice. For a maker though it is very demanding to heat treat as it requires a very high soak temperature and very tight precision on the time.

-Cliff

 

[DGG]

Hey, you forgot to mention A2 steel.

http://www.barkriverknives.com/

These knives are only for experienced knife users as they are too sharp, IMHO. They have great A2 convex edges. I own the "Huntsman" model. Best fixed blade I own. It holds a great edge. I touch it up occassionally, not because it needs it, but because it has been so long I'm feeling guilty about not doing something with it.

http://barkriverknives.com/gallery/album68

Here is a link for "steelheads".

http://www.ajh-knives.com/metals.html