Marketing gone too far with "Super Steels"

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Look at it this way, RamZar. It gives the steel manufacturers, knife manufacturers, knife retailers and knife buyers something to do. As for me, I usually use 440C, so I am probably the wrong person to ask. ;)
 
A.P.F. said:
Look at it this way, RamZar. It gives the steel manufacturers, knife manufacturers, knife retailers and knife buyers something to do. As for me, I usually use 440C, so I am probably the wrong person to ask. ;)
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Back in 2005 my "premium" steels were 154CM, ATS-34 and VG-10. Then, came along S30V which was truly premium due to its powdered metallurgy.
 
What Al said and 440C is a very good steel, when done right.
I'm back with Beta-Ti. It cuts well and no rust to ever worry about.
rolf
 
these things are cyclical. New steel hits the market, folks want it, manufacturers try it, fans buy it. Round and round. No one's fault, and nothing as 'gone to far'.
 
So a retailer added a link/page listing all the knives they have in stock made with "super" steels... what's the problem? :confused:

You can also use their website's search to look up all the knives they carry made of simple carbon steel.

I'm pretty sure the DC comic-book people won't be real happy about them using the Superman logo on their page... other than that, I don't see the big deal.
 
I , too , saw a significant increase in edge retention when I went from 154CM to S30V for the first time (which for me was in 2009). I'm still extremely happy with S30V and it's a favorite of mine.

As long as they continue to make better and better steels il will buy them as I am a bit of a steel snob. But I like to see for myself how much better each steel is rather than rely on claims by manufacturers.

This is what I use regularly and what I have found first hand :

154CM : great steel , easy to sharpen to a razor edge and very affordable. I like it and I wouldn't hesitate for a second to buy a knife with it.

S30V : excellent blade steel. Holds its edge for a long while and doesn't take much to learn how to get a hair-popping edge in minutes. My "old faithful" of steels.

D2 : awesome steel. It holds a super sharp edge for a long time (similar to S30V in my experience). Never had any rust or corrosion issues with D2 and I'm 500 ft from the ocean.

S90V : the longest lasting razor edge I've come across. Superb steel. I've only had to touch up my S90V blades to get them back to scary sharp. But I'm still learning how to effectively sharpen this steel. It's a bit tricky for me right now but I'm working on it.

I have no extended use with M390 but I'm hoping to change that soon. XHP too.
 
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There's a large group of folks that like and even prefer super steels. With KW having such a wide ranged inventory of knives with these steels it would be unwise to not market them.
 
Knife steel is an important variable. It will affect how concerned you have to be about corrosion, how long it will hold an edge, and how difficult it is to sharpen. That doesn't mean that 10V, S110V and CTS-204P/M390 are better than 1095, D2, and 154CM/ATS-34. They have strengths and weaknesses that someone who has more experience with knives is able to recognize and prioritize better than someone without experience. They can ignore the hype and choose a steel that works best for them.

While there's no such thing as a true 'super-steel' that will please every user in every department, there are certainly varieties that possess qualities that are prized by many knife aficionados of varying backgrounds and levels of experience. High carbon, high vanadium compositions tend to be more expensive, and the time it takes to work with them inflates prices even further. They're typically the best performers when it comes to edge retention, which is probably the main criterion when it comes to distinguishing steels from 'super-steels'. But they have weaknesses of their own; the factors that make them better at holding an edge also makes them harder to sharpen. Higher carbon levels can mean less corrosion resistance.

I don't think the hype surrounding these steels is anything particularly negative. If people are willing to pay more for M390 or S110V, what's the problem? I like having a choice of different steels available to me, and I've found I prefer high-carbon, high-vanadium steel. This might change in the future, and I hope there will still be different options available if it does... because we're obviously not all going to agree on any one blade steel.
 
This is marketing gone TOO FAR imho being it's total B/S.
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For the most part so-called 'super steels' give those inclined to such things something to obsess over when not worrying about whether their perfect edge will ever be the same after opening that envelope. One more thing that can take a lot of the joy from the hobby.

Personally, I don't give steel that much consideration. If I like the knife and the steel is decent, I'll buy it. I don't mind sharpening and have no need for seeking year-long edge holding. Some of my favorite knives are even 400 series steels.
 
To me, saying all steels are pretty much the same is like saying all blade geometries are pretty much the same. Nope. There are significant differences in steels, significant difference in heat treats and significant differences in blade geometry. Trying to find the best combination for my uses is what makes this hobby fun.
 
EChoil said:
For the most part so-called 'super steels' give those inclined to such things something to obsess over when not worrying about whether their perfect edge will ever be the same after opening that envelope. One more thing that can take a lot of the joy from the hobby.Personally, I don't give steel that much consideration. If I like the knife and the steel is decent, I'll buy it. I don't mind sharpening and have no need for seeking year-long edge holding. Some of my favorite knives are even 400 series steels.
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I'm just about ready to explode from the joy... it has been undiminished by super steel. :D
 
Just my experience, but these 'super steels' have performed super for me! Pretty amazing stuff if they are properly heat treated!
 
Most guys have so many knives in rotation that using a basic carbon blade the edge would hold up for months. :-) Did I mention I love basic carbon?
 
Are we new to the wonderful world of product marketing? It has always been this way. Every maker and merchant of anything finds ways to tout their product as unique, the best, improved, peerless, ideal. And it gives hobbyists something to talk about and a reason to buy another item. And feel, if just briefly, they have discovered a magical item and therefore belong to the exclusive club of magical item owners, one of the few enlightened ones. Some are fascinated by steel alloys, some by handle materials and some by blade shapes.

Truth be told, if it were not for fanatical hobbyists, the knife industry in the U.S. would fold and become nothing more than a group of importers competing for three of the four price point brackets. Which is where things started here in the mid to late 1800's. But the difference is that then customers were knife users, not collectors.

Today knife users are few and far between. Ones who know and appreciate quality and aesthetics rarer still. So cheers for making knives for knife collectors and enthusiasts. And market them as the best thing to come from a cutlery since bronze became iron.
 
Embarrassingly I've got at least one of each steel in that newsletter, and maybe half of the knives featured there.

There's some benefits to the newer generation high carbide, particle steels, but it's a trade-off between ease of sharpening and edge retention, between edges rolling and chipping out, and inevitably that's a personal choice for the user.
 
I like super steels but am not dying to try them all.

To be completely honest, I'd be fine for the rest of my life with 1095, 440, 420HC, and the like.

My favorite EDC steel would be S30V.
 
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