Nessmuk carbon steel choices

T

tychoseven

Joined
Aug 9, 2005
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I'm seriously considering a Koster Nessmuk as a birthday present to myself, but I'm hung up on which steel I want. I have several Himalayan Imports Khukuris which I think are 5160, and also some EDC/utility knives in 5160. I like 5160 but I'd like something with better edge holding ability for a skinning/utility knife. This would still be a hard-use knife but I'm willing to trade some toughness for edge retention. I'm looking at O-1, W-2, and 1095 but I have no experience with any of them. I've checked around on the internet but have only found vague descriptions of these steels and no comparisons between them. I'd appreciate hearing what people think of these steels and maybe I can get a nessie that much sooner.:)

Thanks,
Tycho
 
Thanks, Dan. That's very useful.

Something else that occurred to me is that your (Dan's) preference of steel should probably be taken into account. That is to say, if you like a particular steel more or work with it more frequently, perhaps that affects the quality of the result? I'm thinking specifically of the heat treatment here.

I work as a coffee roaster and I've noticed certain types of beans "like" me more, meaning it's easier for me to develop their beneficial characteristics. Other beans "fight" and are trickier to roast consistently. I imagine there's some similarity with metal.
 
Depends on the knife and the budget.


For a Nessmuk, my honest-to-goodness preference (all things considered) is 3/16" O-1 flat ground, tang drilled and tapered with cocobolo or ironwood handles. If I build one for me...that will probably be it. Easy to make, easy to heat-treat, super-tough, I don't mind maintaining the O1 - might even pre-tarnish it.

Best bang-for-buck in my book.


Of course...I would love to have one in 3V...clearly superior steel...but can't seem to hold onto them. :D
 
I love the full flat grind...it's so sexy. However I think the scandi-vex is the best aesthetic compromise between flat and scandi. I love the as-forged finish on the flats and the full flat grind removes almost all of it.:(

I'll probably go with a scandi grind because my sharpening skills are rather poor and I doubt my ability to maintain a convex edge.
 
The scandi-grind is a safe bet - foolproof sharpening.

Like I said....it's really just about priorities...whatever matters most.
 
I pulled the trigger on a nessmuk....O-1, cocobolo, and scandi grind with some thumb grooves. It'll be a huge step up from my current skinning/hunting knife, the Buck 119. :D
 
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