Never believed it... BUT Blade steel really matters

H

Hardman

Joined
Dec 27, 2004
Messages
108
Hi guys,

I just wanted to share this discovery with you.

I never thought blade steel made a difference until a changed my sharpening angle form 30 degrees to 22 degrees.

Now my VG-10 SPYDIE'S ALL OUTPERFORM my AUS-6 CRKT's and 440 Buck's in edge retention.

Now a believer in blade steel,
Mike
 
Hardman said:
Hi guys,

I just wanted to share this discovery with you.

I never thought blade steel made a difference until a changed my sharpening angle form 30 degrees to 22 degrees.

Now my VG-10 SPYDIE'S ALL OUTPERFORM my AUS-6 CRKT's and 440 Buck's in edge retention.

Now a believer in blade steel,
Mike
Click to expand...
haha yes YES! it's true. now, if you would, picture vg-10 with better stain/corrosion resistance. got s30v? :)
 
Hi Hardman.

Congratulations. :)

hardenable steels will range in cost from $X to $7X. The processing costs of turning the better steels into knives is about the same ratio.

"better" knife steels are better because they get sharper, hold an edge longer, are more resistant to corrosion and are tougher. These properties are harder to create in the steel and once in the steel, that steel is more time consuming to drill, grind, polish, sharpen, heat treating, etc., hence the higher costs of the knives with those steels.

sal
 
Captain Ron said:
VG-10 used to my favorite steel I thought it could not get any better that is until I tried S30V :eek:
Click to expand...

That's strange....

I thought blades made from S30V could not get any better then I tried VG-10!
 
what better place to put post #3K than a steel thread...

440c takes a sweet edge if you don't mind touching up every few days. Will get hair popping sharp, but any hard use will kill that edge. Just a 30deg edge on it without a wire will do the job.

ats-55 WILL hold a 12deg (or there abouts) inclusive edge... I put the stone flat on the my ss 'fly... Just don't pry with the edge or it chips. It'll keep that edge under light daily use for about 6 months.
ats-55 WILL convex nicely, makes a super tough edge that lasts forever. Thin it down before for best results.
[My ss 'fly is the brainwave knife... it's been thinned down, convexed, thinned down, convexed, thinned down... it's on 24/7{neck rig} and 3yrs+ of carry has made it almost like a natural claw. Highly polished superthin edge]

vg-10 WILL take and hold a 20deg inclusive edge if you avoid hard objects like bone. I had to backbevel after to kill my wire when it bent cutting chicken.
20deg on the whites and a strop with 0.5micron will give you a lightsaber like edge.
convex edge on vg-10 makes it stupid sharp... strop the edge on an old fb01 moran and see what you can't cut with it.

s60v(440v) will last forever with a 30deg edge if you kill the wire. medium grit gives a "better" edge than fine or polished. Like a month of daily abuse.

s30v is impossible to kill(at least on my lil temp)... coming up on 7 weeks(other than about a week total rotating my ss police or bm921s) with factory edge still, still shaves. I'm not hacking through rope or boxes with it all day(been off work for just about 4 months now), but I use it for everything day to day... from my food, to packages, to dog food bags, to killing pizza boxes. I've hit bone, I've hit staples, I've opened my watch, I've bent the clip on a pole... doesn't look like it can be killed.
 
Outlaw45 said:
That's strange....

I thought blades made from S30V could not get any better then I tried VG-10!
Click to expand...

Well, once you get to the really good steels I guess it depends largely on what traits you are looking for in a steel. Every steel, even the best represent a trait-off. If you compare those high quality steels, it depends on personal preference and your intended use, which one you like best.

Personally, I think S30V is really hard to beat in edge holding, while I can get a slightly better edge on VG10 (not much difference though). And while the edgeholding of BRKT's A2 isn't close to S30V, I just love the edge I can get on it, but since it isn't stainless, I wouldn't want an A2 blade in a folder.
 
HoB said:
Well, once you get to the really good steels I guess it depends largely on what traits you are looking for in a steel. Every steel, even the best represent a trait-off. If you compare those high quality steels, it depends on personal preference and your intended use, which one you like best.

Personally, I think S30V is really hard to beat in edge holding, while I can get a slightly better edge on VG10 (not much difference though). And while the edgeholding of BRKT's A2 isn't close to S30V, I just love the edge I can get on it, but since it isn't stainless, I wouldn't want an A2 blade in a folder.
Click to expand...

For me it's sharpening ability. It's VERY easy to get my Goddard, Calypso Jr., & Pro-Grip SCARY SHARP. :eek:
Just a couple of swipes on the whites of the 204 will usually do it.

It takes a little more effort to get my Native & Military as sharp. :cool:
 
I'm really excited about the new blades in ZDP-189. They say it's (much) better than S30V :p
 
Thanks for all the replies guys (and maybe gals?).

I'll have to try s30v.

P.S. I get my blades super scary sharp by polishing the edge on a buffing wheel with green compound (kinda like a lazyman's strop).

Will this affect the temper?

Mike
 
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