Newbie needs HELP here. what type of steel do I need for my knives?

[Rapt_up]

Sooooo... I'm going to give very different answers than most and if the steels I recommend when I started this I could have saved myself thousands of dollars getting to the place I am now... granted I probably wouldn't appreciate the knives I have now or how much better they are than anything I used to own.

More critical than steel is design, edge geometry, and heat treatment. Most commercial knives do not take them to the extent necessary to maximize performance. So its either custom maker, or regrind of commercial knives that have the heat treat done right.

EDC folder: This is going to get lots of use on things that dull soft, easy wearing steels, being dull often before the end of the day if you use it much at all..
so you want something really hard with amazing edge retention... For me that means Spyderco Farid K2 in 10V (Rc 65) with a Razor Edge regrind to thin the blade and drop the trailing point, OR a Benchmade 710 in M390 (Rc62) with a Razor Edge regrind to extremely thin the edge. Super slicer, but not super tough.

Camp/Woods/Survival knife: Tough, hard and great edge retention. You never know when you'll need it or when you might get a chance to sharpen it. So best have one that won't always need it. I choose CPM 3V in a substantial, but balanced design, not super thick, fairly thin edge Rc61 is a good place for this steel. Mine is a Big Chris SAR 6", tough, sharp, and holds an edge....

Skinning: See Phil Wilson customs for why you want super duper super steel done right. Better to have a tough, sharp, hard knife that you can skin 10 deer with before sharpening than one that needs to sharpened 3 times before you get through one... 10V, S110V, S90V, even M390 if done right, one of these....

Also you need a guided stone sharpening system with decent stones so you can do the regular maintenance on them. Doesn't take long even with these steels... My Spyderco K2 in 10 at Rc65 only took 2 passes each side with my DMT aligner and 600 grit DMT stone to refresh its edge after the regrind...with a couple months of regular hard work on it, still sliced paper, but not sharp enough, back to push cut newsprint and heavy plastic film.

 

[JR88FAN]

I wouldn't focus so much on steel at this point.

I have no ideal what your experience is with knives in General, but if it's what I imagine it is, you need to figure out why you like something more than something else.

That means using different steels and knives for different tasks and finding out what works for you.

There is no consensus on which steel is best for what.

I would suggest based on your varied requirements that you purchase an ESEE Izula.

It is a great EDC, and a very useful woods knife.

See what you think, learn to sharpen it, and then go from there...

You need to start at A to get to B, shortcuts will not help you figure out what you really like and why.

 

[Rapt_up]

I wouldn't focus so much on steel at this point.

I have no ideal what your experience is with knives in General, but if it's what I imagine it is, you need to figure out why you like something more than something else.

That means using different steels and knives for different tasks and finding out what works for you.

There is no consensus on which steel is best for what.

I would suggest based on your varied requirements that you purchase an ESEE Izula.

It is a great EDC, and a very useful woods knife.

See what you think, learn to sharpen it, and then go from there...

You need to start at A to get to B, shortcuts will not help you figure out what you really like and why.

Lots of truth there. I like knives that cut super easily, and I don't have to sharpen often.

 

[sharp_edge]

OP - with your $200-250 per knife budget, there is no reason not to go after knives of good steel, so I am not sure why people suggest to you the steel does not matter. I am saying just of my experience. Looking back, I wish I had skipped the likes of kershaw thermite and spyderco tenacious (dont get me wrong they are good knives) and gone directly with ZT0562, PM2, Military, and Benchmade 710 etc.

 

[Jdawson01]

Let me clarify my reasoning for a better steel... so I'm very familiar with guns (specifically ar15 platform) I will use that as an example. People are often told go with a cheap gun to get the feel of whether you like the platform... however my view is different, if you go cheap you create more of a headache for yourself and spend more money later on upgrading to something that is quality. I'd prefer to do it right the first time and spend money on a quality knife that will last me many years to come. When I say I have no experience with knives, let me clarify that as well... I mean I have no experience with high end knives... I have plenty of 440, and 1095 steel knives which I have no problem using or sharpening. I want a "higher end" super steel (for example) for it's beneficial properties i.e. harder edge requiring less sharpening, rust resistant, etc. Hence why I like steels such as s35vn, not so much because it has a cool name like "super steel" but because of its benefits over a common type of steel. I realize heat treating plays a factor in all of this as well as grind, etc. I'm looking purely at the standpoint of which steels require less day to day maintenance (constant sharpening and oiling), but can handle abuse at the same time. This is mainly metallurgical at this point. Oh and 1 thing I wanted to reiterate is that I DO NOT want anything foldable, strictly fixed blade design for my preference (for those recommending blades like spyderco, etc).

 

[VanDammet]

Sooooo... I'm going to give very different answers than most and if the steels I recommend when I started this I could have saved myself thousands of dollars getting to the place I am now... granted I probably wouldn't appreciate the knives I have now or how much better they are than anything I used to own.

More critical than steel is design, edge geometry, and heat treatment. Most commercial knives do not take them to the extent necessary to maximize performance. So its either custom maker, or regrind of commercial knives that have the heat treat done right.

EDC folder: This is going to get lots of use on things that dull soft, easy wearing steels, being dull often before the end of the day if you use it much at all..
so you want something really hard with amazing edge retention... For me that means Spyderco Farid K2 in 10V (Rc 65) with a Razor Edge regrind to thin the blade and drop the trailing point, OR a Benchmade 710 in M390 (Rc62) with a Razor Edge regrind to extremely thin the edge. Super slicer, but not super tough.

Camp/Woods/Survival knife: Tough, hard and great edge retention. You never know when you'll need it or when you might get a chance to sharpen it. So best have one that won't always need it. I choose CPM 3V in a substantial, but balanced design, not super thick, fairly thin edge Rc61 is a good place for this steel. Mine is a Big Chris SAR 6", tough, sharp, and holds an edge....

Skinning: See Phil Wilson customs for why you want super duper super steel done right. Better to have a tough, sharp, hard knife that you can skin 10 deer with before sharpening than one that needs to sharpened 3 times before you get through one... 10V, S110V, S90V, even M390 if done right, one of these....

Also you need a guided stone sharpening system with decent stones so you can do the regular maintenance on them. Doesn't take long even with these steels... My Spyderco K2 in 10 at Rc65 only took 2 passes each side with my DMT aligner and 600 grit DMT stone to refresh its edge after the regrind...with a couple months of regular hard work on it, still sliced paper, but not sharp enough, back to push cut newsprint and heavy plastic film.

This is very similar to what I was going to suggest! I simply don't agree with the folks saying that a "newbie" worrying about steel type is a waste of time. I think buying anything but the best is a waste of time personally...and while I certainly see the other points of view, my personal advice is very similar to the above post here.

Why buy 3 generic "name brand" knives, when you can get 3 ba-dass knives?? And more specifically, I advise you (OP) to make all 3 of your new knives custom fixed blades....no need to throw a folder in the mix! And why is defense/security a waste of time? I certainly take security into account with my knives - but I do live on rural property with bears & cougars & most dangerous of all - overly protective neighborhood dogs. And don't even get me started on zombies. Seriously, protection isn't needed all that often, but to ignore it completely...I don't know, that offends my warrior spirit....but, to each his/her own - best of luck with your knives & welcome!!