Novice Steel Dilemma

I have, and use, Sharpmaker, several King water stones, several Arkansas stones, DMT plates, DMT diafolds, a KME with diamonds and Arkansas stones, a Lansky Tri-hone, many different strops and steels, and a few aluminum oxide stones. Plus a few other ceramic plates, etc.

I am not a pro, but I am able to achieve different levels of sharpness on a bunch of different alloys. It takes time, some guidance, and experience to start achieving what your looking for.

Mostly now I just use the DiaFolds as they are easy to carry and cut pretty much anything.

All the suggestions made here have been very good. Ultimately you’ll have to ask yourself how deep down the rabbit hole you want to go.

I highly recommend learning the sharpening art. It’s almost therapeutic.
 
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Dashdaddy said:
To be honest, you're right, I don't use my knives hard in any way, not even cutting up cardboard. Then again, I haven't been carrying them long enough to know all the ways and reasons to use a knife.
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Okay, so let's back up some.

I feel like you've fallen victim to the internet, and especially YouTube, mantra about "premium steels". First, a steel isn't premium if it doesn't suit your needs. No matter what it is comprised of or what all the hype says, the only thing that matters is that it works for you and that includes edge maintenance.

Any steel you get from Spyderco will be absolutely sufficient for light duty EDC. Any steel you get from a reputable maker will be absolutely sufficient for light duty EDC. In fact, I'll go so far as to say they will be sufficient for well beyond light duty.

So I would strongly encourage you at this stage to drop steel type to the bottom of the list of factors for knife consideration. Blade geometry, ergonomics, carry comfort, your like of the knife, etc. are all vastly more important than the steel type.

You of course have to be careful with some knife makers but you can find all those answers here.

Find knives you like and I hope you continue down the sharpening path. If you find a sharpening method that works for you and you are good at it, you will be light years beyond so many people who are buying "premium" steels. And then we can start talking about different steel types and which ones excel at what. :)

A sharp Case knife is significantly more effective than a dull S110V blade. ;)
 
Dashdaddy said:
To be honest, you're right, I don't use my knives hard in any way, not even cutting up cardboard. Then again, I haven't been carrying them long enough to know all the ways and reasons to use a knife.
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That's a fun place to be. One beauty of having the tool is realizing all the opportunities to use it.

Cardboard is the roughest job my knives see. Since the overwhelming majority of my box reduction happens at home, I don't need to use a pocket knife. I just enjoy using my EDC knife. After all, using and maintaining a pocket knife are part of the fun. Of course, there are knives I won't use for cardboard. This gets back to my point about luxury vs decent budget blades. Cardboard can have trapped dirt, grit, etc. that will add visual wear. Some guys like the look of wear and tear because it adds "character". Personally, I prefer adding character to things that are less fancy.
 
Give a budget steel a try. Try the Spyderco Tenacious. Amazing knife with a budget steel that has a great heat treatment. I have a lot of premium steels, but I carry my Tenacious A LOT!!
 
My first "real knife" was Recon Tanto in SK-5 steel.

Simple carbon steel was a joy to sharpen on a whetstone even though I was a complete beginner and I'm still using this knife to this day and I love it as much as I did when I got it.

There is also some joy in oiling your knife too.

I was also never a folder type of guy, and fixed blades are not only stronger and cheaper but also easier to maintain.

My advice is to get yourself a nice knife in plain carbon steel, like 1075, 1080, 1085, 1095... or SK-5 (Japanese version of 1080) and get some experience with it.
 
Stop and take a breath. Now determine what you want your knives to do, what you want to use them for. Then start looking at steels.
Some of those "premium" or super steels are great for some things but suck for other uses.
S30 is a nice steel for slicing, but not anywhere near as tough as even simple carbon steel. If you need a knife that will be beaten or used hard, then those stainless super steels might not be the best choice. It's not just cost that machetes are made from simple carbon steels. Notice that no swords designed for use are made from any kind of stainless. they are often 5160.

Match the material to the job.

You wouldn't use a Rolex as a flight watch, and using a Breitling aviator watch as a dive watch would be silly.
Neither would be good for many outdoor adventures where they'd be likely hit against rocks or trees. A Casio G-Shock though would be perfect.
 
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