Of the other knife carriers you know, how many carry carbon steel?

mnblade

mnblade

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Feb 7, 2000
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I found this to be such an interesting thread that I thought I'd how many of you folks know anyone who carries a carbon steel knife as an EDC. If I think through everyone I know on two continents, I can probably come up with a few folks who do carry knives. But NONE that carry a carbon steel knife. I don't know what this says about the company I keep, or about the future of the market for CS-bladed knives. :confused:
 
I know quite a few who carry. None carry Carbon steel blades. I only occasionally carry them.

Phil
 
TOPS scalpel is 1095. I rotate that as my edc/fixed.
 
Does toolsteel count?

A good friend of mine EDCs a Seki-Cut Bob Lum Encounter in D2, but everybody else I know carries SAKs, multitools and tactical folders, and those usually come in stainless. BTW if I can pony up some cash, I'm planning to buy a small fixed blade, but I can't decide, between a Busse, or a CPM3V custom.
 
I carry carbon steel pocket knives, I know two other guys that do as well,
 
I don't personally know anyone who carries a carbon steel knife. I think you'd be more likely to find them in the southern part of the United States because traditional knives seem to be relatively popular there. Maybe in Scandinavia and certain other areas.

I carry carbon steel knives myself, mostly in the form of slipjoints.
 
I carry a Lil Caper neck knife from AG Russell in my backpack all the time, its blade is Hatachi Blue carbon steel. I also usually carry a BM 710HS in M2 in my pocket.

I don't know anybody else who carries a non-stainless knife.
 
Winter Carbon carry is fine but, in Summer with sweat exploding through your pants I prefer stainless or D2. I have carried an Opinel carbon blade in Summer but, only in a plastic baggie or Naugahide pouch I made for it out of the Companies stock...hehheh.
 
From the age of 7 to about 20 I carried nothing but carbon steel knives. Mainly Sheffield slipjoints of the pen, boyscout and horseman variety and small fixed blade hunters. Was never that fastidious in cleaning them, a little light oil and buffing. None ever rusted although some developed a patina that was almost black. I still carry some of those old blades, one of which is a mid- 19th century horseman's slipjoint with ivory scales.
For me the patina in all its shades of blue and grey is a beautiful and near mystical attribute that makes a blade feel alive.
Nostalgia...almost overwhelming...must lie down...:)
 
I sometimes carry a custom Wharncliffe in O-1. It's blued though.
And I've carried a satin-finished D2 custom tanto a couple of times, but that's a semi-stainless steel anyway if you ask me.

Oops...just realized that I didn't answer your question...sorry! :foot:
Well, I don't know anyone (except for some of the knife enthusiasts I've met at German knife forum gatherings) who carries a carbon steel bladed knife.
 
I carry almost exclusively stainless, although I'm getting a D2 fixed blade for my trips to the dry parts of my country.

My father really likes carbon steels and his usual EDC is a SAK plus a carbon steel knife.
 
I do carry a folding knife I made for myself that is 1095 every now and then. Its not the kind you can carry a lot working out in the summer getting all sweaty but I've always liked the way it cuts so its hard not to give it some pocket time on occasion.

STR
 
I've got a number of friends who EDC carbon steel, but most of them are over 50 - they either are sticking with what they know, or they've seen this stainless craze and they aren't impressed.:)

Honestly, I think we'd see more carbon steel being carried if there was more available. Speaking for the USA, in my experience, leaving aside things like Opinels that only knife knuts know about, there aren't a lot of choices in carbon if you aren't into traditional knife patterns. I'm glad Kabar and Ontario do some 1095 modern pieces, and of course there's Cold Steel.

I wish someone like Benchmade or Spyderco or Kershaw would do a line of knives with a range of modern designs in tool steel. My impression has always been that the only reason there are a fair number (compared to any other tool steel) of D2 production blades available is that it is, and is marketed as, "almost stainless", so low maintenance people are willing to try it.

I'm unhappy about Benchmade dropping M2 steel from their lineup - I really hope they're planning to surprise us by replacing it with something like 3V, but I'm guessing we're just going to be getting S30V and D2.
 
I regularly carry a Bark River Highland in A-2, but it doesn't really count...easy to deal with.

I've got a Hankins custom made of 52100 that I carry regularly....it's an ugly cycle...carry it for a week or so, see a spot discoloring, pull my hair out, frantically scrub it away, and repeat the cycle....

Similar cycle with a Black & Tan Chiro 75 made me out of 1095, except it's easier to clean. (less curves and angles)

I'm currently working on the handle of a 3.5 inch bladed carbon steel Puukko for EDC purposes, I'm really excited to finish it....:D

I absolutely love carbon steel, but don't always do well with it on a daily basis due to my anal-retentive nature.:o

Lately I've stuck with 12C27 for EDC and carbon for tromping in the woods and more serious dedicated work. Oddly enough I'm becoming less enamored with the super steels as time progresses, and more impressed with the simple steels.
 
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