perference of steel

J

joey816

Joined
May 14, 2008
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How many people prefer tool steels like over stainless steel for your EDC knife? I'm wondering if characteristics of high carbon A2 steel is worth the loosing out on the stainless characteristics. Also for hard use purposes, are the differences minimal to make huge difference?
 
I prefer Carbon Steel over Stainless, but I also have other factors that influence knife purchase as well. Carbon Steel will take a better edge and is easier to sharpen.
 
Carbon steel here. Mine get wet, sweaty and EDC'd. (S.W.Louisiana here. Very hot, very humid!) Oh, I also work outside all day. Land Surveyor. My EDC knives are various BRK&T in A2 and a Case Sodbuster Jr. in CV. Mine are getting some nice patina but they will never rust on me! I wipe them with T-shirt or jeans a few times a day and every other day or so I give them a good rub down with mineral oil. Very basic maint. goes such a long way.
 
1095 all the way, if not than any of the high quality carbon steels such as D-2 or CPM 10V. I have been carrying a Sodbuster in CV for years and the blade is still bright and shiny, stainless is only needed if you don't do daily maintenance on your blade. When I settle in for the night I wipe done my CCW handguns, all 3 of them and then using the same Rem-Oil rag wipe down the blades on my knives. I do this every night whether I am home or on the road or in the woods and I never have rust problems. Carbon steel is easier to sharpen, holds a finer edge, and, in my opinion, just cuts better.
 
joey816 said:
How many people prefer tool steels like over stainless steel for your EDC knife? I'm wondering if characteristics of high carbon A2 steel is worth the loosing out on the stainless characteristics. Also for hard use purposes, are the differences minimal to make huge difference?
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I prefer stainless alloys for EDC. That may be because my EDC is a folder. Not a lot of A2 folders out there.

If I EDC'd a non-folding blade, I might look at a non-stainless option.
 
I prefer a fine grained carbon steel, but realize and enjoy a good stainless.

Also, I find that many knives that I like the design of just can't be had in a carbon steel.
 
joey816 said:
I'm wondering if characteristics of high carbon A2 steel is worth the loosing out on the stainless characteristics.
Click to expand...

That depends on many factors. For example, if you already make the effort to keep your knives sharp the extra time needed to keep a tool steel from rusting isn't going to be that big of a deal. On the other hand, knife users in the "buy a serrated knife and never sharpen it for the entirety of its lifetime" school of thought are best served by stainless steels.
 
I find the durability of the tool steel knives are just the only knives I will touch for hard use. Of course if the situation calls for the anti-corrosion properties of stainless there are a lot of good stainless options out there to choose from also.
 
I go back to an excellent article by maker Dan Farr in March 08 Blade magazine. In essence he argues that the steel choice varies by blade size:

"How much of a concern is toughness in knife design? If you are interested in making and/or using swords, it may be your No. 1 criterion when selecting the steel and the heat treat. The speed of the sword blade generates tremendous impact energy.
Conversely, the other end of the spectrum is a hunting knife with a 3-inch blade. You just cannot generate the blade speed and high impact needed with a short blade."

Farr says that therefore in a large knife, carbon steels are the best, but

"If you include folders, where toughness is not paramount, I own more stainless knives than carbon steel. I carry a folder made by R.J. Martin every day, and it has a blade of CPM S30V...Many times, exceptional toughness is not needed in the steel. On occasion, edge holding trumps impact resistance. If the knife is so tough that it cannot be broken by hand power it is tough enough."

And although he doesn't directly say it, he appears to imply that S30V has superior edge-holding to carbon steels. As far as I know this is true, because of the greater wear resistance provided by chromium and vanadium carbides. The reason carbon steel is so much easier to sharpen is due to less wear resistance, but this also translates to reduced edge-holding.
 
I like stainless for an EDC folder, and a tool steel for larger blades.
Dave.
 
Unless you're scuba diving in salt water, I can see no point to stainless steel.

Keep your blade clean and dry and you'll have no problems regardless if the steel.
 
I don't care so much whether it's stainless or carbon so long as it is one of the best steels for the job. That being said I have a predisposition to carbon blades, but my EDCs are in 154CM or ZDP-189 and they work great. If it's good steel, gimme. :D
 
joey816 said:
How many people prefer tool steels like over stainless steel for your EDC knife? I'm wondering if characteristics of high carbon A2 steel is worth the loosing out on the stainless characteristics. Also for hard use purposes, are the differences minimal to make huge difference?
Click to expand...

A2 steel is great and you won't be disappointed.


:D
 
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