Production Slipjoint Steels' Quality.

CL01

CL01

Joined
Apr 19, 2007
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Odd question maybe, but I am curious from the many multi slippie owners here, what company's steel seems to be the best.

By best, I mean edge holding. Since I'm talking about slip-joints, toughness isn't necessarily as important as slicing ability & edge holding. Also, I'm preferring to production slip-joints & in the range of $100 (Give or take a few) or less. I'm not talking about customs, semi-customs, or very high-end productions, but about some good solid companies/names, such as; Schatt & Morgan, Queen, Canal Street, GEC, etc.

I've had a couple GECs in 1095 (I'm not 100% sure, but I think their 1095 is probably better than their 440C), some other 1095s, Cases in SS & CV, & 1 Canal Street in D2. So, is Canal Street's D2 probably the best steel for slippies in the price range I'm talking about or is their another that I'm missing?

As always, thank you in advance.
 
I don't think everyone will aggree on what is best, while Queen's D2 will probably hold its edge the longest, I don't like it because it isn't easy to sharpen. I prefer simple carbon steels myself, I like Boker's C75, Case's CV, and most of the 1095 out there. I think most can agree that the heat treat is what makes a steel good or not, and different steels have different properties that some may or may not like.
 
You know, to tell you all the truth, I think Bucks 420HC takes and holds a better edge then any of the case, queen, S&M 420HC. They make it hard enough to where it just works great.
 
I think unless you do some table top side by side testing, it's hard to tell any real difference in day to day use. I do think in general, a carbon steel blade is a bit nicer. I love the Case CV, and the plain 1095 that Schrade put into the Old Timers was great stuff. Easy to sharpen, got fingerprint grabbing scary sharp. Kind of like an Opinel. I think I read or heard somelace that Opinel uses a 1085 instead of 1095. I don't care, I love Opinels anyway.

Buck's steel is great. They manage to take a run of the mill stainless, give it a great Paul Bos heat treat, and it stands up to stuff like some good carbons I've used. Tough as well.

I had a sodbuster in D2 from Queen, but it came dull as a butter knife, and it was a bear to sharpen. I finally got it sharp, but it was a pain to touch up fast when I was out someplace. I gave it away.

I like most of the stuff that comes from the name brand companies. I have a bone stag case peanut in true sharp that I have no complaint over. It does just fine. But I do have a personal prefference to simple carbon steel.
 
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My question based on edge holding for slicing, primarily. Sharpening's not an issue for me (Whether it's hard to sharpen, etc.) & my Canal St. D2 wasn't terribly sharp, I understand/agree with all that.

But, for an example, I have a Case in SS & while it's a very nice knife, it doesn't tend to hold its edge terribly long. The GEC's 1095 was very good & the Northwoods in 1095 wasn't bad either. However, I haven't brought myself to use the Canal Street D2 yet, & am wondering before I try to use it (It's mint right now), is that one of the better (Holding it edge during slicing) steels for slippies or are there some better ones?

Thank you.
 
I like the simple carbons as well. 1095 was great in the USA manufactured Old Timers, but now no longer made. Yes the Opinels can get so scarey sharp, my wife won't use them in the kitchen.

How are the Boker's C75, for ease of sharpness compared to say 1095 steel? I been eyeing some Boker whittlers in C75, but was unsure of the steel.

Bluesk:cool:
 
I think your going to see most go for carbon steel.
1. what ever the heck it is in my 1995 Robeson slimline Trapper(suppose to be 440A) it out cut's my 30V knives
2. Queen's D2
3. Victorinox's SS
4. Queen's 1095 tied with S&M's 420HC
 
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Aside from the D2 offerings, Canal Street also offers 14-4CrMo, the Latrobe version of 154CM. I have one, and holds an edge as well as my Benchmade Grip in 154CM and takes a nice edge. Mine was hardened to 58HRC.

The Schatt & Morgan File and Wire series come in ATS-34. Haven't tried it yet.

In side by side manila rope cutting tests, my Buck 301 in 420HC held an edge a lot better than either Case Tru-Sharp or Case CV. The difference in performance is noticeable in every day use. I'd guess that this is a hardness phenomenon more than an alloy difference. The 301 measured 59HRC, the Tru-Sharp 55 HRC, the CV 54 HRC. My opinion is that the amount of difference I saw in edge retention is commensurate with the difference in measured hardness.

I'm still slowly collecting alloy and carbon steel examples. I don't have enough samples to offer comparisons at this point.
 
In my experience, Queen D2 holds its edge longer than pretty much anything else in my slipjoints. I haven't really used my Canal Street Canittler that much, but it has stood up quite well too. My use is not, I repeat not, typical so your milage may vary. I'm in building maintenence, so I do a lot of renovation type work, cutting and scaping on abrasive materials, and D2 stands up to that better than easier to sharpen steels.
 
I agree with crbauhs on Buck knives and the steel they use. Bucks seem to hold an edge well and are easy to sharpen. The D2 that queen uses is good but the factory edges are the worst I have seen . I have a Queen Sodbuster that I had to thin down before it would get sharp and it was D2. Queen knives are well made but I want buy them because of the thick butter knife edges they finish a good knife wwith. And yes I can sharpen a knife but when I pay for a quality knife I expect a good edge. I have used GEC knives with 1095 and case CV and stainless and Eye Brand in both carbon and stainless. Eye Brand stainless is good but there carbon is better. I have not used Boker enough to comment on. And my testing is not as scientific as Knarfeng but just my experience over the years. I like Victorinox SAKs even though the steel is a little soft but it takes a nice edge. The Vic. SAKs have nice thin blades. I have come to a point that I prefer a knife that sharpens easy and quickly and I am not a fan of the super steels as some are a pain to sharpen. I think the manufacturers leave the blades to thick. For a knife to really cut it needs to be thin. This is a nice forums here and I enjoy hearing everyones opinion.

RKH
 
My Queen D2 out lasts any other slipjoint knife I have by a country mile. You can improove edge holding by quite a bit by how you sharpen. I thinned the already thin Vic, Cadet blade into a shallow convex grind. The edge holding has doubled from what it was before. Get an Opinel and you'll see a good ground blade for cutting.
 
Thank you all for the comments, I sure appreciate them.

From personal experience, I have found the Case SS & CV to very good in that they can be made sharp easily, but their edge holding did not compare to the GEC's 1095 (Just my opinion, of course).

It's not that they were bad, they weren't, but the GEC's edge holding ability was noticeable from a day to day viewpoint.

I did not know what Canal Street's 14-4CrMo was comparable to, but might take a look sometime. Many are commenting about Queen's D2, is Canal Street's D2 comparable to that? I am looking to get another slippy or 3, but I do currently have a Canal Street Cannitler in D2 & was wondering if I should just use that & give it a spin instead of trying to hunt down something else.

Anyways, thank you all for the comments & please keep them coming. I'm sure learning over here.
 
Queen 1095 outperforms Case CV IMHO. Holds the edge better.

Queen D2, is neither stainless nor a true carbon. IMHO, it pits more than Queen 1095 and its edge holding is not so much better as to outweigh the pitting.

Queen ATS34 is the "queen" of the stainless for price/quality. Run about $100 a knife.

Case ATS34 or CPM154 in the Case Bose line is as good as Queen ATS34 but at $300 a knife, loses on price.

I've never tried the buck 440c in their chinese line. Should be good

Of the lower priced stainless, I'd go Buck420HC>Case TruSharp>Swiss Army.
 
brownshoe said:
I've never tried the buck 440c in their chinese line. Should be good
Click to expand...

I've not seen Buck advertise 440C in their overseas line.
I have seen 440A and 420HC advertised.
 
Queens'D2 is my pick.It is a bear to sharpen initialy,but gets and stays sharp.I always touch a knife up on a ceramic after a day of use anyway.Only takes a minute and is easier than the full meal deal.
 
OK, so Queen's the way to go if I wanted something other than 1095 I'm gathering. Their D2 & ATS-34 is great & is affordable (Or at least within the price point I'm looking at).

How does Canal Street's D2 compare to Queen's? Does anyone have a Canal Street in D2 that could give an opinion of it?

Thank you.
 
Well,
Since my funds are not unlimited, and I admit to being a "collector" of the Buck 300s, especially old ones. I have limited experience. I listen to knarfeng because he tests using a methodology and standard repeatable tests.
My "experience" is that old Buck 440 is tough to get right but stays good a while when it is. New Buck is about the same and not so hard to get right. The one China Buck I have and carry a little is a little softer than 420HC but not sorry. The only other knife I use are a couple of WW2 era TL-29s with carbon, they are softer than 420HC but when you put a good lick on their edge they will cut AIR..............300Bucks
 
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