Recommend a steel for me.

Get a knife in Magnacut steel and a good diamond hone. I've used DMTs for several decades, both bench hones and Diafold, and have yet to wear one out. Magnacut is quite easy to sharpen, holds an edge unbelievably long, is very tough and highly corrosion resistant.
 
I EDC a Kershaw Collateral in D2. It sharpens up to razor sharp easily. I beat the crap out of it almost everyday. After a couple a years the spring broke. I bought another Collateral for 18 bucks online and took the spring out of that one. Ironically I asked Kershaw for a new spring but they sent the wrong one. Thats why I bought the replacement. I like D2 for budget steels it works well for me. Yes one needs to sharpen it from time to time. But it's a very reliable knife and I know its c=gonna cut what I need it to. Would my magnacut sebenza perform better? Probably if I had a bunch if cuts to make.
 
Pick a knife you like, in any of the steels mentioned so far. Chances are very good the blade steel is better than you expect!

If you want to try something that lives up to the hype, Magnacut is really good! I've been carrying a White River fixed blade Hunter, in Magnacut, for a year or so, the steel really is as good as everyone says. If you prefer something a little simpler, 440C is just as good now as it ever was. Better even, with a cryogenic treatment, though that really isn't necessary to reap the benefits of the alloy. And Buck's 420HC is still excellent for a 'budget' steel.

For a using knife, I'll give up a bit in edge holding for a gain in edge taking. 14C28N is not expensive, it performs better than its low price would suggest, and it was designed specifically for knives. It's a tough alloy, with better than average corrosion resistance, it takes a good edge without difficulty, and holds it acceptably well.
 
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One steel I've not seen mentioned is Bohler N690. I put this one in the same category as VG-10, Nitro-V, 14C28N, etc. Easy to sharpen, holds an edge fairly well, good corrosion resistance, inexpensive, but no hype. Makes a really nice folder blade.

There are dozens of knife steels, they all cut stuff. Correct geometry, proper design for the intended use, and good heat treatment, are more important than the steel itself. Good 440C is still nothing to sneeze at! And, while finding a blade you like in the alloy you prefer might not be the easiest task, it can be a lot of fun looking.....
 

More on the same.
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K390 - Best High Wear Resistance Steel? - Knife Steel Nerds

Thanks to the new Knife Steel Nerds Patreon supporters! Dusan Praznik, Donald Adkins, Marcus Collins, and Trae Santiago. K390 Video Here is the video version of the following information: What is K390? K390 was developed as an alternative to Crucible’s CPM-10V, which has had success since the...
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Spyderco Delica or Endura with a flat ground VG-10 blade is a solid performer. Fairly easy to sharpen and gets very sharp. Their SPY-27 steel is also very nice. The Civivi Elementum is another strong contender with a very thinly ground blade and probably closer to what you are looking for overall.

A lot of higher end steels like S30V and above have a learning curve and require some time to get use to how they sharpen. They also require diamond stones because of the extremely hard carbides in the steel. Wearing out diamond stones should not be something that happens often. Ive had a set of DMT stones for 15+ years and they are still going strong. The key is to use a light touch.

I would look into different sharpening methods. Using a honing steel is not the best route and tends to degrade the edge performance quickly. I would recommend a strop with compound instead.
 
Jason B. said:
The key is to use a light touch.
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Cannot stress this enough. And even saying that sometimes I still catch myself.
Jason B. said:
Using a honing steel is not the best route
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All those are made to do is straighten out rolled edges on thin blades. They don't sharpen at all. And even those should be light gliding strokes for pulling out rolls.
 
AEB-L, Nitro V or 14C28N at 62-63 HRC work great. They are like the "good ole carbon steels" in terms of easy to sharpen, very tough, take a wicked sharp edge, but just stainless. A stainless version of O-1 or 52100 is how I saw AEB-L described many many years ago by Devin Thomas. Edge retention isn't all that great, but it will support a thin, but very tough edge. But most factories aren't running those steels at 62-63 HRC unfortunately! I have used AEB-L at 60 HRC and it's nice, but a lot nicer at 62-63, which is where I run my Nitro V and 14C28N. A 62 HRC Nitro V 7" fillet knife goes thru over 40 cod before needing touch up. 62 HRC Nitro V 4" drop point dressed out 3 deer and was still sharp.

For something with more edge retention, S35VN or Magnacut would be nice, but would be a little harder to sharpen.

A ceramic sharpening rod/stone can work (re establishes a tooth sharp edge quickly), but I use a leather strop with diamond compound on it. I usually use a 14 micron/3 micron 2 sided strop, but lately have been playing with a 40 micron/1 micron diamond strop and it works better than it should. The 40 micron works fast to remove any burrs and touch up an edge and the 1 micron refines the apex quickly. Couple swipes on each side and it's back to sharp, even on S35Vn or Magnacut. The edge off the 40 micron is surprisingly smooth, not rough like coming off a 400 grit diamond stone. Less time on the leather strop helps keep the apex sharp and not rounded and less pressure if needed, too. I'm going to be playing more with diamond stones and the 40 micron strop. I like some tooth to the edge for cutting/slicing tasks (like that sticky, grabby sharp feeling) and don't care if its a perfect mirror at 14.35 degrees each side or not. I want it to cut a decent amount of time and sharpen back up quickly and easily.
 
Lots of great info. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I use a knife, but don't abuse it. On an average year I process somewhere north of 30 big game animals. Deer, lots of hogs, even some gators sometimes. Countless small game. Ease of sharpening rates high on my list of preferences. I am going to try and find some of these steels and give them a try. 14C28N may be what I am looking for. Magnacut and cruwear sound a lot like the s30v that requires diamond stones to shapen. AEB-L, Nitro V may be worth looking into also.

Thanks again.
 
14C28N is NOT going to blow your mind with holding an edge. What it will bow your mind with is how keen of an edge you can put on it and how fairly easy it will be to make it so. Now it's up to you to find a design you like and get one!!! A cursory look at just Knife Center alone shows well over a thousand options and just under that for folders. If you want a real budget buster then I highly recomend a Ruike P801 and if you want US made and don't mind assisted opening I love my Kershaw Blur and Leek. Another favorite is the Civivi Button Lock that locks both open and closed and opens with a flip of the wrist. Getting back to US made, Kershaw just released the Bonneville that looks pretty decent for the asking price. Tons of options...
 
AEB-L/NitroV/14C28N are all VERY similar performance wise. I doubt most people will be able to tell the difference between the 3 steels in actual use, as long as the heat treat is good. Edge holding is good (especially at higher HRC values), but not superb, but even stropping will bring the edge back quickly, just like the carbon steels.
 
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