Rust resistant steel thats easy to sharpen

440C done right is still a great performer. That being said check with the maker and get his take. Most makers will have a couple of steels they feel very comfortable with. Meaning they have the heat treat down and can adjust it to your liking.
 
I would say contact the maker and see what steels he will work with/has available. Then go from there.
 
I would and go choose 12C27 (as heat treated by Opinel and Mora) and 420HC (as heat treated by Buck and Leatherman).

I also have several Bucks with their 440C and find it definitely demands more work sharpening, as one would expect, as it has more carbides.

I've no fears with 12C27 or 420HC in terms of toughness and regularly treat those knives roughly with no problems. One reason I like those manufacturers (Opinel, Mora, Buck, Leatherman) is that I think they do good job wiht the steel.
 
Buck's 420HC is rust resistant, easy to sharpen, and no one does a better heat treat on 420HC than Buck.
I do not have any experience with their S30V, but I understand it is easy to sharpen and has the BOS heat treatment as well.
 
afishhunter said:
Buck's 420HC is rust resistant, easy to sharpen, and no one does a better heat treat on 420HC than Buck.
I do not have any experience with their S30V, but I understand it is easy to sharpen and has the BOS heat treatment as well.
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I've sliced up several apples every day all Apple season with buck 420HC and after weeks of doing so it has not even gave a hint of rusting, and Apple will rust just about anything.
 
MAkives said:
Hey guys im the near future i plan on buying a custom knife i already know what i want except the steel. I know i want it to be easy to sharpen and rust resistant so steels like vg10 are out of the way and i dont want the edge to be super hard im looking for a durable knife not a knife that can hold its edge forever
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Actually, VG10 is not hard to sharpen and is fairly rust resistant.

But, for the OP's custom knife where edge retention is not a high priority, I might go with something like AEB-L.

This thread has enlightened me as to the advantages of AEB-L - super sharp, easy to sharpen, highly corrosion resistant.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1333411-Powered-metallurgy-to-AEB-L
 
I have no experience with H1, but AUS8 is really, really easy to get really, really sharp. You can get a very fine edge on AUS8. If it's heat treated properly, that edge will last a decently long time, too. Rust resistance is good but not spectacular. I've never had an AUS8 knife rust on me.

Buck's 420HC is also awesome.
 
Why not 3v? It's not stainless but it's got good corrosion resistance (not great), isn't that hard to sharpen, and can be tough as nails. If you're getting a custom knife, having it made in 3v is more likely than most other steels suggested, from what I have seen.

154cm if ease to sharpen can be put behind on the list.
 
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I have the Spyderco Salt One in serrated H1. Been using it a couple years now as my "work" knife. Sharpens easy holds an edge ok. I do not use it hard or often. I would expect the serrations to be in better shape at this point? So I guess I am not impressed with wear resistance. But it is nice to have a knife I can neglect. Everything else I own is carbon steel (mainly 1095).

I have owned and liked 12C27 very much. Sharpens easy, holds an edge pretty well, resists rust pretty well too, and relatively cheap. I think of it as the stainless equivalent of 1095.
 
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