Steelophiles-what's so important about the type of steel?

I ain't knocking it but I don't get it.
It's like a Ferrari that you only drive in the city at 35mph.
I think in other hobbies, fishing comes to mind, eventually your tricked out boron/carbon fibre pole with titanium reel will see some real action and be put to the test. Or at least you hope to do so.
Although you drive your Ferrari in the city, once in a while you take it to the track and open it up.
You buy that race .45 and go against the clock.
When you go super in other hobbies it's usually for performance gains that can be justified somehow.
What do you do with your super steel blade?

I couldn't tell you what my knives are made out of unless they say so right there on the blade, which is where this all started.
One of my knives is labeled ELMAX and I started to wonder, really, what good does that knowledge do me?
Does it give me more confidence in the blade? Or...
Anyways, more power to you folks that keep track of that kind of thing.
Just wanted to know where you guys are coming from.
Kinda amazes me what some of you know.
I guess I'm at the point where there are more important things about a knife than the type of steel it's made of.

This just occured to me: it's a marketing thing invented by the manufacturers.
I mean are there other applications for these new knife steels? Are they used for other things?
Is it a trickle down thing or are some of these steels marketed directly to knife makers and users?
 
The answer is a few things but probably best described as fairly simple market forces. This forum is filled with people that appreciate the upper end of what the knife market can support. Part of that is performance and materials. If you are about to drop a substantial amount of capital on a cutting instrument, then naturally you are going to want to get some bang for your buck. A blade with good action, good handle material, and good edge geometry simply will not sell in a market if it is running 8cr and costs 150$ or more. So manufacturers are trying to attract customers and in doing that, the arms race to produce blades with better characteristics follow. In turn the market expects these characteristics to be present in their blade steel since they are clearly possible as evidenced by other products in the market and around it goes.

I'm sure this correlates to quite a bit of products not just knives. Someone has mentioned cars already and that is probably an astute comparison. Technology is another, firearms, watches, or any other commodity where a cadre of devoted enthusiasts spend significant sums of money to get the newest and best that the market produces is going to have a slow creep away from what we 'need' i.e something that cuts; to something that we want i.e something that will cut for a long time without needing maintenance or a car that can 0-60 in 3 seconds or a firearm small enough to conceal but with round counts that rivals full size platforms, or a watch with the capability to dive to thousands of feet below the ocean.
 
c7m2p3 said:
The answer is a few things but probably best described as fairly simple market forces. This forum is filled with people that appreciate the upper end of what the knife market can support. Part of that is performance and materials. If you are about to drop a substantial amount of capital on a cutting instrument, then naturally you are going to want to get some bang for your buck. A blade with good action, good handle material, and good edge geometry simply will not sell in a market if it is running 8cr and costs 150$ or more. So manufacturers are trying to attract customers and in doing that, the arms race to produce blades with better characteristics follow. In turn the market expects these characteristics to be present in their blade steel since they are clearly possible as evidenced by other products in the market and around it goes.

I'm sure this correlates to quite a bit of products not just knives. Someone has mentioned cars already and that is probably an astute comparison. Technology is another, firearms, watches, or any other commodity where a cadre of devoted enthusiasts spend significant sums of money to get the newest and best that the market produces is going to have a slow creep away from what we 'need' i.e something that cuts; to something that we want i.e something that will cut for a long time without needing maintenance or a car that can 0-60 in 3 seconds or a firearm small enough to conceal but with round counts that rivals full size platforms, or a watch with the capability to dive to thousands of feet below the ocean.
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Yes.
See above.

The more I think of it, the more this makes sense.
ABCs baby.
Create a need.
 
fatBatman said:
It’s more about KNOWING you have the best, and that you can race the engine if you had to.

It’s like the difference between a Toyota Camry and a Ferrari... sure, both get you from point “A” to point “B” (cutting things), but sometimes you want to floor the gas in the Ferrari when you’re coming off the on-ramp in a Ferrari (annihilating 50 cardboard boxes)....
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When would the average person get to dispose of 50 cardboard boxes. Unless you work as a stock boy, you wouldn’t see that many boxes unless you move, and how frequently would that be?

We can fabricate all kinds of silly scenarios, but I doubt that most of us could tell the difference unless the steel type is printed on the blade.

n2s
 
Why do I fancy steels.....
1. Same reason I buy and own more knives than I can really use.
2. Some reason I spend more on a knife than most people with common sense would. I enjoy it, I have the money to do it.
 
not2sharp said:
When would the average person get to dispose of 50 cardboard boxes. Unless you work as a stock boy, you wouldn’t see that many boxes unless you move, and how frequently would that be?

We can fabricate all kinds of silly scenarios, but I doubt that most of us could tell the difference unless the steel type is printed on the blade.

n2s
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1. You just answered a question you asked me, so where do we go from here?
2. I can tell the difference, as I just stated in my response.
3. I’ll buy alllll the premium steel I want and there really isn’t anything you can do about it.
4. Do you really want to start playing “what if” and “how often” scenarios on a website dedicated to collecting and using knives? Because you’ll lose that one.
 
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I'm skeptical that very many of us NEED the enhanced performance of premium steels. My only EDC for years was AUS8. With that being said I don't think you can argue that the average person wouldn't benefit from the extra edge holding of s110v over AUS8. Looking at toughness, people who abuse their knives (most non-knife people I know do) will see advantages of 3V over AUS8. People who work around the ocean will see advantages of H-1 over AUS8. If all you care about is being able to easily touch up your edge, AUS8 is great, but you will be touching it up on a regular basis. It's a personal choice. You can say it's all marketing, but these customers are generally informed of what they are buying, and they know their own habits.
 
Well, even SK-5 is enough for me if I want to keep it cheap. Tough, holds decent edge and is a breeze to sharpen.

But I was always a freak for toughness, and as such CPM-3V was the steel I always wanted to get my hands on.

I can't have a true flaghsip phone, I definitley can't afford a high end car, then why wouldn't I at least have one knife in premium or high end steel?

That was my reason for getting that one expensive knife I have.
 
I'm not that picky, but higher end steels generally are tougher or stay sharper longer depending on the steel and HT.
Simply put, you get more performance from higher end steel. You also get different performances from different steels.
I consider a knife's steel type and HT before I buy and make sure those align with what I plan on doing with the knife.
H1 won't rust, 154 CM is pretty doggone tough to be a stainless, CPM 3V is VERY tough,S35VN has some of the best all around performance,
CPM S110v holds an edge forever and is very rust resistant.
ZDP-189 holds an edge even longer but it will lightly surface rust etc. etc.

The real question is, what are you not doing with YOUR knives that you don't care to buy better steel??
If you don't care about steel besides D2 and 1095, why make this post? Are you trying to start a conversation and gain insight and knowledge
on your choices of steel out there? Or are you calling people that care about the different available steels ridiculous?
You say you don't get it and you ask why, but something tells me you don't really care to know...

Different steels do different things. It's fun to test out different stuff and draw conclusions about what would be the best application
for a particular steel. I have quite a few knives that I use for different things. Shape, geometry, weight, steel, ergos
all play a factor when I'm considering what use to delegate to each knife.
Don't be afraid to use a knife hard as F**K and see what it can do no matter what it costs.
Treat it like crap and put ' er up wet, treat it like gold and keep it oiled, put a blade through all it's paces and you'll begin to draw conclusions as to what you like. Steel is just one thing to consider, but it's definitely something to consider.
 
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K-Lastima said:
So how can we be sure were getting what the manufacturer is stating it to be.
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Buy from a reputable manufacturer with a known history of putting out quality pieces.
Or, send your brand new knife out to a lab and have them compare the chemical comp. and characterisitcs to a known piece of
said steel.
 
To 95% of knife users high grade steel is just hype and a sales avenue. Very few have a real need for the "ultra knife steels". When you do actually need them I think they would be valuable for the intended usage. For me AUS 8 in the original Lakota knife line was as good as I could ever need. Of course poor or improper edge angles during resharpening have influenced many a knife holder/user.
 
I am 73 years old. I spent the 60' thru the 90's hunting and skinning deer with some unknown steel knives. I usually had to sharpen them several times to finish. Then I started collecting knives. My brother in law shot an Elk and I loaned him my D2 knife. When he finished it was still sharp. I have D2, 3V, S30v, 5160, etc. knives because they do do their job better than the old unknown steels. As a kid I was very unhappy when my Buck Special broke in half. Now I carry a 3V knife and do not worry about it breaking. I know the difference. 1095 is fine if you want to spend your time sharpening your knife. I want my knife to stay sharp and not break. That is why I collect the "super" steels.
Ron Athay
 
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As long as the steel is heat treated correctly I like using a variety of steels.

Rex45 and K390 have been holding up impressively for me.
I still always carry some sort of SAK on me and the sweet thing about them is when they get dull I can have them sharp again within a minute.

With some of the harder tool steels sharpening can take longer than that so it is a trade off there.

It is nice having the option of using different purpose driven steels but no matter what steel the knife is if the geometry is isn’t thin enough it won’t cut very well.
 
jideta said:
Create a need.
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I think it may have actually been the other way round. Certainly manufacturers were experimenting with different steels before, but I think we're mostly responsible for creating a demand that the market simply answered with supply. Some later than others.

SOG only this year started using d2 instead of Aus8.
 
My viewpoint Of knives and knife steel is similar to tires on a vehicle. Yes they’re all round and roll on firm surfaces but some are made for hiway travel that are wear resistant and you can expect 80,000 miles service life while others cost much less but you can only expect 36,000 miles of useful tread life. Still others are made for off road out in the mud and rough terrain but they’re as noisy as a chainsaw on the blacktop. So do I always need high mileage tires for my vehicle? Do I ever expect to go off road or on snow covered roads ? There is a reason for different types of tires.

There is also a reason why some guy decided to use some reddish colored metal for a knife instead of stone and then his buddy found some iron that was even stronger and could get it sharper. Do I always need stainless? No not really but I never know when I’ll encounter a bit of salt or acidic materials. I just glad we have the choices we have and in my job and lifestyle I need a knife to perform in some extreme elements and usage.
 
I don't consider myself a steel snob. Most of my knives are VG10, D2, and 154CM. I prefer a "middle tier" steel that can be found on $50-100 knives. That is my sweet spot. That price point gives me a good blend of materials (G10, FRN, blade steel), fit n finish, and performance (combo of edge retention, toughness, etc).

I don't own M390, M4, Cru wear, S90, S110, Nitro V, 3V, Rex, among others. I'm not willing to pay that price. Yes, I know some "super" steels can be found under $100. Ex. Kershaw M390 Dividend
 
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