Super steel opinions

[Boattale]

If s35VN is still a "super steel", I have a 118 Pro that I haven't used much yet but the edge I put on it is pretty darn good. Hoping that the edge holds well.

View attachment 2351640View attachment 2351641

 

[K.O.D.]

Yeah and they say this is our golden years. Before I sharpen anything else I've got to get a hold of work sharp and get some new diamond Stones. I had no idea they wear out. But I learned that on this forum yesterday. Then perhaps I'll be able to get a decent edge on my 20cv knife. But if my life expectancy is the same as the edge retention of 20 CV I'd be dead already. I'm not too impressed with it. Just my personal opinion. I will in the future try to avoid the expensive top-tier steels. My personality is I get aggravated pretty easily. It's not worth it so I'll stay with less expensive metal that's easier to work with. Of course this is my fault because I do not have the skills to properly maintain the better steels

I'm not in my golden years yet (44) but ik hoping for at least 15 more, I wanna be there when my niece and nephews graduate high school.

I've noticed that with a few knives that honing it it on the ultra fine or both fine and ultra fine stones of my sharpmaker improved edge retention. My ZT 0095BLK in S90V is a good example. Spyderco removed quite a bit of steel on my PM2 because of a burned edge and reprofiled it, and I've had 0 issues with chipping since.

 

[whereismyknife]

People love to hate D2, but I agree that it can have really good edge retention. Of course the heat treats can be all over the place with the no-name brands, but I was surprised how well my Ontario Rat held up during normal EDC. It barely even got any corrosion spots…and I wasn’t even oiling it ….way better in the corrosion department than M4. Edge retention seems quite similar to S35vn, much as I hate to admit it…. I could get by forever with a coated D2 blade that has a good HT

Absolutely I agree. Moreover, we have not even mentioned steels such as Sleipner or K340, which are cheap but have incredible edge retention, high toughness and can be heat treated to very high hardness. In other words, there are many steels on the market that are high toughness, cheap and have as high edge retention as powder metals. I think manufacturers should use these alternatives and launch more models with good heat treatment. It was shared in the forum that many famous brands (including some very expensive brands) are making knives with premium steels with hardness such as 58 59 HRC. Now, is a 59 hrc magnacut, elmax, m390 etc. a better steel than a 62 hrc sleipner? I think this is not such an easily answered question.

 

[JBoone]

Super steels are not necessarily but a very fun part of the hobby for me. I am fine with "lower end" steels as well.
PM2 M4 is in my pocket today (M4 and K390 may be my current favorites).

 

[coolbreezy37]

I’m actually a fan of Magnacut. I have a Les George Magnate that I carried everyday through the sweltering summer heat. I sweated all over the poor knife and it had No maintenance whatsoever. Still as stainless as the day as the day I bought it. No other steel I have can do this.

ETA: also toughness and edge retention are superb. I’m not sure about ease of sharpening yet. It is a very well rounded steel and reminds me of CPM-Cruwear.

 

[adluginb]

I think it boils down to what you are looking for...
I have found that Toughness out ranks edge retention but as "Danke42" stated Can't beat M4 for an all around Tool Steel, but it will rust on you...!

The (2) knives I carry most compared below:
(1) PM2 in M4
(2) SHF in S35VN

0-10 Ten being Best:
3

What website has this comparison tool?

 

[ShaiHulud]

Are we still taking orders for opinions? Mine
--- All the super steels are like a big candy store with too many strange stuff not a lot of people want, and it's partially marketing
There's so many kinds and varieties now that I find myself running back to 1095 with tears misting my eyes Mama Carbon always takes me back with a big hug

 

[norcalAF]

I’m actually a fan of Magnacut. I have a Les George Magnate that I carried everyday through the sweltering summer heat. I sweated all over the poor knife and it had No maintenance whatsoever. Still as stainless as the day as the day I bought it. No other steel I have can do this.

ETA: also toughness and edge retention are superb. I’m not sure about ease of sharpening yet. It is a very well rounded steel and reminds me of CPM-Cruwear.

Both of my LGs (VECP and MK3) are in Magnacut, they strope up easily and get quite sharp. I use the same cardboard I was recently cutting to strope them

 

[tony281sc2]

What website has this comparison tool?

Blade hq
Knife steel nerds has much more accurate data.


Non stainless…


IIRC A couple scored higher than a 10, because of some extreme edge retention of a couple steels, so all the other ratings wouldn’t seen misrepresented

 

[tony281sc2]

Absolutely I agree. Moreover, we have not even mentioned steels such as Sleipner or K340, which are cheap but have incredible edge retention, high toughness and can be heat treated to very high hardness. In other words, there are many steels on the market that are high toughness, cheap and have as high edge retention as powder metals. I think manufacturers should use these alternatives and launch more models with good heat treatment. It was shared in the forum that many famous brands (including some very expensive brands) are making knives with premium steels with hardness such as 58 59 HRC. Now, is a 59 hrc magnacut, elmax, m390 etc. a better steel than a 62 hrc sleipner? I think this is not such an easily answered question.

I do think a 59rc M390 would outcut something like a 154CM that was heat treated optimally, everything else being equal. But probably not once you start talking about S35VN, Elmax, etc….
Those steels are perfect for a higher heat treat of 61, 62, since they already have a lot of toughness, and I think theyd outperform soft M390 in all categories, except maybe corrosion.

 

[Cypress Creek Knives]

I think somebody said it earlier, heat treat has a lot to do with the performance of a knife and the expected edge retention that comes with it. If a steel is run too soft it may feel gummy on the stones and take a mediocre edge. If you bump it up 1-2 rc, you may have a totally different experience.

Take MagnaCut for example. It is a fantastic blade steel. Takes a good edge, keeps a good edge, and has good toughness at 62rc. When sharpening it feels a little soft/gummy to me.
Bump it up to 63-64rc and you have a totally different experience. Stones cut well when sharpening, takes a laser of an edge, has fantastic edge retention (skinning and quartering multiple deer with no touchup), and is still tougher than most stainless blades.

My favorite steels are S35VN and O1. Both work great for their intended purposes, can be touched up on a strop and Spyderco ceramic sticks. I also maintain my MagnaCut blades the same way.

There is a trade off between super steels and sharpenability. I like to be able to sharpen in the field with minimal equipment, as opposed to dragging out the diamond plates every time a knife needs sharpened.

 

[Slice-and-dice]

Personally, I enjoy learning about and occasionally buying a so-called super steel. But I've never once made the decision to take a certain blade out for a chore based on the Rockwell Hardness score. In fact I find Buck and Case 420HC fine for almost any task. I still feel S30V and S35VN are super steels BTW

 

[dirc]

Blade hq
Knife steel nerds has much more accurate data.
View attachment 2352129
View attachment 2352130
Non stainless…

View attachment 2352131
IIRC A couple scored higher than a 10, because of some extreme edge retention of a couple steels, so all the other ratings wouldn’t seen misrepresented

those 'ratings' you have are completely wrong, magnacut only 7 toughness? lol 14c28n only 3 on edge retention? also lol

I don't know where you got that, but it's completely wrong - you're better off looking at the actual data and not using someone else interpretation

much better idea to just read @Larrin articles on knife steel nerds

 

[Crag the Brewer]

those 'ratings' you have are completely wrong, magnacut only 7 toughness? lol 14c28n only 3 on edge retention? also lol

I don't know where you got that, but it's completely wrong - you're better off looking at the actual data and not using someone else interpretation

much better idea to just read @Larrin articles on knife steel nerds

Pretty sure that Was Larrin's data...

 

[dirc]

Pretty sure that Was Larrin's data...

it may have been on his website, but he took it from someone else's website as an example of how bad these made up 'ratings' are... lol

context matters, don't take things out of context : )

 

[Crag the Brewer]

it may have been, but he took it from someone else's website as an example of how bad these made up 'ratings' are... lol

context matters, don't take things out of context : )

I

Oh, I didn't read this entire post, Idk what he wanted to say....?
I just had remembered some of the various steels that I like/use

 

[HP2114B]

it may have been on his website, but he took it from someone else's website as an example of how bad these made up 'ratings' are... lol

context matters, don't take things out of context : )

Those are Larrin's personal 1-10 ratings, derived directly from his own test data. He created a simplified scale.

 

[vinprom]

Looks like I missed the opportunity to have a hands-on experience with super steels for good when I bought my only modern modern knife with 154CM. Based on what I've read the big advantage is the edge retention, and I am curious why didn't cooks and wood carvers embbrce it?

 

[hank_rearden]

I'm still in the S30V, ZDP 189, 420HC era.

 

[Hashishiin]

Err, the only knife I ever broke was an AEB-L slicer that I caught in a knot in a stick.

I also usually carry a combo like... Today, a Paramilitary 2, fine tip but tough Cruwear edge, a SAK, and a serrated reverse S Spyderco Cricket. My combo of strong drop point, serrated recurves and a hollow ground thin knife have me set for most cases.