"Super-steels"?

I'm not really a steel aficionado, but I would say M-4 I personally so far love the stuff. Seems to hold an edge well, sharpen pretty easily. Gets wicked sharp. That's why for the price I'd say the benchmade 810 contego is one of the best buys out there. Interested to here on S30v but personally I don't get it? I mean I have several knives with S and I think it can be a little tough to sharpen, and very difficult to get that hair popping sharpness of many other steels. But that's just my experience with it interested to see what others think.
 
S90V

M390

The most "Super" I own is S35VN - and in the end I am happy with 440C

Eric
 
I see "super steels" as steels using newest technology for production with high purity rather than a specific alloy.
 
I wonder how that list will look 5 years from now on :) I mean, out of the above, how many were available (to the general knife public) 5 years ago?
 
The question is, what steel is not a super steel, a steel has to meet the desired intended use. So, if 1095 is being used for a large camp knife and performs without failure, it's a super steel. If s110v is used for the same camp knife and fails, it's not a super steel.
It all depends on several factors as to what a super steel really is. If Elmax or any other steel is not heat treated properly, then it turns out to be a piece of crap.
 
It is amazing that engineers can continue to make "better" steel.

But, for a knife, is it really better? The trade-off is not worth it.

I like my knife to perform, and then expect to (easily) sharpen it. Not possible with the "Super" stuff.

If you were dropped in a jungle in the middle of nowhere, what steel would you want??? (and you didn't have your diamond hones with you).

Trade-Off. That is the key. Not worth it IMHO.

Eric
 
8cr13mov. It just can't be beat.

All kidding aside, CTS-XHP is my favorite steel. Great edge retention, and I haven't had to sharpen my Manix 2 yet, in a year of owning it. Stropping is all I've done. I like it better than CPM M4 and ZDP 189.
 
Blade steels are like decisions you make in life,there's always a trade off.Things to consider. This subject reminds me of a recent conversation I had with Mike Stewart in reference to his Bravo1 LT. It now comes only in 3v a super steel with longer edge retention. I'd like to get one in A2 because of how easily his A2 will sharpen to a screaming sharp edge.I will likely get the 3v but for me ease of sharping trumps edge retention in a field knife.
 
snippy said:
It is amazing that engineers can continue to make "better" steel.

But, for a knife, is it really better? The trade-off is not worth it.

I like my knife to perform, and then expect to (easily) sharpen it. Not possible with the "Super" stuff.

If you were dropped in a jungle in the middle of nowhere, what steel would you want??? (and you didn't have your diamond hones with you).

Trade-Off. That is the key. Not worth it IMHO.

Eric
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That's one hypothetical scenario where a low alloy carbon would be ideal. However, it will be outperformed by something like 3V in literally every category and scenario I am ever likely to encounter, so yeah, it's really better.
 
The more "Super" a steel is, the more time it gets to be fondled on the couch, going on fashion shoots in the woods, or cutting mundane food next to a bottle of single malt and a Rolex. When the new "Super" steel is released, the older less than super steel is put away in the safe for a future sale. Now if the "Super" steel is bought by a brave individual, it may get to cut boxes, strips of paper or even some rope....
 
I believe ATS34/154CM was coined as the first "super steel." Mainly because it offered near the properties of a carbon steel like 1095 but is "stainless." I reckon the two fanciest "super steels" (that are more or less readily available) today would be S110V for crazy edge retention and CPM 3V for crazy durability. There are only a handful of steels I haven't tried out and all things considered I find S35VN to be the best all-rounder.
 
Screwdriver said:
The more "Super" a steel is, the more time it gets to be fondled on the couch, going on fashion shoots in the woods, or cutting mundane food next to a bottle of single malt and a Rolex. When the new "Super" steel is released, the older less than super steel is put away in the safe for a future sale. Now if the "Super" steel is bought by a brave individual, it may get to cut boxes, strips of paper or even some rope....
Click to expand...

You nailed it!
 
Screwdriver said:
The more "Super" a steel is, the more time it gets to be fondled on the couch, going on fashion shoots in the woods, or cutting mundane food next to a bottle of single malt and a Rolex. When the new "Super" steel is released, the older less than super steel is put away in the safe for a future sale. Now if the "Super" steel is bought by a brave individual, it may get to cut boxes, strips of paper or even some rope....
Click to expand...

I'm a little ashamed to say this describes me! I do a ton of hiking, but the same 3-4 knives are beaten on every time, and all the super steels stay in the safe. Although I do carry and use a Busse, if one considers Infi a super steel.
 
jstn said:
I'm a little ashamed to say this describes me! I do a ton of hiking, but the same 3-4 knives are beaten on every time, and all the super steels stay in the safe. Although I do carry and use a Busse, if one considers Infi a super steel.
Click to expand...

I used to be like that.....bought many knives because of the steel. The ones I use most have older steels and might be considered crap by today's standards.
 
I think Wolf's list is pretty solid, and screwdriver was largely on point.

I ran some knife vids on YouTube for background noise while I was doing some morning routine stuff. The search I ran was "ZT knife test". The results were a ton of reviews, and almost no actual testing of the knife. As this relates to steels, it means there are a lot of people pumping out discussion of steels with no practical frame of reference.

In real world use, I find S35VN to be perfect, and Elmax has been great for me. I've used each of them enough to know that I don't need to chase edge retention beyond what these give me.
 
I think super steel normally references the powdered metal steels.
 
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