Survival knife...easy sharpening vs super steel

kane22 said:
I've read the opposite. That it's better to use diamonds cause they will cut the carbide cleanly, and not rip it out??? I finish with gunny juice on a balsa wood strop. Pretty happy with how that's working.
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Again, no right and no wrong. Whatever works for you.

Note that many THINK they have a super-sharp edge after using diamond stones, but the edge is usually full of micro-serrations. That edge may feel super-sharp to the touch for that reason. It may improve cutting performance on some materials, but from a "grit" perspective, you can generally achieve a finer edge finish (read: sharper) with ceramic or other non-diamond stones.
 
Not a huge deal for me either way , but I do like 3V for most "survival" scenarios . :cool:

Mostly for the toughness . But also for edge retention , because you might be too busy / distracted to want to be sharpening your knife .

You want to have a decent / compact diamond sharpener with you in any case . Attached to your sheath or otherwise very secure against loss .

Because, it's just more energy efficient than trying to find the right kind of rock or whatever . :rolleyes: And struggle to use it , under survival stress conditions .
 
I'm not into survival prep beyond having a couple bugout bags and extra water in my garage, but I'm confused on the requirements here.

Are people really envisioning needing to sharpen your knife on a stone or a brick? If resharpening is such a concern, why not integrate a decent diamond sharpener into your kit and stop worrying about the steel alloy?

Something like 3V is going to have a better balance of strength and toughness than 1095 to shrug off edge rolling and chipping and require touch-ups less frequently, and both alloys can be sharpened with ease using a diamond sharpener. 3V is also arguably semi-stainless and won't need to be oiled as frequently, if ever. Other than price, I don't see how 1095 offers any advantages.
 
marrenmiller said:
Are people really envisioning needing to sharpen your knife on a stone or a brick? If resharpening is such a concern, why not integrate a decent diamond sharpener into your kit and stop worrying about the steel alloy?
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Yup, already mentioned it's not that hard to slip a Diafold into your pocket or pack. If you carry a knife on your journey (especially if there is a chance it could turn into a survival situation), it's not that hard to carry a portable stone with you too.
 
marrenmiller said:
I'm not into survival prep beyond having a couple bugout bags and extra water in my garage
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... says he's not into survival prep...
... is prep'ed for survival...
🤣 :thumbsup:

marrenmiller said:
why not integrate a decent diamond sharpener into your kit and stop worrying about the steel alloy?
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Realistically I think a knife in 1095 would stay sharp enough until I succumbed to hunger.
I just want it to be sharp enough that, when my body is located, my family won't think any less of me.
 
If I were in a “Hatchet” style survival situation, where I were thrown into the wilderness from a plane with nothing but the knife strapped to my body, I would want easy to sharpen over edge holding.

My thinking is if you’re there long enough, no matter what superstesteel you have is going to get dull eventually, and I’d rather be able to improvise a way to sharpen my knife successfully than not be able to get it sharp again.
 
D2 and S35vn are the hardest to sharpen that I'd want for survival. I've sharpened those on hard Arkansas stones, although it takes longer than it does on diamonds. And really nothing wrong with Buck's 420, that one has experience as a survival blade, along with the standard carbon numbers...Having said that, my sheath for my Buck 119 S35vn has a pouch on it where 2 small diamond stones ride.
 
My post is not all that relevant, but mostly just a personal observation. Most previous posts by other members have already answered the OP, which aligns with my thoughts as well.

I just wanted to add that I am finding new interest in utilizing an axe for a lot of outdoor, woodland activities. It's actually pretty amazing seeing the wide-range of capability and uses.

This sorta saves my knife edge, and I find I don't need to sharpen as often in the field.

CPM-3V is a great alloy for a field knife, and maybe even my favorite.
 
celticrogues said:
If I were in a “Hatchet” style survival situation, where I were thrown into the wilderness from a plane with nothing but the knife strapped to my body, I would want easy to sharpen over edge holding.

My thinking is if you’re there long enough, no matter what superstesteel you have is going to get dull eventually, and I’d rather be able to improvise a way to sharpen my knife successfully than not be able to get it sharp again.
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Yeah, something like that was what I was thinking in a post apocalyptic hell scape lol.

I sharpened my axes the other week, and they got scary sharp and didn't require anything fancy. It just got me thinking about what would be the best overall in an outdoor/survival type knife. I'm normally a steel snob, but the old carbon steels can get the job done too.
 
I guess I should clarify, although I agree that an ax/hatchet is an extremely useful tool, what I was referencing was the book “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen, in which the protagonist crash lands in the Canadian wilderness in a small prop plane and doesn’t have time to grab any survival supplies before the plane sinks into a lake, so the only tools he has are what’s in his pockets and a hatchet that his mother strapped on his belt before they took off.

-Mike
 
I'll have to go with 5160 you can sharpen it on rocks or steel. I can't remember the knifemaker, but he was from Arkansas and made a lot of big blades and used to sell at gun shows alot. My buddy bought one 30 years ago and that was one tough 12" bowie with micarta handles. He would throw it pry with it and was really rough on it and it held up just fine. He used to throw it and stick it in his trailer floor all the time and it never did break anything. He was one crazy dude that's for sure and tough as nails as well. He probably still has that beast of a knife.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
I'm getting flashback about that thread where that joker didn't want to be bogged down with a small diamond stone in his pack because of the weigjt but was wondering what kind of rock he should fish out of a creek for sharpening purposes.
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That guy was priceless.
 
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