The BEST knife steel

I am fond of 1095. Seems to be a steel that does everything well except the one thing it doesn't do at all...resist stain and rust.

1095 seems to have got it all right on the balance of tough, hardening, strength, wear. Of course I am kind of new to picking a knife by the steel and have just started in on RAT (now ESEE) and they have a tremendous heat treat on their 1095.

Wootz...now there's a steel for ya!
 
me2 said:
Thats my point. A lot of the super steels just won't hold together at those angles. I don't know of anyone whose tried ZDP at that level, but it may be the one to do it. CPM M4 would as well.
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True, though for some reason I feel ZDP-189 and CPM M4 would be a better choice because of the Powder Metallurgy process used to make them.

I could just be displaying my ignorance, and if so I apologize. But I remember hearing that non Powder Metal steels will sometimes have "weak" points and steel strength will be somewhat inconsistent along the blade. I also recall someone saying that the reason why some Emerson knives will chip away easily is because the heat treat leaves the metal around the edge weak until you grind down to the "newer" metal. And so I assume the Powder Metallurgy process alleviates some of those problems, as my knives with CPM S30V, ZDP-189, CTS-XHP, and CPM S110V have yet to display such vulnerability to chipping or having the tip break off as easily as my Emerson.


Still, perhaps choosing the "best" steel would be easier if you first decide what you want to cut with the knife(boneless meat, fruits and vegetables), and then agree on what you're willing to compromise on(toughness, corrosion resistance, ease of sharpening).

Based on what I use my knives for, I'd go for a high hardness(HRC 62+) knife. Corrosion resistance only needs to be enough so that the blade doesn't rust sitting in open air. Plus I mostly don't mind spending ludicrous amounts of time on sharpening, so it can be chock full of carbides.

I would go for ceramics if it could hold a finer edge and didn't chip to dust just cutting apples. So I figure a nice ZDP-189 knife would do nicely unless there's another knife with more vanadium carbides. I'd go for S90V, but I'm not sure about how most people heat treat the thing, and availability seems scarce.
 
i like 1075 since thats all i have used since i started making knives a little over 19 years ago. it gave me the results i was looking for when i started making knives. i dont use 1075 from a supplier, i get it from john deere in the form of flat discs used on a planter.
 
Best at what? cutting dirt and mud covered rope or slicing meat?

Fixed or folder?

Prybar or slicer?

What is this thread about?

With the vast selection of high performance steels I can think of about 20 different steel that one could consider "best".

I think a better question would be do you know how to tell the difference?
 
Folder- zdp189, for cutting/slicing
Fixed- Infi, for chopping/beating the hell out of it
I have a Benchmade 710 LE in CPM m4 and really like it (I haven't used it as long as zdp189), but I haven't used it in a fixed blade.
 
Ya'll are nuts :confused:if there was one perfect steel there would be only one steel,:eek:instead there are literaly hundreds if not thousands of deffirant formulas and this thread just goes to show why there are so many differant steel formulas ,a knife is more personal than a toothbrush (every one has the same set of 32 teeth in the begining but there are still hundereds of different styles of toothbrushes in wallyworld alone ) everyone uses there very personal tool in a way that coralates with there own personality and all that being said I like L-6 for the way it forges, eazy to heattreat ,supper easy to re-sharpen ,the superior toughness, I have used it in everything from fillet knives to the BIG choppers and it serves ME well.:yawn::D
 
I don’t have an answer. For an EDC folder I personally like VG-10 because it does everything reasonably well and I find it easy to sharpen. Or H1 because it doesn’t rust.

Rafael
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
That sure seems like a drive by trolling.


I like folders and I like edge retention and sharpness. I probably use my knives what most would call mediun use. So far I think ZDP189 is out in front if I had to pick my favorite. S90V and Sleipner are tied for second with M4 close on their heels.
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close :D

however. from what i've read, carbidized edge ti blades are seriously wicked. i plan on owning one soon. lightweight, nearly indestructible and if the carbidized edge is done correctly, sharp nearly indefinitely. the design works like rat teeth. use sharpens them.

but you did catch me :o
 
The question was simple.

What YOU think the best steel is for YOU. And yeah, a lot of folks will argue whatever THEY BOUGHT was the best, just because they bought it. That is a horsepoop answer and not what we are going for here. :eek:

Steels you have used.:thumbup:

DOES NOT matter for what application, no derailing please. For whatever purpose you used it for. I highly doubt you have a knife for each specific task in all aspects of human life on Earth. So let's narrow it down a bit, okay?

You used, and in YOUR opinion.:rolleyes:

Chuck Bybee, awesome response! Everyone remain calm and let us keep this thread right here, a lot of my threads seem to get moved around quite a bit and I would rather that not happen in this case. ;)

Back to the topic at hand and please, fanboys remain calm.

Ron
 
For folders I find CPM-M4 @62-64Rc to be about the best combo of everything you would want in a steel for performance. Elmax is another one but its very new and I have not had the chance to fully test it, what I have seen though is very impressive. I think the key to the greatness of these PM steels is the process and the lack of impurities in the steel, it makes the steel very consistent in everything from sharpening to cutting and dulling. This is great for testing because the results you get the first time are what you get every time unless something is changed. The way the steels wear is also something pretty amazing and seem to sharpen themselves at times. Though I have dulled many a super steel, in truth I've never made one stop cutting.

For fixed blades its hands down 52100 ball bearing steel as done by Swamp Rat knife works in the form of SR-101. I also like its performance at a higher hardness like in my Spyderco mule team, 62Rc IIRC, in head to head test it had no problem keeping up with M4.
 
OK, I will be the odd one out. I mostly, almost exclusively, carry and use folders. I've got the vg10, cpm154, the D2, the 3g and the s30v. All of those are quite good steels. The best for me, however, is that bloody aus8 and its equivalents. When working in the field a tough knife day would be cutting open 40 35kg bags of salt and afterward removing the top of an IBC container. A well sharpened bit of aus8 will do that for me and I can still peel my apple after that.
Then I get back to my hotel room, and spend a couple of minutes with a small stone and a loaded strop and the knife is shaving (or hairpopping or whatever) sharp again, ready for the next day. The knife won't be too expensive, so if it gets confiscated (every country has its own laws over here) it doesn't hurt too much.
And having just a couple of minutes maintenance time means there is more dining and boozing time for me.
I don't mean this to be a trolling post as the TO already did all the trolling necessary.
 
Stainless :thumbdn:


Fixed = there are alot of good high carbon steel's as long as they are properly heat treated

Folders who cares
 
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