The BEST knife steel

Bohler M390 is the best steel I've used for a folder so far. Takes a very fine edge & holds that fine edge. Very wear resistant, plenty of corrosion resistance, & doesn't seem overly hard to sharpen.

Most steels that hold a usable edge as long as M390 don't take or hold a super-fine edge nearly as well. Most steels that do take & hold a super-fine edge well (edge stability) can't hold a usable edge (wear resistance) anywhere near as well as this steel. These are the qualities I like in a stainless & it has them in spades. Looking forward to trying out ZDP-189 along these lines too.
 
Anything from 1065 and up is honestly fine for me in a working knife as long as the heat treat is right...The steel is the muscle but the heat treat is the soul of a knife..
You would be amazed at what plain ol' 1084,1095,5160,52100 and the like will do when a maker takes the time to heat treat them right..
I am a fan of 154 cm and s30v in folders..
 
M390 is by far my favorite so far for folding knives. I have mostly S30V and a few knives in M390, and the M390 holds a finer edge and holds it longer. Also, I found the surface to be more "slippery" in that when cutting open packages, tape and adhesive seems to stick to it less.
 
1rst place - M2 (absolutely nothing gets sharper and stays sharper longer)
2nd place - M4
honorable mention - D2, A2
Haven't had the pleasure of trying M390, yet.
 
This reminds me of "Best Caliber Threads" on gunforums

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A lot will depend on the Heat Treat, Hardness, tempering process, blade geometry, edge geometry, edge finish, media being cut and overall design.

There are huge variables involved.... And that's not even getting into HYPE, Urban Legends, bias and perception....
 
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If you gave 52100 steel to Ed Fowler and Bob Dozier and asked them to make a knife, the performance of each knife is going to be completely different. So, honestly, it's impossible to say which is the best, and it's be even more pointless because the industry is always changing, and knifemakers are continually honing their craft.


Ankerson said:
A lot will depend on the Heat Treat, Hardness, tempering process, blade geometry, edge geometry, edge finish, media being cut and overall design.

There are huge variables involved.... And that's not even getting into HYPE, Urban Legends, bias and perception....
Click to expand...

+1 absolutely agree 100%
 
Ankerson said:
A lot will depend on the Heat Treat, Hardness, tempering process, blade geometry, edge geometry, edge finish, media being cut and overall design.

There are huge variables involved.... And that's not even getting into HYPE, Urban Legends, bias and perception....
Click to expand...

+1000! and all the makers I have talked to will agree, but people wont believe you wen you tell this to them.
 
1095? Maybe the best value in a Carbon Steel, but you guys are just not trying enough steels. O-1, A-2, D2, INFI, CPM-M4, CPM-3V. I am going to get a CPM-154 after all the love. I like many for folders, Do you want to sharpen often or for a long time? I like my Aus-8 and sanvik 14c26 for ease of sharpening and good edge, My S30V lasts a long time. I don't have many stainless.
 
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