The super steel rat race

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Alone said:
Yeah...

I have blades in MagnaCut, S90V, CPM-154, S35VN, 20CV, S30V, S110V, S45VN, 20CV, etc., etc., etc.


...and I think I'll just stick to cutting with my 420HC, and straight-up beating on my 1095 and 3V.


Your mileage may vary. Flame, flame away! šŸ˜
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Iā€™ve found this to be true for me as well. No matter how many ā€œnicerā€, ā€œbetterā€, newer steels I acquire, I gravitate towards the familiar, basic, old, tried and true stuff. My most used steels are still 1095, 420HC, and s30v. I have others that I like more, both aesthetically and in use, but if I know there is work to be done I grab the basic stuff.
 
Iā€™ve really found just about all responses valid. One good point was that all things are made to be sold.

Itā€™s not that I donā€™t like super steels, and Iā€™m grateful that we have all of them available.

Itā€™s more that I just donā€™t pay much attention to them anymore when purchasing knives. The steel is no longer a driving factor in making a purchase was my main point. May have been hard to tell since I tend to ramble šŸ˜

I do think weā€™re fortunate that weā€™re garunteed a quality steel at virtually all price points so I should continue to be grateful for the innovations of steel I suppose.
 
I am unapologetically a steel junkie. I have multiples of the same knife with different steels & handle colors. I guess I just like collecting them & using them. I used to be head over heels for ZDP-189, and then it was CPM-3V. 3V impressed the heck out of me when I was able to chop through a 4" wide branch & it still cut paper like it was brand new afterward. Then my new obsession was M4. I couldn't believe how sharp I could get it & it stayed that way for a long time! When Magnacut came out I knew there was no way I could resist getting a knife or three with that steel. So yeah, these innovators probably have people like me in mind when they're churning out the next big super steel, cause I'll be right there to buy it. Don't get me wrong. I still like the basic steels like 1095 & 154CM.I have quite a few in those. I just like trying & collecting the new ones(steels) too. There is no real "direction" in my acquiring habits. If I see something I like, I get it.

Here's one of my knife rolls. Do I really "need" that many Native's & Delica's? Nope, but I like having the variety of different steels & handle colors.
IMG_0148.jpg
 
JTR357 said:
I am unapologetically a steel junkie. I have multiples of the same knife with different steels & handle colors. I guess I just like collecting them & using them. I used to be head over heels for ZDP-189, and then it was CPM-3V. 3V impressed the heck out of me when I was able to chop through a 4" wide branch & it still cut paper like it was brand new afterward. Then my new obsession was M4. I couldn't believe how sharp I could get it & it stayed that way for a long time! When Magnacut came out I knew there was no way I could resist getting a knife or three with that steel. So yeah, these innovators probably have people like me in mind when they're churning out the next big super steel, cause I'll be right there to buy it. Don't get me wrong. I still like the basic steels like 1095 & 154CM.I have quite a few in those. I just like trying & collecting the new ones(steels) too. There is no real "direction" in my acquiring habits. If I see something I like, I get it.

Here's one of my knife rolls. Do I really "need" that many Native's & Delica's? Nope, but I like having the variety of different steels & handle colors.
View attachment 2304344
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I can appreciate that and whatever drives your collection is your personal preference and I respect that.
 
I guess what irks me and got me started on my rant is when people only judge the value of a knife by what steel it comes in.

For example benchmades arenā€™t worth the money cause I can get a spyderco with the same steel cheaper. Well for 30+ years you could only get an axis lock from benchmade. Or how Emersons are a rip off cause he only uses cpm 154, never mind that his knives are built like tanks, easily maintained and also are the only one with the wave feature. Personally I feel with all the innovation in steel, itā€™s the last thing I look for in the value of a knife because theyā€™re all pretty damn good.
 
Is the knife hobby the only hobby affected by this?

I canā€™t think of one other item that I know exactly what steel it is made of.

Guns either stainless or blued

Hammers? Other tools? We just expect the manufacturers to use the right steel and methods.

I grew up with knives, they either rusted easily or they were relatively stainless.

My first clue was noting that the SAK saw blade rusted before the others did.

I canā€™t keep up with the next new steels either.

I will admit MAGNACUT seems different. Maybe because there is a face and a story behind it. IDK
 
I guess I never much cared. I have a couple of knives in Elmax, 3 in 154cm, one or two in 14C28N, one VG-10, and the rest are some variation of 440 or 420 stainless, D2, or 1095 carbon. They seem to do what I need to do and I can sharpen them pretty easily. I have simple needs.
 
I was never interested in steels, I like knives. Spent 40 years with 440 stockmen. Knife got dull you sharpened it and went on. When the blades wore down you replaced the knife. Such simpler daysā€¦Iā€™ll leave them in the pastā€¦for now.

Magnacut is the only steel Iā€™ve purchased. It came with a few of my favorite knives attached. I regularly use Magnacut and S35VN and Iā€™ll take the Magnacut simply for its edge retention over the 35 when doing the same chores day after day.

I will say I prefer the toothy edge the S35VN takes on the sharpmaker over that razor edge the Magnacut takes. Iā€™ll continue to use both as my S35VN knives are awesome and havenā€™t failed just because of this new steel.
 
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Super steels are cool but Iā€™m not interested in having the newest one thatā€™s available. I donā€™t ā€œneedā€ it to make me happy. Iā€™m perfectly content with a decent stainless steel. I could use nothing but S30V for the rest of my life and that would be fine by me.
 
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The term ā€œsuper steelā€ has been used since the 1970s and from the beginning people have said they donā€™t need the latest super steel they are fine with the old stuff. Long before steels like S30V existed, which is now being put forward as a tried and true steel by several people in the thread. New products will keep coming out, some people will be excited about them, and some people will say they donā€™t need this newfangled nonsense.
 
Larrin said:
The term ā€œsuper steelā€ has been used since the 1970s and from the beginning people have said they donā€™t need the latest super steel they are fine with the old stuff. Long before steels like S30V existed, which is now being put forward as a tried and true steel by several people in the thread. New products will keep coming out, some people will be excited about them, and some people will say they donā€™t need this newfangled nonsense.
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Amen.
 
Haven't tried out any magnacut blades, not really hype for it either. Seems like every company is releasing it in various ways. The way it's marketed is being a well rounded steel for various categories but yet doesn't out perform anything that's currently out. I don't get the point unless they're trying to replace "S30V". I've watched several reviews on the steel being tested. Doesn't seem like a bad steel option, I'm all about innovation. As for right now I'm more than happy with s30v as being a well rounded steel.
 
I like knives, the steel they come in is almost irrelevant at this point. When I ordered my small 31 from crk, s35vn was what I thought id be getting. The switch to s45vn occured before I got it, and immediately after they switched to magnacut. I've not found the s45vn blade to be wanting in any way.

I tend to shy away from s30v, but that's more because I always struggled to sharpen it back when I first got into the game, I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue anymore give the amount I've learned since then.

When these discussions come up I often wonder if lithic man sat around the campfire and argued the principles of various knapable stone...
"Obsidian gets sharper."
"Keokuk is tougher."
"Novaculite is easier to work."
"I can find Onondaga right here, why should I get imported stone, who cares that it's a pain in the ass to work with?"
I won't even start on the heat treating of the rocks...
 
Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

I've owned about every type of knife with all kinds of different steels and some not steel such as cast cobalt, one thing that I've found is, I rarely bring a blade to the point of exhaustion that it requires extra sharpening, and if it does, then that's a knife I don't much care to carry about. Some of the stainless blades have poor heat treatment, some carbon blades can also have poor heat treatment, so just making sure you have such and such blade steel does not guarantee that you will have the type of edge holding everyone else enjoys. For me, carbon steels have lost their flavour as they can lose an edge just sitting there, alone for a few days and the atmosphere can affect the very edge and you will need to strop it or lightly sharpen it to bring it back, that is something I don't like about that. Where good stainless steel blades don't lose the edge as quickly from just sitting around.

G2

ps, also I am rarely far from a sharpening medium, be it stones or even cardboard that you can strop the blade across, so most all my knives are up to snuff all the time, it's a habit of mine and if you ask my wife, she'll say it's a Bad habit of mine lol ;)
 
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AMR11 said:
Haven't tried out any magnacut blades, not really hype for it either. Seems like every company is releasing it in various ways. The way it's marketed is being a well rounded steel for various categories but yet doesn't out perform anything that's currently out. I don't get the point unless they're trying to replace "S30V". I've watched several reviews on the steel being tested. Doesn't seem like a bad steel option, I'm all about innovation. As for right now I'm more than happy with s30v as being a well rounded steel.
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Ill beg to differ there. Im my real world everyday use (Yes I use knives for actually work everyday) Magnacut out preforms both S35VN and S45VN in every aspect I care about. I wont speak to the S30V as I havent used it side by side but I would put my money on the Magnacut.
Lots of folks donā€™t like new and thats fine but just because you donā€™t doesnt mean its not better.
 
I like that new steels are being developed for knives regularly. Keeps things interesting. However , I donā€™t see myself chasing the newest steel and dismissing older steels. Like I said , Iā€™d be happy using S30V for the rest of my days. But I still appreciate the likes of S110V and M390. Iā€™m a fan of both. And I admit that Iā€™m curious about Magnacut. Iā€™m sure Iā€™ll try it out eventually. But for me , the blade steel isnā€™t the most important thing about a knife. So I could be happy with a wide variety of steels.
 
AMR11 said:
Haven't tried out any magnacut blades, not really hype for it either. Seems like every company is releasing it in various ways. The way it's marketed is being a well rounded steel for various categories but yet doesn't out perform anything that's currently out. I don't get the point unless they're trying to replace "S30V". I've watched several reviews on the steel being tested. Doesn't seem like a bad steel option, I'm all about innovation. As for right now I'm more than happy with s30v as being a well rounded steel.
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So if it's not as tough as Z-Tuff or retaining an edge better than Rex 121, you don't get the point? Performance depends on the balance of attributes for what you're doing, not just one feature. Usually there's a trade off between toughness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance, but Magnacut achieves the performance of a state of the art high speed steel like M4 while being very stainless. It's not just another steel, it breaks through the limitations of stainless steel.
 
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