The wrong steel for the job?

[Woodcraft]

I have benchmade knife in s30v and have had no issues. I touch the edges up on a cheap smith setup. I just use the "rough" diamond sharpener on a rail setup. Rough is honestly more like "medium". I put a new toothy edge on in no time at all. It is really quite easy to sharpen for me. I have had a harder time with simpler steels in the past. It definitely holds an edge far longer than any other knife i have. How extreme would you have to go if you are correct to have an "incorrect" steel fail while the "correct" one soldiers on? Im betting it is far past what the reccomended use of said knife is.

 

[bodog]

I have benchmade knife in s30v and have had no issues. I touch the edges up on a cheep smith setup. I just use the "rough" diamond sharpener on a rail setup. Rough is honestly more like "medium". I put a new toothy edge on in no time at all. It is really quite easy to sharpen for me. I have had a harder time with simpler steels in the past. It definitely holds an edge far longer than any other knife i have. How extreme would you have to go if you are correct to have an "incorrect" steel fail while the "correct" one soldiers on? Im betting it is far past what the reccomended use of said knife is.

Without trying to pick a fight, how many different steels have you put to real use? Could you give us a quick list? It's just that I've heard a lot of things like "1095 had plenty of wear resistance for me cutting cardboard" or "S30V doesn't really chip on me" and if asked what types of steel they've used they say "well, I've used 1095 from GEC and ESEE and S30V from buck and I had a D2 benchmade. Other than that I've had some random Chinese made junk from before I got really up to speed with steels." As much as what I like to see a guy getting into steels that type of list doesn't really mean there's much experience at all.

And if asked what they sharpened with and how they sharpened the knives they say "well, I used a cheep Arkansas stone that was passed down to me and other than that I've used a smith's crock stick setup and have gotten good results", well, I'm really happy that you found something that makes you happy but it doesn't really mean you should be speaking up when speaking of the more technical aspects of steels and sharpening them correctly. I only know a little bit, but I can say I know more than the average person. If you can come from a place of real experience, please, let us know.

There's a ton of misinformation floating around. Those who spot it should call the person on it so it doesn't continue.

And no, I'm not saying you have no idea what you're talking about. It's just that your post reads like it. That's why I ask.

And before anyone asks, I've used on a daily basis, and isn't limited to:

S30V
S35VN
S110V
15V
Vanadis 10
Vanadis 6
Vanadis 4 extra
4V
M4
M2
52100
1095
1080+
XHP
Elmax
M390
K390
Laminated K390
14C28N
440B
440C
AUS6
AUS8
Rex 121
D2
PSF27
154CM
CPM154
N690
N680
B75P
Damascus 1095/15N20
Damascus 1080/15N20

That's all I can think of right now, I know there's several more that I'm not immediately thinking of. My favorites are M390/elmax as a stainless, really hard 52100 as a carbon steel, and a tie between vanadis 4E and 15V for tool steels, depending on use. Though M4 is catching up. I like all the rest for different reasons with the exception of S30V. S30V offers literally no benefit that can't be offered by another steel, and that other steel likely has other benefits that S30V doesnt have as well.

 

[palonej]

His post, it seems to me, is just him expressing his opinion.......he isn't saying he's right and everyone else is wrong.
I had no idea we need a steel certificate to post opinions........but you learn something new every day.
Joe

 

[bodog]

His post, it seems to me, is just him expressing his opinion.......he isn't saying he's right and everyone else is wrong.
I had no idea we need a steel certificate to post opinions........but you learn something new every day.
Joe

No, I didn't mean that though I'm sure it came across as that. I just don't believe those who've only put one or two steels to real use should weigh in on the benefits of one of those steels. It's pretty easy to tell who knows what and what factors lead to better or worse performance based on how they justify their opinions. If someone has no justification and they say they like something without anything to compare it to or any reason why, then I question the validity and integrity of their opinion.

 

[Woodcraft]

It's just that I've heard a lot of things like "1095 had plenty of wear resistance for me cutting cardboard" or "S30V doesn't really chip on me" and if asked what types of steel they've used they say "well, I've used 1095 from GEC and ESEE and S30V from buck and I had a D2 benchmade. Other than that I've had some random Chinese made junk from before I got really up to speed with steels."

And if asked what they sharpened with and how they sharpened the knives they say "well, I used a cheep Arkansas stone that was passed down to me and other than that I've used a smith's crock stick setup and have gotten good results".

You built a lot of straw men here. Laid claim to a lot of experience. Made some claims about s30v.
Didnt bother to back them up with any facts though. You are coming across as very rude and self important. Have a nice day.

 

[Woodcraft]

No, I didn't mean that though I'm sure it came across as that. I just don't believe those who've only put one or two steels to real use should weigh in on the benefits of one of those steels. It's pretty easy to tell who knows what and what factors lead to better or worse performance based on how they justify their opinions. If someone has no justification and they say they like something without anything to compare it to or any reason why, then I question the validity and integrity of their opinion.

Oh? You mean like you did here?

I like all the rest for different reasons with the exception of S30V. S30V offers literally no benefit that can't be offered by another steel, and that other steel likely has other benefits that S30V doesnt have as well.

 

[me2]

With that long a list, it's possible to assert that it's too many to really know a lot about any one steel.

 

[noob93]

What do you have experience with? We could try to pin it close to something you've tried before. In my limited experience and taking away a lot of variables like hardness and thickness of the compared blades and so forth it's easier than S30V and D2. About like CPM154, maybe just a touch harder. Edge lasts longer than CPM154, similar to to S35VN, but easier to sharpen than S35VN. At least in my experience. Others will probably differ.

Iv sharpened 1095,aus 8,l6 and just realigned some elmax I had on a custom.

 

[bodog]

Iv sharpened 1095,aus 8,l6 and just realigned some elmax I had on a custom.

It's a big gap but it'd fall somewhere between AUS8 and Elmax. It has properties of both. You'd probably find that it sharpens closer to AUS8 and holds an edge closer to elmax.

 

[bodog]

With that long a list, it's possible to assert that it's too many to really know a lot about any one steel.

You're correct. I have more experience with some of those than others. All have been used and sharpened and used some more. I found what works for me and what I like for various reasons. Others I found pretty quickly that I didn't like and moved on. B75P was surprising. I figured I would have like it more. Found the edge dulled very quickly for me. Having said all of that a lot of those have been tested on one knife from one manufacturer and could very easily be completely different from someone else in another design. That's why it's so hard to be really specific or give exact information. There are a lot of variables, as I'm sure you know, and it's really damned hard to say something concrete having tested just one example of a given steel. You can make a general assessment but that's about it.