W2 steel

I am no expert but I will tell you what I do know about W2. It is the steel good files are usually made out of. It is a tough steel used a great deal in large blades, but is also used in smaller blades. (I like the D2 you mention for my smaller blades, and the A2 you mention for my larger blades. I also like 5160 for my larger blades and have it differentially heat treated.) The W2 will rust quicker than D2 or A2 in my opinnion. I have 3 knives made out of W2, both with smaller blades. They hold a good edge and I like them but if not cared for they will rust. W2 is nice for the larger blades because it can be differentially heat treated and show the hamon, which adds some beauty to the blade. Hope this helps.
 
Just a thought, but if you want to experiment with W2, you can often find Anza knives priced reasonable if you search around. They are nothing fancy but hold a good edge and are made from old files.
 
_________________W-2_______A2_______D-2
Carbon_______0.85-1.50%_______1_______1.55%
Chromium______0.15%_______5.25_______11.50%
Manganese___0.10-0.40%_______0.6_______0.35%
Molybdenum____0.10%_______1.1_________0.80%
Nickel__________0.20%________________________
Silicon_______0.10-0.40%________________0.45%
Tungsten_______0.15%________________________
Vanadium______0.15-0.35%_______0.25_______0.90%

W-2 should be harder than A2. Possibly about the same as D-2. The Tungsten and Vanadium should give it a finer grain structure than A2. The levels of Chromium, Tungsten, and Vanadium in W-2 are good for hardening and grain structure. The levels are too low to form a lot of carbides.

D-2 has enough chromium to form significant amounts of chromium carbides. D-2 should have better wear resistance than either of the others because of the carbides.

A2 should be less brittle than either D-2 or W-2.

The above is expectations based on the compositions You should also get real world performance results (data) to verify.

Knarf

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In God I trust.
All others bring data.
 
A great steel and fast disappearing as more and more steel mills move to newer (though not necessarily better) alloys. Not my favorite for large blades that will see impact-work (chopping, batoning) as it tends to be more on the brittle side of the carbon steels (still tougher than most stainless steels), but it takes and holds an edge very well. I have several smaller knives made out of it and it makes a great hunter/skinner/general utility. I've head it described as a much more forgiving (for the maker) replacement for 1095--less chance for mess ups in the heat treat.

I'd say it is in about the same class as A2 in terms of its ability to absorb punishment, though A2 will have higher abrasion resistance, which has varying degrees of importance depending on the cutting task being performed. As one who likes differentially tempered blades, I have to give the nod to W2 between them since A2 is an air hardening steel, but this has more to do with preference than anything I could backup with performance-based facts.
 
it's essentially 1095 with about a quarter percent vanadium. W1 is 1095 with a stricter requirement on composition. I've seen recipes like the one knarfeng posted for both (0.10 V for W1), but as far as I can tell, the other elements aren't required for the steel designation.
 
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