What’s the point of these metals that hold an edge 3 times longer if it’s 5 times longer to sharpen.

[Kotkin]

Even at 5 times longer I can’t get it as sharp as Nitro V or Magna cut.
I hate M390.
We have advertising and 90 percent videos that says keeping and edge is the most important thing.
We have all these videos of guys cutting rope and timing it till it goes dull but no timing of length of sharpening???
A combat vet who teaches Navy Seals told me he wants ease of sharpening and a steel that won’t break.
He said nothing of edge retention.
Who decided that edge retention is more important than ease of sharpening.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

Marketing.

But also, keep in mind where each of these things are done. If I am going out in the bush for 2 weeks with one primary knife, I'll be happy if it takes me 2.5 weeks to dull it significantly. I might not be so jazzed having to touch up 1095 every couple of days with a stone knowing that I am going to get diminishing returns until I get it back to better tools to get it zeroed back in. The 45 minutes I spend using a diamond hone and strop while watching a movie in the comfort of my home there after really won't bother me to get the m390 popping compared to the 10 mins 1095 might take me.

That said, I tend to err on the side of soft carbon steel just because that's what I am used to, not what's better.

 

[knarfeng]

If you use diamond stones, the times needed to sharpen are not all that different.

 

[Danke42]

Who decided that edge retention is more important than ease of sharpening.

That was me. I stand by it.

 

[Lesknife]

Yes diamond sharpener if you know what you’re doing. It takes a bit of practice but once you’ve figured it out it’s much better and it doesn’t take 3-5 times longer.

Edit to add, if you’ve ever been in a tight spot needing to cut something and little time to spare do you really want to stop to take the time to sharpen? I’ve been there and it does matter. I’ll take edge holding for when it really matters and sharpen later in my leasure time.

 

[Delgadonine]

The three most important questions:

What is your budget?

What is your intended use?

What has been your biggest obstacle?

 

[Pàdruig]

As it's been alluded to, if you have the proper sharpening equipment and know how to sharpen, the point is a bit moot. These days, carrying a diamond rod or plate in your pack or haversack is no big deal and it's there if you need it.

This isn't the best example and it's a story I've told a few times but several years ago I was helping a couple buddies dress out an elk late one night. I had a knife in S30v that I had freshly sharpened before heading out that day. My buddies' knives all dulled within 15 minutes of processing this animal (a collection of Gerbers and maybe a Buck or two). My little ol' knife kept trucking along and doing its job and by the end of it, yes, it definitely needed a sharpening but it outlasted everyone else's tools and I didn't need to take frequent breaks to touch it up.

In my mind, that makes for a good case scenario for these higher end steels.

 

[DeadboxHero]

Sharpening technique plays a huge role in the sharpness the knife can achieve followed by the abrasive type and quality.

For the knife itself, geometry is a HUGE factor followed by heat treatment.

A blade that's too thick with a poor microstructure from lackadaisical heat treatment and processing will not sharpen as well even with good technique and abrasives.

Unfortunately, the different heat treatments and geometries don't have labels and names like the steel does, so often it's the steel that gets the blame.

"Says M390 on the blades that must be why"

Nah.

 

[snow and steel]

I'm slightly with the OP... and Randall... if I have to live off my knife as a tool for weeks, I'd like to use it for the task, maybe swipe it on an Arkansas stone for 60 seonds [or the bottom of a coffee cup. Or the edge of a car window, or...] and be done. Not have to carry some special sharpening system with me. I can have a Randall or a kabar shaving sharp in just a couple minutes, even after a full day's work on just a simple stone.

There's also something to be said for the case of fixing a rolled edge, vs the pain of fixing [or being forced to live with] a chipped edge. Softer stuff just rolls over, harder stuff will chip. Food for thought.

Granted I don't want junk pot metal steel.... but 1095, o1, aus8, sk5, d2 even... all good choices that sharpen easily but will last a full days work. I'm not sure i really need more than that.

 

[el gigantor]

EDIT: I'm a tool. Carry on folks!

 

[Wowbagger]

What’s the point of these metals that hold an edge 3 times longer.​

Think of it as kind of like wine tasting .

If you use diamond stones, the times needed to sharpen are not all that different.

This ☝for sure, for sure, for sure . . . for sure.
I just reprofiled, sharpened crazy sharp and polished the bevels on REX121 not long ago and it was surprisingly NO BIG DEAL .
I live to fool around with high alloy tool steel though.
YMMV.

 

[Skar]

All good just different.
I like the variety available, s30v and cruwear are a good representation of where I like to be.

It’s all the current rage huh ? It does seem that there is a large focus about edge retention.
Shrug

 

[Wowbagger]

Sharpening technique plays a huge role in the sharpness the knife can achieve followed by the abrasive type and quality.

For the knife itself, geometry is a HUGE factor followed by heat treatment.

A blade that's too thick with a poor microstructure from lackadaisical heat treatment and processing will not sharpen as well even with good technique and abrasives.

Unfortunately, the different heat treatments and geometries don't have labels and names like the steel does, so often it's the steel that gets the blame.

"Says M390 on the blades that must be why"

Nah.

Hey Shawn !
Waiting patiently for your Folder colab with Spyderco no matter how long it takes. Well . . . sort of patiently . . .
I want it, I want it, I want it !
HAPPY NEW YEAR !

 

[Quiet]

If you use diamond stones, the times needed to sharpen are not all that different.

This. I’m actually not sure why you’d use anything else at this point and I’ve used them on steels like M390, CruWear, MagnaCut, M4, CTS-XHP, S90v, K390, and on and on to great results. You get the angle right, not hard to out a screaming edge on any of them, in my experience.

 

[KentuckyBlackBird]

If you don’t know how to sharpen an edge, type of steel or type of sharpening system doesn’t matter. Personally I like softer steels. Just my 2 cents. Happy new year, guys.

 

[navman]

I regularly make knives in S90V, a top competitor in the edge holding arena, with professional heat treat done by Peters' and a thin behind the edge geometry. It takes me no longer to sharpen S90V than it does, say, 3V, VG10...or any other steel for that matter. If you are attempting to use older wet stones, such as Arkansas stone, yeah it will take you longer and the edge will not be what you want. but even an inexpensive diamond stone (like Smiths from Lowes or Home Depot) will get the job done quickly and easily. Of course the better quality the stone or sharpening system, the quicker you can obtain an edge.

I'll give you a quick vignette as to why I prefer high edge holding over ease of sharpening (although you can have both). I make hunting and skinning knives. several of these have ended up on hunts in Spain, Alaska, Canada, here in the US and down in Africa (for reference these were made from S110V and/or S90V). Without exception, each knife, wielded by an experienced hunter who knows how to process game effectively and how to use a knife properly, would process 3-4 animals without a noticeable loss of cutting ability. When processing big game, having to stop to sharpen a knife every 20 minutes eats up more time than they would like, causing them to spend more time in the field and less time back at camp. Also, when it comes to certain game (boar and hogs come to mind) the hair contains dirt that WILL abrade an edge very quickly. Having a high wear resistant edge that can effectively cut those hides without having to stop is a benefit.

I had one hunter, a fellow Sailor and former EOD tech, tell me he was able to process seven (7) game animals while on safari in Mozambique, this included some from other hunters who were having to stop to sharpen their knives every 30 minutes or so. He seemed impressed. His side hustle was arranging game hunts and outings in Spain, he knows a thing or two, because he's seen a thing or two.

 

[Railsplitter]

I prefer that whenever possible, a knife stays sharp long enough to complete the task, whatever the task might be.

Blades with good edge retention are more likely to achieve that. I can sharpen the blade later.

 

[katguy]

I like super steels for non-knife people (like my wife). She has a k390 fully serrated Spyderco. It stays sharp a very long time and she does everything with it. I seldom have to sharpen it and she likes that it stays sharp for so long even after cutting up dozens of card board boxes. Also, this knife is easy to sharpen on the Sharp Maker. I use bench stones to sharpen my plain edge blades, but nothing works as well as the Sharp Maker on serrations.

For me, I prefer older steels as I actually like to sharpen but if you do not like to sharpen or don't know how, buy a super steel and have it professionally sharpened once a year.

 

[Blues]

I think the OP has received a number of well reasoned replies...

...and one from D Danke42 .

 

[jjg6319]

Edit to add, if you’ve ever been in a tight spot needing to cut something and little time to spare do you really want to stop to take the time to sharpen? I’ve been there and it does matter. I’ll take edge holding for when it really matters and sharpen later in my leasure time.

That is when you pull out your back up knife especially if your steel is not up to the tasks.