What are the "super steels"? INFI, CPM3V ... what else?

Are not the best steels the ones that your particular manufacturer or maker does the best job heat treating, and recommends for the particular application?

This thread makes me want to etch a Superman logo onto a piece of steel...

mHa-Bfxd6n2F_ULG1R8ddqA.jpg
Got yer super steel right here!
 
The question should be Super Steel compared to what?

Also What is one doing with that said knife and the steel choice will vary depending on what that is exactly because some steels are better than others at certain things.

Edge and Blade geometry are extremely important as are heat treatment and the tempering processes, not all are created equal so it does matter who is doing it and or how it's done.

Personally I prefer to use the term High Alloy and low alloy and or stainless and non stainless.

Simple Non Stainless steels like 1095, 1080, 5160 are what they are, low alloy steels that have been around for a long time.

Properties like Impact Resistance, toughness, edge retention, stain resistance, edge stability are all factors of performance that will have different steels that excel while others don't, while even others have a balance of some or all of them.

But none of it does anyone any good if the wrong steel is chosen, the HT is bad, and or the knife just plain sucks for the intended use due to design.

Everything is important, and there has to be a balance of all of it to end up with a good serviceable knife.
 
Ankerson, well put!

I know You think longer and harder than I do on these Q's.

I think the best thing the OP could do, is to buy the knife of his fancy and in the steel he believes in.
Then buy a few inexpensive knives and start to practise sharpening.
When the simpler knives are ok, then it's time fore the supersteelknife.

Regards
Mikael
 
I've read the thread and unless I missed it Cruforge V hasn't been mentioned.

Doug
 
I've Superman get some love here, but honestly isn't the real super steal the one that Chuck Norris uses?

I've enjoyed reading and learning from this thread, thanks.
 
Here is what I personally think when I hear "super steel." 75% of super steels are used in folding knives, with 3V and INFI among some others being the exception for larger "choppers" where the "super" property is more toughness, but could qualify because the toughness you would expect is coupled with higher than normal (for large blade applications) edge retention. To me most super steels do not have a high toughness, and do not really need it. What is most needed imo for a folding knife is superior edge retention. Enter M390, S90V, S110V, Rex, Vanax, and so on. What makes them super to me is their ability to hold their edge for a long time, and excel at extreme hardness levels and extreme edge geometry, to then excel at cutting and slicing. To me a .188" thick blade made out of 3V in a folding knife makes no sense, but a .115" thick S90V makes perfect sense for a folding knife. It excels at 90% of the chores it will encounter. I do feel "super steel" is a buzzword and everyone might have a different opinion of which steels are "super steels" And, yes compare apples to apples (like Jim does so well on his edge retention testing). BTW, I would include M4, but would not include ZDP-189. I like ZDP, but its edge retention is not that much better than "premium steels" like S30V gets labeled often. If you look at Jim's testing http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...based-on-Edge-Retention-cutting-5-8-quot-rope I would say anything in the top two maybe three categories would be "super steels"

So pick a criteria to judge steels by, and you will have standouts, but when "super steel" is thrown out there, I think "goes long time before re-sharpening is needed"
 
Has anybody mentioned CPM-S35VN? Hitachi Blue? CPM-S125V? ZDP-189? VG-10?
 
It's odd that with all these steels that Randall Knives are still using some older stuff (from what I read) I've often wondered about asking a metal pro about 440a, and what to compare it to in a durability test (like stabbing into something then bending the knife over to see if it is less brittle) The reason is, is that when I was young I bent the tip of a "survival" knife over to like 45 degrees. I didn't know much about sharpening properties. Then recently a read about a guy that broke the tip off of a Black Jack in A2... I guess my question is, What is toughness?
 
Toughness in A2 as Bark River does it, should result in a bent tip and not a broken tip.

On thin A2 tips like the BR journeyman, the tip bent out of shape when making a hole in pp-plastic.
After resharpening into a thicker tip, there's been no damages.

Regards
Mikael
 
wacki said:
I'll have to dig through my history to find the original article. I'm merely trying to figure out what is and isn't a "super steel"....
Click to expand...

Has this resource been shared yet? I am interested in reviewing it.
 
I know heat treating comes in to play here, but in my opinion, a super steel is a steel that combines the edge retention of a carbon steel with the corrosion resistance of a stainless. so M4 and D2 would not be on the list, becuase they do not have the corrosion resistance.

I wouls say for common prodcution knifes these are going to be some of the ones you find. Personally I find M390 to be my favorite.

S90V
M390
CPM154
CTS204P
CST 20CP
CTS XHP
ZDP 189
Elmax

I may also put S30V/S35 VN at the low end of super steel.

in my opinion, 154 CM and VG10 are just outside of the "supersteel classification" becuase the edge retention is just below the cut off (to me anyway)

there is also a next level up but I have yet to see any production knives that use steels such as S110V or K390
 
Mikael W said:
Toughness in A2 as Bark River does it, should result in a bent tip and not a broken tip.

On thin A2 tips like the BR journeyman, the tip bent out of shape when making a hole in pp-plastic.
After resharpening into a thicker tip, there's been no damages.

Regards
Mikael
Click to expand...

He says it snapped like plexiglass on a cocconut... just stabbed it on the table and the rolling motion broke the tip off... should I recommend for him to get a replacement?
 
Cross Bones said:
He says it snapped like plexiglass on a cocconut... just stabbed it on the table and the rolling motion broke the tip off... should I recommend for him to get a replacement?
Click to expand...

Uh, I feel sorry for his table...:rugby:
By the way, I assume it wasn't a stone table, or..?

In his place I would primarily talk to the seller about a warranty repair.
If that doesn't work, there's the Blue Ridge company who owns the Black Jack brand.
As the last resort if nothing works, I would contact the maker Bark River Knives and kindly ask for help.

Regards
Mikael
 
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