What is more important when considering a new knife; handle material or steel?

What is more important when considering a new knife; handle material or steel?

  • Total voters
    70
  • Poll closed .
palonej said:
The first attribute I look for is appearance. If it is a fugly knife, I don't really care about the steel or scales.
If a knife looks super sweet, I'll go from there with steel & scales.
Joe
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So appearance first and then work into what steel/scale?
 
I have to like the entire knife. Not just in use but to look at too. But then again, if the knife had subpar steel to what the handle suggested, it might be a deal breaker. This is a tough question
 
Dfunk1210 said:
I have to like the entire knife. Not just in use but to look at too. But then again, if the knife had subpar steel to what the handle suggested, it might be a deal breaker. This is a tough question
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I know its hard for us knife fanatics to make up our minds in what is our next knife. Personally it bothers me when I see makers use steels that that a knife that is worth way less has. I know there is a ton of variables in the pricing but sometimes its a bit extreme.
 
I voted for Steel because I care whether my blade is carbon or stainless, that's it though as I don't worry about what specific steel it is.
In general though I really don't worry about either.

I don't like knives that were designed to be a cool looking object, but if I like the way a knife looks and is overall my kind of knife I buy it.
 
farcry33 said:
Well, you don't want to put a 15 degree bevel on a softer steel. My opinion of course, but I understand what he meant. You can have a flat grind knife with a lesser steel cut better than a super steel that has a bad geometry.
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No, you didn't. A 45 degree bevel on soft steel wont retain either. AND it will have crap cutting geometry.

At least the 15 will cut better.

Geometry.
 
I go by looks first ,if I like the looks I see what steel offerings are available. Then I do as much research as I feel needed to pull the trigger .
 
farcry33 said:
Good point, except if one steel is better than the other but that's a different topic.
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No, that is not true at all. You are confusing edge retention and cutting.

Will a bad steel with good geometry cut well, then rapidly degrade in cutting performance? Yes.
Will a great steel with bad geometry cut well, then rapidly degrade in cutting performance? No. Because it will never cut well.
 
marcinek said:
No, that is not true at all. You are confusing edge retention and cutting.

Will a bad steel with good geometry cut well, then rapidly degrade in cutting performance? Yes.
Will a great steel with bad geometry cut well, then rapidly degrade in cutting performance? No. Because it will never cut well.
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Let's see if I got this right, what you are saying its like a Nordic Ax that is dull still being able to chop a piece of wood because of good geometry.
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
Well, if there's a knife with VG-10 steel and a really nice handle material or m390, m4, etc. and black g10, all others equal, I'm taking the vg-10 and attractive handle. Any serviceable steel is fine with me.
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palonej said:
The first attribute I look for is appearance. If it is a fugly knife, I don't really care about the steel or scales.
If a knife looks super sweet, I'll go from there with steel & scales.
Joe
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I agree with both of you gents, in a sense I couldn't care TOO much about what the knife is made out of per say, rather I just look at the knife as a whole, if it appeased me visually then BOOM I research the sh*t out of the knife. 80% of the time the knives I really look into happen to be made with very good materials, in my opinion.

Or they function very well in the task they are meant to excel in.
 
Heat treat and blade geometry are more important than the numbers and letters (type of steel) etched on a knife. In regards to edge retention, Mr. Ankerson did a great job of testing more steels than I even knew existed. I remember the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter in cts-Xhp performing better than many blades in m390. On paper, Xhp should not have higher edge retention than m390. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are so many variables in the overall performance of a given steel.

Ergonomics are more important consideration for me when purchasing a knife. My aging hands fatigue quickly with certain handle contours. So my initial focus is on the ergos. I do not have the skills to make scales to my liking.
 
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DJC72 said:
Heat treat and blade geometry are more important than the numbers and letters (type of steel) etched on a knife. In regards to edge retention, Mr. Ankerson did a great job of testing more steels than I even knew existed. I remember the Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter in cts-Xhp performing better than many blades in m390. On paper, Xhp should not have higher edge retention than m390. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are so many variables in the overall performance of a given steel.

Ergonomics are more important consideration for me when purchasing a knife. My aging hands fatigue quickly with certain handle contours. So my initial focus is on the ergos. I do not have the skills to make scales to my liking.
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One reason why I wish there was a way to check heat treat without using a standard indenter.
 
farcry33 said:
One reason why I wish there was a way to check heat treat without using a standard indenter.
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This was a major deal breaker when it came to the first L Sebenza 21 I purchased as I heard CRK ran his S35VN soft so it scared me.
 
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