What is the best rust-free steel besides the H1 ?

colubrid

colubrid

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Took a bunch of high end super steels with me to Brazil for 3 months . I was there from Dec-March and all ended up with some corrosion within the first 2-3 weeks. . Even my coated blade Para 2 in CPM S30V had rust on the blade and I also had along 5 other high end knives with super steels. The only two knives that survived were the H1 Salts. And I ended up using them the whole time while my other knives had to be packed away for the remainder of the trip.. and some still had corrosion even after being packed away.

Just wondering which steel that Spyderco offers besides the H1 would be the most corrosion resistant? What would the order be from least to worst ?
 
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Danke42 said:
The LC 200 N is the new kid on the block. Just used for the Tusk right now.
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The problem is the Tusk it is not the knife I would carry for my uses. I would like to see a LC 200 in A , Military, Para 2 or other basic design. That would be my grail knife.
 
I carry H1 almost exclusively now due to working out in the weather and sweat soaked pockets. But I used to carry my delica in VG10 and had no problems with it as long as you kept it wiped off and a little oil on it.
 
H1 is still your best bet at this time. The Chef is coming soon. It's LC200 which is good, has tested well so far, but we don't have enough or our own history for me to say 100%. I rely on H1 whenever I'm in a humid area. Nothing I have found works better. Next would be 440C, then BD-1. From there out they're all suspect in humid areas without paying attention.

We have new LC200N models in-the-works. The first will be about 3-3/4" blade-2 color G-10 handle-Compression lock-Leaf and Rescue (modified sheepfoot). It's probably a year out though.

sal
 
Thnaks Sal! That was great info and more than I expected.

I really like the idea of the Spydie Chef and will buy when it comes out. I just wish I could test one out for a beforehand :). I do most of my cutting in the kitchen anyway. When I travel I do a lot of cutting with food and at the same time I want a knife that can be used for a little protection. ...Especially in Brazil where I was it was dangerous but my actual use of a knife revolved around cutting fruits and food. So I didn't want to switch out a knife every time I went out for different purposes and most of the practical uses were with food prep and such (even cutting out the meat from coconuts obtained from beach vendors). Besides that the place is hot and you do a lot of walking and sweating and the sweat just stays on your pants pockets all day.

I guess you really find out what a knife is all about when you travel and the other super knives just don't cut it (pun intended)!
 
"cutting it" often depends on intended use and location. Also depends on the knife laws where you are. When I'm in Hawaii I usually travel with a serrated Pacific Salt and a plain Edge Salt 1. Often, I'll throw in a smaller salt like a Ladybug or D'Fly. I can handle food in the condo (or restaurant :)) snorkeling, hiking, kayak, etc.

When I'm home, at 10,000 feet, with few people and forest, I'll carry a proto for testing. It's dry where I live and humidity is rarely a problem. We make a variety of sizes and shapes to serve the particular "jobs" the knife will have to do. And you get to experience using a high quality, high performance cutting tool while doing the job(s).

sal
 
H-1, N680 and LC 200 N all rely on nitrogen to attain excellent corrosion resistance.
 
Sal Glesser said:
"cutting it" often depends on intended use and location. Also depends on the knife laws where you are. When I'm in Hawaii I usually travel with a serrated Pacific Salt and a plain Edge Salt 1. Often, I'll throw in a smaller salt like a Ladybug or D'Fly. I can handle food in the condo (or restaurant :)) snorkeling, hiking, kayak, etc.

When I'm home, at 10,000 feet, with few people and forest, I'll carry a proto for testing. It's dry where I live and humidity is rarely a problem. We make a variety of sizes and shapes to serve the particular "jobs" the knife will have to do. And you get to experience using a high quality, high performance cutting tool while doing the job(s).

sal
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You mentioned Hawaii so....

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Other than the ones mentioned.

M390, S110V and ELMAX would also be contenders.

N680 is very stainless.
 
Ankerson said:
Other than the ones mentioned.

M390, S110V and ELMAX would also be contenders.

N680 is very stainless.
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Outside of H1 and lc200n, I would say that s110v has outperformed any other steel I have tested in corrosion resistance.
 
I ordered my first salt. Picked the salt 1 serrated and it should be in Tuesday. Was looking for something I never have to worry about for wet and dirty stuff.

Lance would fresh cut strawberries put that on s110v if not wiped quickly or is it pretty resilient.

I have a lot of 1095 knives and super blue caly 3 so I am used to wiping after cuts. Just got gator Bradley 2 and it's much more patina resistant compared to the super blue.
 
texmex03 said:
I ordered my first salt. Picked the salt 1 serrated and it should be in Tuesday. Was looking for something I never have to worry about for wet and dirty stuff.

Lance would fresh cut strawberries put that on s110v if not wiped quickly or is it pretty resilient.

I have a lot of 1095 knives and super blue caly 3 so I am used to wiping after cuts. Just got gator Bradley 2 and it's much more patina resistant compared to the super blue.
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Like I said, s110v does about as well as I've seen for a "normal" stainless steel. I used a s110v Manix LW for a week or two on my kayak. Constantly bathing in salt water and I got no pitting at all. It performed better than s90v and bd1n which are both quite corrosion resistant. I still always wipe all my blades after cutting fruit but you won't have any issues with s110v.
 
Same here in my long term experience with S110V. :thumbup:
 
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