What is the hardest steel?

I think ( not for certain ) that CPM Rex 121 may be the hardest knife steel used so far however it really isn't used in the production knife world. But ZDP-189 is the hardest blade steel I know of used by a mass producer.
 
Rockstead runs its ZDP-189 @ 67HRC, that's the highest that I know of, as far as production. Farid is taking CPM-REX121 to 68-70HRC.
 
The harder the blade steel, the harder to sharpen, when it finally does need it.

Last I knew, there was a linear relationship between hard and brittle.

If edge retention you are seeking, ceramic you should try.

Wait; if edge retention you are seeking, ceramic you should do. Or do not. There is no try.
 
CPM Rex 121 is the hardest steel used in knifemaking. To my knowledge, only Duane Dwyer and Farid ever worked with it. Farid should be offering a Rex 121 Mule right now, and he might still be making a run of his T-1000 folder in the steel.

ZDP-189 should be in second place at Rc 67 from Rockstead and William Henry(at least, it says Rc 67 on my B12 TZ folder).

High hardness is exceptionally useful for taking a low angle thin edge, especially in kitchen knives. I believe the Miyabi 7000MC series is ZDP-189 at Rc 66.
 
I believe the hardest blade material isn't steel - it's ceramic.

Some insist Busse's INFI steel is the 'best'. It's just hard to come by, reportedly due to it's meteorite (... from Zygon 3) thermonuclear device welded into M1 Abrams turret steel origin. The 'glow in the dark' feature gets little mention, of course.

Seriously, some of us mere mortals are happy with S30V/S35VN - or 1095.

Stainz
 
The hardest blade material would be synthetic diamond, used for opthalmic and microsurgery. For knife steel, I think CPM-REX121 for now although there are a couple of other alloys in the same line similar to it that might be harder, but not feasible for knife blades.
 
There is a special kind of steel used to make katanas if you super cool it against my ex girlfriends heart it gets a rockwell hardness of 96 ;]
 
gooeytek said:
The hardest blade material would be synthetic diamond, used for opthalmic and microsurgery. For knife steel, I think CPM-REX121 for now although there are a couple of other alloys in the same line similar to it that might be harder, but not feasible for knife blades.
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Why synthetic diamonds? Why not real diamonds? They are used in scalpels.

Then again, glass (obsidian) is friggen hard. Just don't drop it.
 
stoffi said:
I believe obsidian is the hardest and sharpest, but it's not steel.
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Yes, but I don't believe the OP really understands his own question.

If you are forcing me to choose a steel, then my choice is the stuff used to make airplane "black box" flight recorders. Those things can survive just about anything! ;)
 
CWL said:
Yes, but I don't believe the OP really understands his own question.

If you are forcing me to choose a steel, then my choice is the stuff used to make airplane "black box" flight recorders. Those things can survive just about anything! ;)
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Yes, and a 6061-T6 aluminum flashlight can survive being run over by a track with little more than heavy scuffing. Doesn't mean I want to make a knife out of it:thumbdn:.
 
CWL said:
Why synthetic diamonds? Why not real diamonds? They are used in scalpels.

Then again, glass (obsidian) is friggen hard. Just don't drop it.
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synthetic diamonds or real diamonds, as far as their use in blades, they would be the same except for the cost. synthetic diamonds would actually be more occlusion-free and a purer form of carbon.
 
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