What is the ultimate blade steel for user knife?

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wutitiz

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Mar 5, 2008
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What blade steel would you choose if a knife genie popped out of your bottle of Green Tea and offered to make you any knife you wanted? In anticipation of "depends what it's for" I will limit discussion to the two probably most comon knife types:

a) edc folder with blade length of 3-4 inches(7.62-10 cm.);
b) fixed blade with blade length of 5-7 inches (12.7-17.8 cm.).

I am well aware that genies always do things in threes, but I will let someone else take up item number three.

Let your imagination run wild. Consider all materials, including s90v, zdp-189, ceramic, cera-titan, cowry-x, Duratech 20CV, INFI, Fallkniven's 3G, DiamondBlade's friction-forged D2, Kershaws new composite blades, SOG's mysterious OU-31. Even 5160 spring steel. And before somebody says "it's not the steel, it's the heat treatment," let us say for the sake of discussion that processing is considered as part and parcel of the blade steel. You can make up your own steel if you like. For example, it you want a friction-forged core laminated in a titanium outer layer, so be it.

Give your choice for both types of knives, and your reasons for your choices.

PS And before someone dings me, yes it should be 'blade material' not 'blade steel,' in order to include ti, ceramic, etc.
 
I've been searching for a great steel for my EDC for years. I found mine a just few years back when I purchased my first M2 knife. I use to rotate through many knives in the coarse of a year. Now, I use just two. I carry one and keep the other so that I never stuck with a dull blade. I like my other steels. You know like A2, D2, S30V, ATS34, CM154 & so on. But, M2 is what I've been looking for. No explanation, except it works the best for me.
 
IMO the ultimate steel is in the eye of the beholder (mostly), it is an argument had many times on this forum ( if you did a search ) with not much of a conclusion other than who thinks what is best.
 
I perhaps ought to have noted that it is not mandatory to comment if you have seen this all before. However, consider that since those past discussions it is possible that there have emerged a) new materials; b) new testing ; and c) new readers.
 
any steel that has "surgical" in the name.... :p
 
seems to me steel is like buying a boat:

If you like xxx, then you dont get yyy
If you like yyy, then you dont get xxx.

Well over here, this model has a little bit of xxx, and a little bit of yyy, but nowhere as near as good as the original xxx or yyy.

Thats how I see knife steel.
 
The kind of steel I like is the kind that is good enough to hold an edge, but not so good that it breaks the bank.

For me, that pretty much settles out where a knife costs twice as much as a cheap knife, but half as much as a nice knife.
 
wutitiz said:
What blade steel would you choose if a knife genie popped out of your bottle of Green Tea and offered to make you any knife you wanted? In anticipation of "depends what it's for" I will limit discussion to the two probably most comon knife types:

a) edc folder with blade length of 3-4 inches(7.62-10 cm.);
b) fixed blade with blade length of 5-7 inches (12.7-17.8 cm.).

I am well aware that genies always do things in threes, but I will let someone else take up item number three.

Let your imagination run wild. Consider all materials, including s90v, zdp-189, ceramic, cera-titan, cowry-x, Duratech 20CV, INFI, Fallkniven's 3G, DiamondBlade's friction-forged D2, Kershaws new composite blades, SOG's mysterious OU-31. Even 5160 spring steel. And before somebody says "it's not the steel, it's the heat treatment," let us say for the sake of discussion that processing is considered as part and parcel of the blade steel. You can make up your own steel if you like. For example, it you want a friction-forged core laminated in a titanium outer layer, so be it.

Give your choice for both types of knives, and your reasons for your choices.

PS And before someone dings me, yes it should be 'blade material' not 'blade steel,' in order to include ti, ceramic, etc.
Click to expand...

Well, you can leave out ceramic. Too brittle to stand up to what for me are common chores

And I don't have much use for a fixed blade anymore. I don't go that far afield anymore that I can't get everything done with a folder.

For a pocket knife, I like pretty much anything with 1% or more carbon and 11% or more Chromium except I have an aversion to PM steels. At the moment, I have a special yen for N690. Lovely stuff.

I like the amount of edge retention that 1%C steels provide.
11% or better chromium provides adequate corrosion resistance.
 
Y'know, although I don't have skads of experience with all the various super steels floating around, I have to say I am quite impressed with 420hc as presented by Buck Knives. I don't know if it's a personal thing, or the Bos heat treat, etc., but I have re-profiled a Buck Alpha with a Dremel, beat the living tar out of it, and it still holds a good edge before needing a resharpening. Any knife that I feel free to beat up as a 'who cares' type user, and still asks for more, is o.k. in my book. Course, i'm sure there are other steels with the same, or better, qualities. Just my .02. When a steel is developed that can cut a Mack truck in half, then slice some tomatoes afterword, count me in as a buyer. But for the cost-use ratio, 420hc is pretty darn good.
 
I was thinking a Sebenza with an INFI blade would be nice but I haven't gotten an edge on INFI as sharp as on S30V or VG-10 yet. Don't know if it's possible or if I suck at sharpening.
 
D2 is my favorite steel that I have searched long and hard for (and paid a pretty penny too;)). I would want an Emerson Commander with a D2 blade and an Axis lock. Even the Spyderco Military in D2 would do the trick for me. Depends if this genie can only make the blade or the entire knife from scratch :D.
 
I have knives in all the steel mentioned except infi, Friction forged D2, and Cowery X, and a lot more not mentioned..

I really have begun to take on the philosophy espoused by Sal G. "all good, just different".

I don't mind sharpening the more difficult ones. I'd likely go for the rarer ( for knifes) steels that are too troublesome for production, and even most knifemakers.

Something like supracore, or others you just don't see daily. I'know they're out there but hey, a genie is involved here right?

For daily EDC the very excellent steels like VG10, ZDP 189, M2, and a few more are just fine though.

BTW, IMO, don't look for OU31 to be earthshaking or anything. Don't get me wrong, the one I have is ok but not at all leaps and bounds above other steels in it's class. Duratech also, as well as R2. They're good steels though.

So is 1095 when done correctly. Joe
 
For a folrder I am thinking O1 or another tool steel.
Fixed blade I would have to go with INFI or good ole' 1095.
Magic steel, I want something
that never dulls, rusts, breaks, and can cut through materials better than any other knife out there....a light saber.
 
IMO-FWIW

Folders-VG-10,S30V,S60V,154CM,ATS-34,ZDP-189,H-1,D2(never had the priviledge of using S90V,but I'm sure it's up there)

Fixed-S7,A2,M2,1095,5160?(never had the priviledge of using INFI,but I'd guess it's on the top of the list)

These choices are made assuming an excellent heat treatment on all of the steels involved.:)
 
yinyang said:
Y'know, although I don't have skads of experience with all the various super steels floating around, I have to say I am quite impressed with 420hc as presented by Buck Knives. I don't know if it's a personal thing, or the Bos heat treat, etc., but I have re-profiled a Buck Alpha with a Dremel, beat the living tar out of it, and it still holds a good edge before needing a resharpening. Any knife that I feel free to beat up as a 'who cares' type user, and still asks for more, is o.k. in my book. Course, i'm sure there are other steels with the same, or better, qualities. Just my .02. When a steel is developed that can cut a Mack truck in half, then slice some tomatoes afterword, count me in as a buyer. But for the cost-use ratio, 420hc is pretty darn good.
Click to expand...

ditto......
 
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