What is your favorite steel and why???

There have been and always will be batches of the "same" steel, 5160, 1095, 52100 and probabally all others some are great, some good and sometimes poor. The big question is overall long term quality, who used it most and how well their heat treat fit that batch.
1095 has done well in the long run.
 
Stainless: VG-10
CPM Stainless: S90V, S30V, 440V
Carbon/carbon alloy/tool steel: SR101/52100, D2, A2, Rowen 1095, O1
CPM carbon: M4 & D2

Don't know really what to say about these steels except they meet my high standards.
 
That funny stuff in those old swords designated national treasures of Japan. You know the stuff with all those little lines on the blades.

I've got a lot of different steels in my small collection (including 1095), but the one that stands out to me is D2. Like the feel of it cutting and sharpening.

Surprised there's not more love for CPM-M4.
 
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dawsonbob said:
Never, at any time, have I said anything about how old or new a steel is. If it's a good steel, it's a good steel, whether it's 500 years old or was developed yesterday: good is good, period. Where you came up with this "But if you want to run with that line of thinking, then bronze, copper or even stone blades still exist and have been around thousands of years before 1095, so they must be better, yes?" thing, I have no idea.
Click to expand...

It was getting close to time for me to leave for work.
I was addressing several posts, and didn't have time to slice and dice, the first part of my response: That the question was what is your favorite, was answered by quite a few people by them saying what was good enough. And then I said, if it's their favorite, then say so, otherwise they are answering a different question, namely "Is 1095 good enough for a blade steel?".

Trying to keep the question on track, not be demeaning.
And once again, if you have, indeed, read my posts, then you know full well that I really like 1095, but it is not objectively, the best, nor subjectively, my favorite.

The rest of my post was directed at other posts. Sorry for the confusion.
 
I would say that not many have ever used CPM-M4. You won't find that many knives made from it compared to the more common steels.

Speaking just for myself, a steel or any other product which is high price and/or low availability will never be a favorite of mine.
 
I like 1095 but I do find it rusts a little easy--but I like it on slip joints a lot.
For folders I really like d2 and s30v. I have a knife in zdp189 but havent used it enough to say if I ike it or not.

For fixed I really like Bark rivers A2, I also really like INFI. I just got a fiddleback and 01 has seemed very good so far.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
It was getting close to time for me to leave for work.
I was addressing several posts, and didn't have time to slice and dice, the first part of my response: That the question was what is your favorite, was answered by quite a few people by them saying what was good enough. And then I said, if it's their favorite, then say so, otherwise they are answering a different question, namely "Is 1095 good enough for a blade steel?".

Trying to keep the question on track, not be demeaning.
And once again, if you have, indeed, read my posts, then you know full well that I really like 1095, but it is not objectively, the best, nor subjectively, my favorite.

The rest of my post was directed at other posts. Sorry for the confusion.
Click to expand...

There was some confusion, Cpl., but that may have been as much my fault as yours — I've been know to misread things before. I didn't realize that you were responding to multiple posts.

As far as 1095, I didn't say it was the best steel, only that it was my favorite. There may be better steels that I don't own, and have no experience with, so those couldn't possibly be my favorites. Of the steels that I do own, 1095 is my favorite.

Moving away from that, have a good day.:D
 
Well I'll speak up for ZDP-189 if no one else will :D For a folder I just don't think it can be beat. Now my second choice for a folder might surprise some of you>> I really like the old CPM 440V (S60V). It is a living nightmare of punishment to sharpen but the work is worth it ;)

One steel I really like for fixed blades is VG-10. I didn't get my pair of Spyderco Temperance 1 fixed blades until they were discontinued. But I'm telling you that both those fixed blades with VG-10 steel are truly workhorse fixed blades. I've done some pretty mean stuff to those blades and I can tell you that any survival scenerio I might be caught up in I'll have my PE & SE Spyderco Temperance 1 models.

For a Fillet knife you can't beat my old, fully serrated AUS-8 Catcherman. That steel is great for a serrated blade.

I'm in the process of getting 2 new knives in the next 2 months. One will have S90V and the other will have M-4. I"m really looking forward to dishing out punishment for those 2 bad boys :cool:
 
In my experience steel is pretty subjective to what the maker actually does with it...especially the HT. All of my knives have been "stock removal" so I cannot comment on Forged knives, though I have an inclination to say that the process probably has an even more positive outcome.

As far as folders go (probably not a useful topic in this discussion) I've been back and fourth from 154cm/ATS34 and S30V, having tested 440c, BG42, Scandinavian steels, Solingen Stainless, S90V and others. Microtech always did an incredible job on their 154cm back in the day. Being the winner of my personal test/taste, I have owned every USA made production flavor of S30V and I will say that CRK does it best with Spyderco a CLOSE second.

The absolute standout steel I've used, and used extensively, is Swamp Rat Knife Works SR101. Its qualities seem impossible to achieve. It is UNREAL tough, and when maintainance time comes 'round it is comparable to a (IMO) properly HT'd S30V....not "easy" but certainly maintainable. I regret trading off my SRKW "Rat Warden" more than any other knife. That thing was incomparable to any other steel I've used.

I've been toying around with a new RAT RC-3 for the past 2 weeks, entering with an open mind. I really have zero gripes with the 1095 steel. Edge retention is a bit less than I like, but It sharpens soooooooo easily. I was d!cking around, batoning, and I did not notice that there was a very thick brad (like a BIG staple) in the wood right near a knot... I just thought the knot was being a bugger, so I knocked the blade through....through the brad. It put the biggest chip/roll in the edge that I've ever put in any of the 50 knives that have passed through my hands...BUMMER! I would not expect it to do better. That really made the knife "mine." Since then I have thrown a LOT at the knife... and I've "thrown" the knife at a lot of things! For such a thin piece of stock, it is incredibly durable. I would say that I am a 1095 convert, and RAT makes a darn good, perfectly constructed, affordable knife.

For "EDC" I like S30V.... I can't WAIT for the new CRK Nyala with S35VN though!!!
 
For stainless I like 154cm. Not overly fancy but it's served me well. Like s30v too but no more than the 154.

For carbon it's 1095 all the way.
 
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