What is your preference for your pocket?

Stainless or carbon for your pocket…?

  • Total voters
    68
  • Poll closed .
Both, depends on context and pattern. Single carbons look nice IF they patina well, but that's not always the case and so you polish & start again. Multi blade carbons can get uneven use or patination, again if it looks good it's fine otherwise it can be ugly. Stainless is far more practical for wet use or with foods but I like the blades to be matte/glaze as crocus(/polish is a fingerprint-scratch hell. More modern stainless keep a very good edge far longer than carbon, but as pocket-knives are not really heavy use (nor do most enthusiasts use just one either...) edge retention is not so crucial. Fixed blades I prefer I carbon.

Glad stainless was developed, glad we have some choices!
 
I prefer stainless but carbon is fine with me also. It's more about the knife itself than the steel but I don't use my knives hard. My lifestyle simply doesn't require hard use so just about any steel will do.

Whether or not a knife ages gracefully is pretty much irrelevant to me personally. If a knife has been a faithful companion, I will remember that regardless of its appearance.
 
Carbon is my preference. I have quite a few in stainless, so it's obviously not a deal breaker, but I grew up using carbon steel knives, and simply prefer the character that they develop. I also seem to be able to sharpen a carbon blade to a finer edge... in general. There are exceptions. Many of my Case TruSharps take a VERY nice edge.... so this could be simply my perception..... but as they say, perception is reality.
 
I voted stainless. It laughs off neglect better. It's no big deal to wipe off the carbon every night, but I don't always do it.
The vote is closer than I'd have expected, from the way we talk around here.

[funny how often I forget to hit "post reply"]

I prefer stainless in the kitchen, too, for the most part, though I have some dusky sentimental favorites. The one thing carbon does for me that stainless doesn't, is to sing at my touch.
 
Always Stainless steel.
I'm not a fan of patina on steel.
In general I don't like the looks of it.

Maybe only for collecting sake I might buy a Carbon bladed knife.
Some really old ones sometimes look just right and fit the age somehow.
I probably would never use it though.
 
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With my work, lifestyle and all the stuff I’m around I need stainless or at the least D2 or 3V at the minimum.

I’ve tried some carbon steels and they did okay for the most part but since I’ve been using the better grades of stainless I have no reason to revert to carbon. Not only that but I don’t consider carbon to be more traditional than stainless. My grandpa had a stockman with stainless steel blades back in 1965. He usually had a carbon blade large jack knife for casual use but if he was out fishing or camping he would have his stainless knife because of rust issues.

In my opinion carbon steel blades have no added benefit or any better performance compared with the higher performing stainless of today. Yes there’s some very poor stainless, cheap and I have no need or use for them either.
 
My overall favorite traditional folder is my Case '75 stockman in CV. So I do carry that one every single day.

But having said that, the secondary carry is open to anything. Often it'll be stainless - especially if I have an inkling to use it for food of any kind. Carbon steel is great - but it tends to impart a certain metallic 'flavor' to foods that I'd rather do without.

Here are examples of two favored pairings of mine. In the first pic, my trusty CV stockman, and the secondary is a Buck 311 slim trapper. The slim trapper's long, narrow spey blade reminds me a lot of the 'melon tester' or 'fruit testing' knives' blades. And it does fill that role very nicely, in slicing up fruits. And the secondary carry in the 2nd pic is my Buck 111, which I carry quite often. In all examples of what I prefer to carry, the main influence in choosing any of them is how they cut. When I get a blade's edge cutting just the way I want it to, it just begs to be put into my pocket. It's less about the steel or the looks, and more about the slicing functionality in each one I choose.
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I'm surprised this poll is as close as it is -- I figured carbon would be the clear front runner.

My strong preference is for stainless. I've owned exactly one non-stainless slipjoint, and while I'd do it again for the right knife I honestly just don't like worrying about it. It rains 180 days a year here, stainless is just simpler. ;)
 
I pretty much carry stainless steel pocket knives all the time. It's my personal preference. I prefer a brushed stainless, not a fan of a mirror polish.

I will carry a carbon Damascus slip joint once in awhile, and belt knives can be either stainless or carbon steel, although I do still prefer stainless.

I do regularly carry knives in D2, although D2 is considered semi-stainless.

Not a fan of patina or rust.
 
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