what steel (and knife)

Z

zippoo

Joined
Sep 20, 2009
Messages
93
Hi

I'm a real newbie when it comes to blade steel (and maybe knives to:P ) and I would like your help picking a good blade steel (and knife if you know a good hunting knife in that steel)

I'm looking for the best edge retention I can get. I'm not going to do any batoning or anything with it, just going to cut meat and skin, so i guess chipping won't be a problem.

I'm looking for a blade 3" or less (not really small but around 3") and that's about all i know for now. just ask if you need to know anything more.

oh and here's the sad part... I don't want the knife to cost more then $100 (I can probably stretch to $150 if it's a real difference in quality, but it would be great if it didn't go over $100)

so what should I get???
 
zdp-189 caly 3, check cutleryshoppe for the best price I've seen online.

For fixed blades, look for a mule in the same steel, or S90V & M4. There are some more zdp mules waiting to get sold, but the other two are going to be secondary market.
 
Hmm...I see you are from Sweden. How about a Mora?

Edit - As for blade steel, get something that is soft enough to easily touch-up in the field. Not wishing to contradict brother Hardheart, but I have found that the 'super steels' such as ZDP-189, S90V, SG2 etc. are a beast to field sharpen, IMO.
 
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Consider Cabella's Alaskan Guide version of the Buck Vanguard. It's a little longer than you stated at 4" but it's within your price range and is made of S30V steel which is generally considered to be one of the best knife steels available.

Vanguard1.jpg
 
I will second the AG Vanguard. It is well proven and uses a good steel that you can touch-up in the field. Plus, the coating on the blade is tough as nails.
 
about the Vanguard, I'm just not that in to getting a blade longer than 3". it's easier to work with a smaller blade

i have to go through the suggestions and look a little deeper into them ( and just to clarify it is a fixedblade i'm looking for)

edit: what about "3G laminate powder steel"? Is it worth to wait a little while and get something like that or is s30v as good when it comes to edge retention? (i'm not sure 3G has a good edgeretention but i think i've herd somewhere that it's really good???)

http://www.knivesshipfree.com/Fallkniven-Knives-TK6-Tre-Kronor-Hunter-3G-Steel

I like that size and blade shape :P
 
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I found the edge retention of that steel (SGPS, which is laminated to make 3G) to be pretty poor relative to other high alloy stainless. A couple other people have noticed it as well. It performs closer to AUS8, which seems strange considering the vanadium content.

D2 may serve you well in the price range. Here's several choices in one model

http://www.agrussell.com/ag-russell-bird-and-trout/p/AGBThhh8A/
 
A.P.F. said:
As for blade steel, get something that is soft enough to easily touch-up in the field. Not wishing to contradict brother Hardheart, but I have found that the 'super steels' such as ZDP-189, S90V, SG2 etc. are a beast to field sharpen, IMO.
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I rather have a really hard steel and a few softer backups that's easy to field sharpen, I already have a RC-3 and a RC Izula (1095) and they hold their edge pretty well but it's 1095 so..... i guess there are others that holds an edge better
 
zippoo said:
I rather have a really hard steel and a few softer backups that's easy to field sharpen, I already have a RC-3 and a RC Izula (1095) and they hold their edge pretty well but it's 1095 so..... i guess there are others that holds an edge better
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It should hold its edge fine. You arent really going to get better edge retention at your price point. The problem with knives with better edge retention is that tey tend to get brittle and can chip--not good for skinning and working with animals as bone is very hard. If it were my call I think the rc3 you have is good enough for your intent and purposes. If you want a new knife, i suggest checking out some of the custom makers on this forum Fiddleback forge could make you a nice knife for around 150. Good luck
 
If you only need to outdo 1095 in edge retention, then you can do that with 52100, L6, 440C, 154CM, VG-10, N690Co... well, you get the idea.
 
Thalestin said:
It should hold its edge fine. You arent really going to get better edge retention at your price point. The problem with knives with better edge retention is that tey tend to get brittle and can chip--not good for skinning and working with animals as bone is very hard. If it were my call I think the rc3 you have is good enough for your intent and purposes. If you want a new knife, i suggest checking out some of the custom makers on this forum Fiddleback forge could make you a nice knife for around 150. Good luck
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maybe i should just keep going with my trusty RC-3, I don't really have a problem with it just thought i could get a blade with a little bit better edge retention because the RC is made to be a little "soft" so it wont chip when batoning and stuff... how high in price would I have to go to get a good balance between edge retention and "not-so-brittle-ness" (or is the RC the perfect match in your opinion?)

I've never had any of my knives chip from bone. it's hard, but you don't smack your knife in to it. If you just slide the knife against the bone I don't see why it would chip? but maybe that's just because I don't have any hard brittle knives :P

anyway... nothing decided yet so if anyone has any other ideas, just post them :P
 
hardheart said:
If you only need to outdo 1095 in edge retention, then you can do that with 52100, L6, 440C, 154CM, VG-10, N690Co... well, you get the idea.
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different views here :P now I'm a little more back in the game:P we will see how it goes.

I will look more into it in the morning, now it's sleeping time :P

edit: you spit out a lot of different names :P but what steel would you pick if you wanted the best edgeretention possible without getting to brittle? in other words... what steel do I want?? :D :P
 
zippoo said:
different views here :P now I'm a little more back in the game:P we will see how it goes.

I will look more into it in the morning, now it's sleeping time :P

edit: you spit out a lot of different names :P but what steel would you pick if you wanted the best edgeretention possible without getting to brittle? in other words... what steel do I want?? :D :P
Click to expand...

All those steels that Hardheart mentioned are excellent 'go to' steel. Each person will have their preferences. As an old guy, I have found that there isn't much that I can't do with 420HC or 440C. However, one steel that continues to impress me is N690C0, which takes a wicked edge and seems to hold it well. As a collector, I have been fortunate enough to experience many different steel types. What I have learned, is that there is no perfect steel for every application or usage pattern. You really have to try different types and find what works for you.
 
Howdy,

I have a custom fixed blade knife made out of D2 Tool steel. It holds an edge!!

I much prefer, however, to sharpen my RAT RC-4 1095 steel blade.

The D2 blade requires more work to resharpen with standard bench stones, but once you get a good edge, it does last.

Just a few weeks ago, I skinned a 7-point bull elk using two knifes: D2 custom fixed blade and S30V Gerber Stag Freeman. The D2 performed MUCH better than the Gerber S30V (could be a poor Gerber heat treat?).
 
If you want really good edge retention, i'd try 3V, M4 or S90V. Hard to sharpen though so you will need some good bench stones.
 
For a good hunting knife at a reasonable price that meets your specs look at the smaller hunting knives at:

www.dozierknives.com

D-2 steel. Razor sharp, and you won't have to worry about re-sharpening in the field. They'll hold their razor edge throughout the hunting season.
 
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