what steel do you prefer for a kitchen knife?

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chad2

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i am looking to make my wife a kitchen knife and have gone through many steels even carbon but i know that she will forget to dry it what steel would you use i am looking for something with really good edge retention i am strongly considering 154cm and maybe D2 even thought it is not stainless it is close. thanks
 
I'm currently using S35VN - mostly because it's available in 1/16" stock, (see njsteelbaron) so there's not much to remove, good edge holding, and stainless.
 
CPM 154 and S35vn are both excellent choices.
Stan
 
Tait said:
I'm currently using S35VN - mostly because it's available in 1/16" stock, (see njsteelbaron) so there's not much to remove, good edge holding, and stainless.
Click to expand...

One of the things I've learned from the Baron is that just because you don't see the size/thickness you want, doesn't mean he doesn't have it. Give him a call, they're very friendly and will go out of their way to see you get what you want. If you want thinner 154cm, he just may have it.

I'm hoping that his new website has some 0-1 when he gets it up.
 
i like xhp and cpm154 my buyers luke both and are really starting to turn to the xhp for the extra fine edg it can take
 
CPM S35VN and CPM 154 are what I use for 99% of my kitchen knives. The S35VN is rapidly becoming the only one I use.
 
I personally prefer simple carbon steel like O1, W2, ect. Just so easy to sharpen and steel to keep a crazy sharp edge all the time. I dont mind the patina or having to keep them clean and out of the sink.
 
OK then, the 154CM that I started and have yet to finish for my mother will be fine. She doesn't believe in sharpening her knives for some reason. The set my brother wants me to make may just get the S35VN though because he has a different outlook on edge retention. Thanks for the information
 
CPM-154 is the gold standard of stainless steels, you really can't go wrong with it and I see no point using anything "less".

Stacy, have you found that S35VN polishes as nicely as CPM-154? The specs sure look great but I haven't used any yet.

I have used Carpenter's CTS-XHP like Butch mentioned, and it is a step up from CPM-154 in my opinion, for toughness and edge-retention. Polishes about the same. :thumbup:
 
I really like O-1 or my O-1/L-6 damascus.
Del
 

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W2, and I'm trying CruForge right now. Plain 'ol carbon for me. I like a kitchen knife with a hamon, so the W2 is tops in my book.
 
I cant heat treat stainless in my temp controlled propane setup....I can comfortably heat treat any of the carbon steels though..even though its a forge it will hold to within 1* +/- when tuned in right..So for now its all carbon steel..
 
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CPM 154 polishes very well. CPM S35VN polishes good, but I usually put a 600 grit matte finish on users.
I personally hate mirror polished stainless steel.
 
(I'm unclear on what has been off topic here.)

That aside, I've been noticing than the carbon steel (A2 and O1) knives I've made both
hold an edge longer than any of my commercial stainless knives, including Shun, and
can hold this edge with a sharpening angle that quickly chips out the stainless edges
visibly.

This is not a fair test because I don't have any hand made stainless knives and they
would have different heat treatment and probably higher hardness than the commercial
knives. Shun may be an exception here.

Given the above I'm now trying to make some AEB-L stainless knives with some CPM-3V
and CPM S35VN in the pipeline. Sounds silly, doesn't it...
 
I've used some shun elites - they seem to be a bit TOO hard and have some microchipping problems on the edge. And, DON'T drop them or the tip will snap off!

I've run S35VN in the 59-60 range and the 60-61 range. I like 60-61, but wouldn't run much harder than that.

I did make some cheese knives out of 154CM. Overkill, I know, but their satin finish is holding up very well.
 
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