What steel should I get ?

B

biogenic

Joined
Jul 18, 2023
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Looking for some guidance in getting an EDC. Want something with good steel which will retain its edge. Willing to spend up to $200.
Did some research but I'm getting confused on the different steels are out there. Leaning toward the 20cv but I hear good things about the s30v etc.
Thanks all.
 
I really like 20CV for edge retention. I think S30V was one of the early super steels. I've had several knives with it and they were fine.
 
Why not get the one with the highest edge retention of them all - the red Sandrin Torino - on Ebay you can get it for USD 225 - totally worth it. Tungsten Carbide blade, it has the highest edge retention with 1100mm - that's multiple times 20CV or S30V, it has hardness 71, super thin blade, cuts like nothing else out there and it's gorgeous. One of my favorite blades. I got the carbon fiber and the red one - the contours of the red one and the look makes it much better than the carbon fiber version.
 
biogenic said:
Looking for some guidance in getting an EDC. Want something with good steel which will retain its edge. Willing to spend up to $200.
Did some research but I'm getting confused on the different steels are out there. Leaning toward the 20cv but I hear good things about the s30v etc.
Thanks all.
Click to expand...
Most common response to this question is,
1) what do you normally cut?
2) how good are you at sharpening?
Those two steels are good choices for an EDC knife. Make sure it is from a reputable company so they do a good heat treatment. You don't want to leave performance on the table because it was ran too soft or mislabeled steel. You don't want to pay for CPM 20CV but really get 3cr18mov.
 
Most of the offerings from Spyderco, Benchmade, or ZT will serve you very well. Plus they all have excellent warranties!
 
Stainless:
20CV is great, you will likely never have to sharpen it, or just touch it up lightly.
M390 also an excellent all-round stainless.
Elmax another excellent all-rounder. Not as common as M390.
Magnacut is the new kid on the block. Lots of manufacturers now using it, I haven't had personal experience myself -- YET!
S30V is good but I prefer Benchmade's heat treat of S30V. Do not have anything in S35/45VN so can't speak for that.
VG-10 is a good budget all-rounder

Tool steel:
Spyderco's K390 knives are all excellent and you'll never have to worry about chipping, etc unless you beat it all to hell. They do require some attention to prevent rust.
CPM-M4 is an excellent tool steel which takes a brutal edge and is tough. Harder to find and usually quite expensive. Look at the Benchmade Freek and Bailout.
Cruwear is supposed to be very good, fairly easily to find.
 
You should first decide what kind of compromises you want to make:
  • Hardness/edge holding
  • Toughness (too hard and things become brittle and can chip)
  • Easy to sharpen
  • Rust/stain resistance

Look here for a good breakdown:
www.bladehq.com

Knife Steel Guide - Knife Life

In its most basic form, steel is just iron and carbon, but people have been studying, experimenting with, and perfecting steel with other elements for specific applications for millennia. The study of steel is now so complex and nuanced that one can acquire a graduate degree in the subject and...
www.bladehq.com www.bladehq.com

Here are my blade material experiences:

Maxamet tool steel - Not stainless. Holds an edge forever; needs diamond/ceramic sharpening media to re-sharpen. Expensive.
440 or 440A - Old school. Tough as hell, but the edge folds over right away first time you cut a box.
8Cr - Dulls quickly and doesn't re-sharpen easily either. Avoid. Only good thing about it is that it's cheap.
5Cr, 7Cr - Garbage. Might be OK on a hatchet?
1095 - Carbon steel, the old American standby. Only traditional slipjoints are
420HC - about like 8Cr
4116 - Doesn't hold an edge long, but it re-sharpens easily
AUS-8 - A step better than 8Cr etc, but not quite up to S30v
AUS-10A - Another step up fro AUS-8; excellent all-around blade steel
D2 - Another tool steel; my favorite value steel. Give up stainlessness for edge holding, but can still be quite affordable.
S30v - Excellent all-around. Doesn't hold an edge like Maxamet, but doesn't stain/rust the first time it's neglected either
20cv - Even better than S30V at holding an edge. Getting expensive, rare.
Ceramic / Zirconia - Holds an edge forever, unless you hit something hard, when it chips easily. 100% stain/rustproof. Not tough at all, as it's so brittle. This is at its best in kitchen knives with someone who understands it. Don't give it to a wife who will chop with the tip against your tempered glass plates or granite countertop.
 
Smaug said:
You should first decide what kind of compromises you want to make:
  • Hardness/edge holding
  • Toughness (too hard and things become brittle and can chip)
  • Easy to sharpen
  • Rust/stain resistance

Look here for a good breakdown:
www.bladehq.com

Knife Steel Guide - Knife Life

In its most basic form, steel is just iron and carbon, but people have been studying, experimenting with, and perfecting steel with other elements for specific applications for millennia. The study of steel is now so complex and nuanced that one can acquire a graduate degree in the subject and...
www.bladehq.com www.bladehq.com

Here are my blade material experiences:

Maxamet tool steel - Not stainless. Holds an edge forever; needs diamond/ceramic sharpening media to re-sharpen. Expensive.
440 or 440A - Old school. Tough as hell, but the edge folds over right away first time you cut a box.
8Cr - Dulls quickly and doesn't re-sharpen easily either. Avoid. Only good thing about it is that it's cheap.
5Cr, 7Cr - Garbage. Might be OK on a hatchet?
1095 - Carbon steel, the old American standby. Only traditional slipjoints are
420HC - about like 8Cr
4116 - Doesn't hold an edge long, but it re-sharpens easily
AUS-8 - A step better than 8Cr etc, but not quite up to S30v
AUS-10A - Another step up fro AUS-8; excellent all-around blade steel
D2 - Another tool steel; my favorite value steel. Give up stainlessness for edge holding, but can still be quite affordable.
S30v - Excellent all-around. Doesn't hold an edge like Maxamet, but doesn't stain/rust the first time it's neglected either
20cv - Even better than S30V at holding an edge. Getting expensive, rare.
Ceramic / Zirconia - Holds an edge forever, unless you hit something hard, when it chips easily. 100% stain/rustproof. Not tough at all, as it's so brittle. This is at its best in kitchen knives with someone who understands it. Don't give it to a wife who will chop with the tip against your tempered glass plates or granite countertop.
Click to expand...
Aaaaargh !

A) Any steel can be poorly cooked & the opposite of that is also true .
B) I own plenty of CrMov that is good & again the opposite is true .

Find a reputable company !!!!!!
Because in the end you are most likely looking for VALUE for money .
If you are looking to overspend , that's fine too ...

I own good and bad steel and average steel ... That's life ! ( Find a reputable company that gives you value for your money )
 
Recommendation? Get a steel you’re confident you can sharpen well. Edge retention is great, but some steels can be notoriously tricky to sharpen.

I personally prefer S35VN, though I know there’s other (maybe better!) options out there.
 
So far Magnacut has been a solid performer with normal use. I can recommend it after using it with both a folder and fixed blade.
 
old4570 said:
Aaaaargh !

A) Any steel can be poorly cooked & the opposite of that is also true .
B) I own plenty of CrMov that is good & again the opposite is true .

Find a reputable company !!!!!!
Because in the end you are most likely looking for VALUE for money .
If you are looking to overspend , that's fine too ...

I own good and bad steel and average steel ... That's life ! ( Find a reputable company that gives you value for your money )
Click to expand...
Well, I've tried 8Cr from Spyderco and CRKT and I've never liked it. It's too soft; too close to Swiss army knife soft. Even the humble BD1 from Spyderco was better.
 
Hmmm , Yeah .... I get that . To some extent hardness is secondary to edge retention .
So if your not getting edge retention , then fair enough . But I have CrMov that gives D2 a run for it's money ( edge retention ) .
And I have D2 that gives the Super Steels a run for their money ..

I guess if you buy enough knives ... Youl get some really good ones / some really bad ones / and a lot of average ones ! ( Depending on how high or low ones standards are )
 
My first 2 modern knives were Spyderco Native 5 and Military in S110V. Still good choices today. Outstanding edge retention and corrosion resistance.
 
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