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What steel takes the keenest edge?

DeadboxHero

DeadboxHero

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Mar 22, 2014
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I've used a number of steels from 420hc to S110v

In your opinions what knife do you have that takes the sharpest, non-factory edge?

With higher end knife steels, people seem to be only concerned with edge holding, but what I'm asking is which steel in your experience took the most screaming, razor sharp, "hair popping"edge?

(Folders, fixed blades, at least 1mm thick at spine, no straight razors)
 
I'm assuming the steel with the finest microstructure. I'm no expert, but probably something like S90V, M390, et cetera.
 
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Im not an expert either, but i think this question is very hard to answer because there are too many variables. The least of which is the person sharpening the steel. Lets say s90v can potentially take and hold a finer edge than say 440c. If im not good at sharpening then it means 440c will get sharper with me behind the stone as my limitations prevent me from realizing the full potential of better alloys.
 
I can't argue with these objective answers but for the sake of discussion just say what works for you in practice not theory.


Im curious about all opinions not just experts.
If 440c is it because of sharpening experience, so be it
No one needs to be a guru to chime in.
Less experienced opinions matter too.
 
I believe the finest theoretical edge you can create is either with AEBL or 52100 due to the extremely small size of the carbides. In practice, I think M390 takes the best edge of any steel I've used. It cuts very aggressively with a fine edge.
 
Nice 52100. Only heard about this for competitive blade sports otherwise I know absolutely nothing.

I'm no expert.
I can't afford to taste all the favors of steels.

For me my Manix 2 hollow grind took the keenest edge from all my folding knives. I couldn't reproduce it on my s110v Manix and got disgruntled.

For my fixed blades my Mora laminated O1 blade is the sharpest. I'd love to use super steels with that grind.

I know everyone has that one knife that may not be anything crazy but it just gets really really sharp.
 
DeadboxHero said:
Nice 52100. Only heard about this for competitive blade sports otherwise I know absolutely nothing.

I'm no expert.
I can't afford to taste all the favors of steels.

For me my Manix 2 hollow grind took the keenest edge from all my folding knives. I couldn't reproduce it on my s110v Manix and got disgruntled.

For my fixed blades my Mora laminated O1 blade is the sharpest. I'd love to use super steels with that grind.

I know everyone has that one knife that may not be anything crazy but it just gets really really sharp.
Click to expand...

Hm. My custom shop buck 110 in 420hc came screaming sharp out of the box however it does not maintain that edge very long. My knives in S30v, D2, 440c and Ats- 34 all hold a working edge longer.

Another knife that gets really sharp despite not being in a super steel is my Dan Graves custom hunter. It's pattern welded steel of 1084 and 15n20 so nothing too fancy.
 
I can usually get a screaming sharp edge on AUS8, just doesn't hold it as long as higher end steels. 154cm also seems to take a very keen edge.

I think I can get a very keen edge on just about anything if I put the time into it, the two mentioned above just seem to take little time and effort to get a hair shaving edge.
 
The "keenness" of your edge can also be attributed to how thin your blade is behind its edge. Geometry cuts.

I had a knife in M390 which was quite thick behind the edge. Even with a professionally sharpened, polished edge it wouldn't cut very well.

I have a knife in 154 CM which is paper thin behind the edge and it cuts cleanly and effortlessly with an unpolished factory edge.

The M390 by all accounts should have performed better but because of the differences in blade geometry the 154 CM seemed to have better performance even with a less refined edge.
 
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Geometry cuts is right.

However, I notice I can get AUS-8, VG-10 and 1095 the sharpest. That's just me, and I have no idea why.

Probably has more to do with the fact that these steels sharpen quickly. I'm not very patient, so I WON'T spend long at the stones.

I use a Spyderco Double-Stuff, so I'm in there and out pretty fast. Ask the missus, she'll tell you. :D
 
high vanadiums may keep their edges longer but they're usually not that sharp to begin with. you get the sharpest edges from 1095, o-1, 440C, 154 cm, vg-10, and zdp 189. no experience with aogami steels as yet.
 
In my own limited experience Benchmade D2 seems to be the steel that takes the keenest edge. I've used some other mid level steels but this is my favorite so far. 30 swipes across a coarse diamond stone and a few more across a mystery whet stone and D2 gets to hair popping sharp and stays that way.
 
I have a buck 110 as well. The geometry is actually very close to a straight razor.One day I thought, what the heck, I woke up, stroped my 110, and was able to shave with it.
I was surprised by a $40 dollar "Grandpa's" knife.
 
I'm guessing very fine grained steels with very low carbide content will technically take the finest edge in actual, objective terms. I've heard a few times that high carbide steels cannot be used in straight razors because the carbides act as microserrations and prevent the screaming sharp edge you need to really cleanly shave with. That said, on most knives it won't matter that much since that fine an edge will disappear so quickly with a few cuts.
 
I find that perfect edge we all pursue doesn't last long when it IS achieved. They all work down to a relative working edge rather quickly.

The sharpest I get any of my knives is on an old '60's Martinni leuku and I've never had a clue what kind of steel it is. Something high carbon that's pitted slightly over time but still polishes up well. I've always noticed it seems to get sharper than any of my 'finer' steels. It holds the edge decently too.

Of course 9 times out of 10 I sharpened it around a campfire or in the field instead of at home on the couch as with my other knives. Maybe something magical about that.....
 
Your biggest factor is steel hardness, the hardest steel will take the sharpest edge.

Hard steel is brittle so the burr at the apex tends to break off in sharpening leaving a very clean apex. This makes for incredibly sharp edges right from the stone.
 
The main steels I have experience with are; 1095, case CV, 420hc, 440A and C, D2 and 154CM. I've found that 1095 can get the absolute keenest with stropping, but will lose it a bit once the apex starts corroding. I have found that my canal street, 'Erics jack' in 440c takes a very nice polished edge though, and I originally thought it would only take a good toothy one. Same experiance with 154cm. D2 on the other hand, is very good with a toothy edge, and feels finer in cutting than it should, but I haven't been able to give it a good edge with my strop, it seems to just make the edge worse.

I have also heard that 13c26 was developed as a stainless razor steel, and is apparently very fine.
 
High hardness, fine grain structure, small carbides, thin geometry. That's the ticket right there.
 
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