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What steel takes the keenest edge?

From personal experience and from looking at the composition, Nitrobe 77 took the keenest edge I ever got. Its a low carbide, nitrogen, very fine grade PM steel, all of those help in achieving a keen edge. It wasn't that much sharper than 12c27, 19c27, O1, 1095, 52100 or other fine edge steels but there was a slight difference. I could glide it over my skin and it cut hair without me feeling it, others do it too but I felt a slight snag as they cut. It cut tissue paper like normal printer paper. Im glad I got anothef knife in that steel, its a shame thst it didn't catch on like other super steels did, imo its one of the best steels to use in knives, easy to sharpen, really stainless, takes and holds a fine edge, can handle acute angles and thin grinds. But its fairly pricey and has a complex heat treat which is why it didn't catch on. Dang shame too.
 
The lam CoS being used by Fallkniven takes a sharpest edge I've been able to achieve.
 
I know this is a pretty old thread, and rather dead, but I stumbled upon it just now while researching different steels and their properties. I'm just a knife lover/collector, so any knowledge I have, real or imagined, about knife steels/etc. is a result largely of all of the great men posting on BF. So, thanks to all first of all.

Now, onto the reason(s) for posting on this relatively old thread....Ankerson and Chiral. I'm a huge fan of Ankerson because the man has taught me so much about so many of the great steels that are utilized in the fixed blade knives I collect. Most of us know of the extensive testing he has done for years and the cool data that follows from his tests. Chiral is a younger man, but read some of his posts & tell me the guy isn't intelligent.

I trust the information I get from both men - and btw, Chiral makes these universal kydex sheath extensions that allow all of my otherwise useless kydex sheaths to ride nice and low - I bought two from him, along with one leg strap, and I just could not be any happier with them - so please check them out if you're like me and hate those damn kydex sheaths that seem to come with every good knife, custom or production, these days because they either ride so high or don't have any carry attachments included at all - Chiral's UKEs solve this problem flawlessly AND they're super inexpensive...AND he's a true gentleman to deal with. Now, I mention this not only to give Chiral a plug, but to help make my main point here (I'm finally getting to my point!)...and that is the fact that Bladeforums would be so much more enjoyable for me, & I have to assume I'm not alone, if the really smart guys like Chiral and Ankerson could comport themselves like gentlemen consistently - like Chiral does. Chiral never answers another poster's question with sarcasm or disdain, even when the question isn't the wisest. His high character ALWAYS shines through, because, I imagine, he's simply being himself when he posts on BF....love me some Chiral.

I love me some Ankerson as well, but it's more of a respect for the knowledge I've gained. I've read a lot of Ankerson's posts....not nearly all of them of course, but certainly enough to see a clear pattern in his behavior/character....for lack of a better term. I find a good % of his posts to be sarcastic and belittling, as if to look down upon the other poster(s) for either being so ignorant or for having the audacity to disagree with him. He often comes across as, well, a jerk. Now, I don't let my opinion of that part of his character get in the way of the great data he produces or the great general steel knowledge he shares with all of us. However, I just wish that Ankerson could consistently carry himself more like Chiral - and I'm not saying Ankerson is the worst and Chiral is the best...I'm using these two men as my examples because I read both of them often & they're both prominent in this thread. Ankerson represents a number of highly intelligent & knowledgeable posters in BF that I wish could just be....I don't know....happier?? or maybe nicer is the simple word I'm looking for?? It just makes for a more pleasant learning experience, a more pleasant read, and just a better feeling about the forum on a whole.

That's it - sorry for the book, just a pet-peeve.
 
For instance (and I'm on a roll showing my wood working junk for some reason tonight; I'll stop soon . . . promise) . ..
The blade shown is A2.
A2 is kind of the dumb head steel that won't quit. Meaning it isn't particularly hard or supposed to be able to take a particularly sharp edge; it just holds up pretty well to hitting rocks and taking abuse.
Wel l l l l l l l . . .
This here A2 wood plane blade will literally shave little curls off a single hair while the hair is still sitting on your arm. I can see it happen while viewing it through a high power jeweler's magnification visor.
That's sharp enough for me.
'course I always tell people that when they learn how to really sharpen then the hair will pull it self up by the roots and jump off your arm in fear before the blade even gets to it because it is so scared.


You know how your Dad said always use protection ?
Well I got even better advice; use a sharpening jig. Then it won't matter if she's not the most sophisticated in town; she'll still be sharp. Sharp as you want it.



 
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Niobium [ originally Columbium ] is similar to vanadium . However while Vanadium tends to concentrate around the grain boundaries , Niobium mostly is found uniformly throughout the steel !!
I'm going to research cobalt some more to get a clear picture for you as far as how cobalt acts for us.

All threads like this one should start by clearly defining terms . SHARPNESS -- the minimum radius available for that material. Steelis bettered by obsidion [ natural glass ] then some ceramics.
 
I've gotten AUS-8 insanely sharp.Sharper than any other steel I've sharpened.It must be the lack of carbides.It won't stay that way for very long though.
 
You got it afish..!*** lol
Since I have my Fav's I say my Delica W/ZDP189 and my Custom Folder with VG10 both take a "very" good edge and keep it longer in my opinion ( if you can shave with a folding blade it is sharp enough for me and they both shave ) and like everything else we all have one.!***
 
I stand by the whole USE A JIG thing but . . .
since ToxicBo11 brought up Super Blue . . .
White paper steel, in theory, should be even better at TAKING an edge. Blue SHOULD be better at holding it while tackling the cutting of more abrasive or harder materials.

The knife in the first photo is made of white paper steel. Simply the best basic high carbon steel available (not high alloy steel / not stainless steel). This steel IN THEORY should take the best edge of anything on the planet. That is it's WHOLE selling point.
Can be had for $20 to $30 dollars by the way.


As far as what I reach for when I need to do my most delicate cutting job, where I need the best slicer in my "arsenal", like cutting thick, grippy, problematic rubber coverings for high end vehicles where the appearance is everything and has to be a perfect fit up.
[freebee secret: oil the blade first with WD-40]
. . . do I reach for the White Paper knife ? No . . . I reach for one of these guys in plane O' SAK stainless whacha' macall it steel. These do the job perfectly. Why ? Because they are thin and still very sharp.

I used to think SAK steel sucked and did not hold an edge. I just didn't know how to sharpen it (including grinding it to a shallower bevel).

Hand sharpened not a jig. I don't own a jig that can go shallow enough to sharpen these. Probably a good thing. If I had one I would be able to get them so sharp that if I slipped I would cut my whole leg off.

Shown are a Wenger , a Swiss Army Secretary and a Swiss Army Bantam (which is my #1 knife in my belt pouch with the three SAKs I have posted about in the past. All with the edges radically reground to a much thinner bevel geometry. All very thin; that is a nickel standing on edge between them. in the third photo.



 
Here's my opinion...

Of stainless steels probably the highest ranking would be Sandvik steels in general,second ranking 420HC or 440A.

Of Carbon Steels definitely 1055 through 1095.D2 is included in the list but were talking quick sharpening steels here.

Sandvik of any grade is good stuff as a game cleaning steel or yardwork.But it's very hard edge can get brittle on anything that takes pressure to cut through and you're putting some muscle into the edge (pull cuts for example).
 
For my experiences the Steel in USA made Old timers is the ones I could get the sharpest. They will pop hair even with seeing a Black Arkansas Stone.
 
Ok this is kind of on subject but more leading to other questions posed here too. I also wondered what steel took the keenest edge and as someone stated it was either 10xx, AEB-L or 52100 and I've had two of those steels and they will get very sharp but they won't hold that edge long at all. The best trade off I have found between AEB-L and s90v, s110v, 10v ect. all steels I own too has been ELMAX. IT gets that keen edge close to the AEB-L but holds it and m390 is supposed to be a lot like it. But I understand why it works this way with the carbide pull out and all but if you wanted to spend the time why can't you use a very fine grained stone like a ceramic Japanese or a loaded strop and hone like s110v till it gets just as sharp and not pull the carbides out but shape them like you would a piece of glass and the surrounding steel to that keenest of edges?
 
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