What's the toughest available stainless?

probably best to use the "search" function on here chief. this one's been asked 3 thousand times, and it's been answered more than that i assume. you'll have to do your research a bit to find the answer you're looking for, as it varies from application to application. first off you'll have to be a bit more specific on this question, as we don't even know what your intended application for the steel is. is it for blade steel, guards and fittings or a set of brass knuckles? as well as what type of knife you are looking to make (assuming you were asking about blade steel that is) as a kitchen knife toughness, might be a different choice than a folder or a hunter etc. You'll find this forum very helpful if you know how to use it, however you gotta do a little more groundwork. sorry for the rant. cheers.
 
H1 for rust.

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Elmax from what I know based off Ankerson's real world testing. However, YMMV depending on end use.
 
I believe Chuck Bybee mentioned that a custom maker bent his Elmax blade to 90 degrees without breaking. Can't remember what hardness that was though.

H-1 was mentioned because there was a photo posted of a Spyderco Salt series with the blade bent 90 degrees with no breakage. That being said, the plain edge versions can't hold an edge for crap.
 
Look up "BlackCatt" on BladeForums. His name is David Williamson and he works with Elmax. I have a 5in Hunter in Elmax and it's been awesome to play with!
 
Elmax and m390 are prolly the top 2

next imo is cpm-154 which is really tough stuff, i have yet to get my knife in it to chip short of pounding it on a rock

for non-stainless but wont rust too bad, cpm-3v and M4
 
From what I've heard, INFI resists rust very well. It's incredibly tough stuff, but I can't say for sure that it is "the toughest." It's the toughest steel I know of, and it just so happens to be very stain-resistant as well.
 
INFI or a laminate like fallkniven uses. Maybe vanax35. But just for beating the hell out of something...INFI
 
Not 100% sure, but I believe Phil Wilson uses Elmax. And if you don't want to spend the coin on a custom, Entrek makes some very tough knives in 440c and has a no questions asked warranty.
 
I've been looking at using ELMAX for a few customs... combat/utility pieces only. haven't tried it yet, however for that application, it appears to be one of the better choices. Again Jball.. what was your intended use please? that helps to make a better assesment of what you're looking for.
 
kimberfan said:
Elmax and m390 are prolly the top 2

next imo is cpm-154 which is really tough stuff, i have yet to get my knife in it to chip short of pounding it on a rock

for non-stainless but wont rust too bad, cpm-3v and M4
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I have an Emerson A100 with multiple chips and was not used on anything harder than hardwood. I am much more fond of S35VN. 154cm has too little carbon in my opinion.

To the OP: Have a look at 52100, INFI, and D2. Non of them are truly stainless, but they sure are tough.

Kaleb
 
Move them down the list for S110V and S125V, among others.

However, it's worth noting that both "tough" and "stainless" are fairly imprecise terms, so the answers depend somewhat on what the OP meant exactly.

kimberfan said:
Elmax and m390 are prolly the top 2

next imo is cpm-154 which is really tough stuff, i have yet to get my knife in it to chip short of pounding it on a rock

for non-stainless but wont rust too bad, cpm-3v and M4
Click to expand...
 
theflyingplatypus said:
I have an Emerson A100 with multiple chips and was not used on anything harder than hardwood. I am much more fond of S35VN. 154cm has too little carbon in my opinion.

To the OP: Have a look at 52100, INFI, and D2. Non of them are truly stainless, but they sure are tough.

Kaleb
Click to expand...

154cm and cpm-154 are totally different steels, cpm-154 is 2x tougher than 154cm, it makes my ats-34 and 154cm blades look fragile by comparison
 
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