Whats the ultimate steel for a blade?

Might as well ask what is the best way to cook a steak. :)
There are lots of steels that are excellent for a specific purpose, configuration, edge shape, durability, edge retention, ease of sharpening... Change one of those desired characteristic, and the steel might become a lousy choice. And that's without getting into the heat treating variable which has a huge affect.
Great heat treating can elevate a average steel to fantastic. Similarly, there are top drawer steels that will be lousy if the heat treat is bad. There are even steels that work better in fixed blades than folders. And vice versa.
 
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I wonder.. if you had to pick a steel that could be used for many things, knives, axes, saws, planes, edc folders, hunters, what could it be? Obviously there is no steel that would be optimum for each but which could work well for all? A2? 5160? 1084? 1095? 3v?...
 
The ultimate blade steel is Adimantium :)

Just kidding, it is whatever steel works for you for the specific task. For instance, I really like well done S110V or 20CV. However, if I was not in a high humidity/wet and salty environment I would prefer 10V or Vanadis 4/CPM 4V.
 
I am of the opinion that the 'Ultimate Steel' hasn't been invented yet, or else we wouldn't have all these various alloys with different properties, wear resistance, stain resistance, toughness, flexibility, etc.

Also, YOUR idea of ULTIMATE and MY idea of ULTIMATE might not be, and probably aren't, the same.

So, there isn't even a GOOD answer to this question, much less a RIGHT one...
 
Oh, and Adamantium ISN'T EVEN A STEEL ALLOY. If I remember correctly, it's an aluminum/cobalt/tungsten alloy, with a bit of meteoritic iron for patterning. And it was invented by some skinny little narcissistic British New-wave singer from the 80's with black hair and face paint, Adam Ant, thus the name.
 
Folder- I’m really digging hap40(delica) clad in stainless. M4 is equally nice but I have the bare version(millie). They sharpen pretty easily and hold there edge longer then I need. It hits that sweet spot for me and how I use/maintain my knives.

Fixed (outdoor)- Meh. Something between O1 and 3v plus whatever stainless steels that can hang in that range. I like non-stainless in fixed blades because I like the patina so I haven’t really tried many stainless steels in this role.

Fixed (kitchen)- I make simple meals so...stainless pot metal with good geometry. :D
 
I only like the cheap easy to sharpen steels. Like the steel Rough Rider knives uses. Those stay sharp in my collections.

Actually all my high end knives stay sharp because I never use them. Not worth the sharpening chore just to cut a few pieces or cardboard or a steak.
 
as far as a knife steel you can wail on wood with....sr101, Its not easy to polish/shine up but takes a scary sharp, easy to touch-up edge......when you FINALLY need to give it a touch-up ....
 
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vanadium said:
Just curious: Did you do any research, or spend any time searching for the answer on the forums, before asking this question?
Click to expand...


It is like researching what the best beach in the world is or who makes best hambuger in the world.


Basically it comes down to the person who uses the knife. If I want a survival knife and I am near water or ocean I want H1 steel that does not rust.
There are to many applications to ever come to a conclusion.
 
For knives, and balancing hardness, toughness, ductility and keeping an acute angle longer on general use (saltwater excluded), Bluntcut’s CWF HT is best that I have tried.

There’s no best single steel, but if all purpose knife and saltwater including, H1.
 
For my users i like 440c the best because it takes a good edge easy
It doesn't hold it forever but long enough for me.

It all depends on use.
 
If you guys haven’t noticed the op is just a troll his account is brand new with 11 post all are either post that cause arguments or snide comments on his posts that start arguments.most likely a returning banned member trying to disrupt the forums.
 
Well what's good for one type of blade may not be good for another, but I would say 1095 is probably good for any knife type of blade one could ever want.
I haven't tried many different steels because the need or interest hasn't been there, but from small slipjoints to machetes 1095 has successfully been used for everything in between and that shows lots of versatility.
As long as you can deal with rust prevention if you're in an environment where it's an issue, then 1095 could do it all if you wanted to stop at " good 'nuff ".

Now " what's the ultimate steel for a blade ? "

the best blade steel out there is the one that you like the most which works the best for you and your preferences.
Start with something like a Vic of your choosing , then move to a Buck of your choosing in their famous 420hc.
Work your way up a bit from there if you feel you need a longer lasting edge or something.
You can stop at " as much as you need " or keep looking for " the best of the best " simply because you can or have an interest in steels.
However there's really no one perfect steel.
 
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