Whats the ultimate steel for a blade?

I prefer anything with a propper heat treat. Anything from 1095 all the way up to Maxamet and anything in between.

I find that Cruwear is one of the most well balanced steels I have used. It is pretty respectable in all attributes.
 
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What's the ULTIMATE steel?

I don't know for sure, but I've had a couple of people tell me that the 'Surgical Steel' used by Frost, Parker, and a few others is just about the best thing you can get for a cutting tool. I mean, if they use it in surgical tools it MUST be really good!! Can't get much better than THAT, right? I usually just nod politely and try to steer the discussion in a different direction.
 
justjed said:
What's the ULTIMATE steel?

I don't know for sure, but I've had a couple of people tell me that the 'Surgical Steel' used by Frost, Parker, and a few others is just about the best thing you can get for a cutting tool. I mean, if they use it in surgical tools it MUST be really good!! Can't get much better than THAT, right? I usually just nod politely and try to steer the discussion in a different direction.
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whoever told you that was pulling your leg or is totally lacking in knowledge of steel. Funny that you can just change the subject. Hats off to you. I could not do that.
 
The "ultimate" would depend on your use and preferences, (presuming the blade has the proper heat treat, regardless of what steel is used.)
For example, if you prefer something that can be maintained in the field without special sharpeners, such as diamond stones, which you may or may not have with you, then a 10xx carbon steel or 420HC or 440A could well be the "ultimate" for you, rather than one of the "super steels".

For my uses, knives with 1095, 440A, 440C, and Buck's 420HC do everything I need to do.
In the field I can maintain the edge with a smooth river rock, or the bottom of a coffee cup, if it needs more than a simple stropping on my belt or boot.

For my uses, I do not need a "super steel".
Which is probably a good thing, since they are out of my budget, anyway. :)
 
Ultimate blade steel? Most blade steels have certain characteristics that make them stand out. Such as H1 Steel, high corrosion resistance, easy to sharpen, but the plain edge version lacks edge retention. Since it is basically rust proof, you can take it scuba diving in salt water without having to worry about corrosion. Then you take CPM M4 blade steel it is non-stainless, has very good edge retention, but is hard to sharpen unless you have the right equipment. If you submerged a knife with a CPM M4 blade in salt water without cleaning it off, you would see the H1 steel advantage rather quickly.
If you want something that is easy to sharpen, corrosion resistant, cost efficient, good edge retention, etc steels like VG10, ATS34, 154cm, are out there. However, in order to make a blade steel really excell in a certain area, it will have to sacrifice in another.
 
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Cobalt, the 'surgical steel' folks usually have no idea what the metallurgical properties of any particular alloy might be. And the more they drink, the more they feel that THEIR knives are better than yours. Or mine. Or anyone else's, for that matter. I find it advantageous in such situations to point out that while it is somewhat brittle, obsidian(volcanic glass) can be made far sharper than ANY steel, and thus 'surgical steel', while still good(;)), is giving way to even better materials. Point out that it(obsidian) is becoming the material of choice for both cosmetic and neurosurgery, where even the sharpest steels are too toothy at the microscopic level. Ya gotta make 'em feel good about their choice(ESPECIALLY when they're drunk!), while pointing out that anything can be improved upon. It AIN'T an easy thing to do...
 
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Like others have said all steels are a balance. Also it is very grind dependent. I personally like in no particular order M390, S30V, S35VN, 1095, D2, S90V, 154CM, and RWL34.
 
justjed said:
Cobalt, the 'surgical steel' folks usually have no idea what the metallurgical properties of any particular alloy might be. And the more they drink, the more they feel that THEIR knives are better than yours. Or mine. Or anyone else's, for that matter. I find it advantageous in such situations to point out that while it is somewhat brittle, obsidian(volcanic glass) can be made far sharper than ANY steel, and thus 'surgical steel', while still good(;)), is giving way to even better materials. Point out that it(obsidian) is becoming the material of choice for both cosmetic and neurosurgery, where even the sharpest steels are too toothy at the microscopic level. Ya gotta make 'em feel good about their choice(ESPECIALLY when they're drunk!), while pointing out that anything can be improved upon. It AIN'T an easy thing to do...
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Wait, who isn't like that when they are drunk?:D
 
bearfacedkiller said:
I prefer anything with a propper heat treat. Anything from 1095 all the way up to Maxamet and anything in between.

I find that Cruwear is one of the most well balanced steels I have used. It is pretty respectable in all attributes.
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Nailed it. Just perfectly, and yes CRU-WEAR is the best kept secret among those that actually USE and SHARPEN there knives that stuff is killer.
 
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There is no ultimate because there will likely always be something better available in the future.
"Best available at this point in time" depends on what characteristics you need and what your uses are. For my my favorite for folders are S110V and M4, and for a fixed blade maybe S3V.
 
BillyHudak said:
I was wondering what the ultimate material for a blade is?
Is there a favorite amongst you knife enthusiasts?
Whats the ultimate?
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s30v, it's basically a stainless D2 with more vanadium. It has now become mainstream long enough to be affordable on a usable basis.

All the new Spyderco promoted steels and 3v this and Maxamet that are meme steels people use for knife selfies. I guarantee less than 5% of the guys who own steels harder to grind than s30v do not use those knives.
 
DeadboxHero said:
Nailed it. Just perfectly, and yes CRU-WEAR is the best kept secret among those that actually USE and SHARPEN there knives that stuff is killer.
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Well it's good to know we have one person here who actually uses and sharpens their knives. :rolleyes:

I use and sharpen my knives quite often...though apparently not "actually" which explains my favorite ...and for the combination of ease of sharpening, edge retention, rust resistance, and cost...I'll take AUS-8 all day for a slicer.
 
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marcinek said:
Well it's good to know we have one person here who actually uses and sharpens their knives. :rolleyes:

I use and sharpen my knives quite often...though apparently not "actually" which explains my favorite ...and for the combination of ease of sharpening, edge retention, rust resistance, and cost...I'll take AUS-8 all day for a slicer.
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My co worker agrees with ya, I'm always Sharpening his knife, probably once a week haha

I'm an edge guy though, I'm always looking for the best edges and the best steels to compliment them.
Aus 8 is good stuff especially for the money but it's too soft and goes blunt too fast for my liking evern though it takes a good edge, But hey, I don't deny that sharpening and fancy steels ARE my obsession.
So I Want more.

Haha besides, if we are talking about what's best we are beyond what we NEED and are talking about what we WANT.

As a Sharpener I would be fine with any steel. They all get sharp. But that's not what makes me tick.
 
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