Which do you think is the worst steel ever?

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tinfoil hat timmy said:
Whatever cold steel is selling in the blister packs at wallmart
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That would be 3cr13mov, one of the steels I came to list, glad CS still uses good steel in Taiwan, no issues if they keep making those.

2cr also sucks, commonly found in horribly heat treated BudK/United Cutlery, all of those lower 5cr steels. 420J2 when it is not just cladding. I tend to be wary of non-Victorinox 4116 Krupp.
 
Every time a question like this comes up, I wonder how my father, grand father, great grandfather, etc. etc. ever managed to cut anything? We have become so spoiled by high tech steels that we are starting to label steels that were good enough for most people, as junk. I have several old knives that I couldn't begin to tell you what steel they are, but they cut things anyway. I think most of the "pure junk" steel is in knives most of us on here wouldn't consider buying anyway.
 
hangmanshammer said:
Every time a question like this comes up, I wonder how my father, grand father, great grandfather, etc. etc. ever managed to cut anything? We have become so spoiled by high tech steels that we are starting to label steels that were good enough for most people, as junk. I have several old knives that I couldn't begin to tell you what steel they are, but they cut things anyway. I think most of the "pure junk" steel is in knives most of us on here wouldn't consider buying anyway.
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With a few exceptions like the "Can 440c, right?" guy, I think all of us are good with well-treated alloys that are not super new or crazy. That same 440c thread shows that, with a lot of respect for 10xx, the 440 series, and even "XcrMov" when done right.

Our grandpas cut with carbon steels, 440 series steels, not Chinese 3cr from Budk or 420j2. You'll find what you just wrote to be largely the consensus here.
 
Well I have been privy to a whole lot of bad steel when I was young (70s to 80s) I don't even know the name of the steel used on cheapo knives called superfly and stuff like that. I remember trying every which way to sharpen them and they would not even take a bad edge. They were made of unnamed stainless. I got so sick of these flashy, pretty, slick, and stylish looking garbage knives that I traded one for a real swiss army knife that I considered holy grail in comparison because it actually took an edge that cuts.

It's a toss up between the above mentioned garbage stainless and a Paki damascus blade (boy that was real crap) on a not so cheap to buy flea market knife that I brought because I felt sorry for the family selling it.
 

Which do you think is the worst steel ever?​

With apologies to Will Rogers...I never met a steel I didn't like. They are all good for something. The trick is to determine if the properties of a given alloy match the expected usage.

Alloys which I would consider to be appropriate for a big tough chopper are mostly not the same alloys I'm going to be looking at for a pocket knife with extreme edge retention or an inexpensive shiv which needs to be tossed in the trash after an emergency usage of some unmentionable type.
 
I have a "Mossy Oak Mini Folding Pocket Knife" in 3Cr13 that will cut things, but if I try to sharpen it past BESS 300, the edge crumbles. Not a good buy at $9.

I have an 18-inch machete in 420J2 that I have used for over 10 years. It needs sharpening after a few hours of use, but I can get it to BESS 150 in 5 minutes and it will slice right through a 1-inch sapling. I've hit dozens of rocks over the years, and the edge will roll a little, but it has never chipped. And it does not rust. As I recall, it cost about $20. I have no complaints.
 
my preference for a machete is 1075 or 1070 - really quite a bit better in terms of using & sharpening...

but as for the worst - pretty much 3cr13 (which is typically used for stainless handles & hardware)... but for some reason, even higher end brands like kershaw started using 3cr13 in their 'budget' models (starter, lifter, filter, rhetoric etc)

...
someone else made a great point - any steel could be junk if the heat treatment stinks - this point literally overrides the steel choice by a large margin
 
dogstar said:
You know the kitchen knives they have at vacation rentals, that you can't sharpen because the edge just rolls back and forth? Whatever that is.
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I did this once at a rental for my mother’s 70th birthday up at lake Wyola in MA. I hope they appreciated it, but really, I did it for me… because where’s the fun in prepping with a dull kitchen set?
 
There are some cheap, wall-hunger style blades that do not even have anything that could be classed as "steel"
 
I really dislike this 154CM I got on a Finch knife. For some reason, I just can't get it sharp.
Then there´s all the "Stainless Stell" kitchen cutlery that my wife brought along and insists on are as good my stuff. GAAAHH!!
 
Nebuchadnezzar said:
This Steel is awful.
View attachment 2001374
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Michael Kane Caine said this about staring in Jaws 4: "I have never seen the film, but by all accounts it was terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific."

I will bet Shaquille O'Neal got a nice payday out of it. He had his chance to play a super hero and took it. If James Gunn starts doing the Marvel thing and bringing back old characters, Shaq could get another shot at the role.
 
luethge said:
8crmov13 or whatever it’s called. Has to be sharpened after cutting one box, you can sharpen it with a denim pant leg though.

This will probably piss some people off - I can’t stand M390 , 20CV or 204 P
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I used to feel the same way about 8cr13mov. First knife I used was a Dewalt branded pocket knife and it was really hard to get super sharp and dulled after a few cuts, tried a second knife made by boker and it was actually half decent. It was pretty close to 1095 in edge retention. I guess some companies just don't do the steel justice.
 
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