Which metal is the best?

[x-shocker]

I am looking for the best possible pocket knife for hunting, but have very little clue as to which material is the best. The knife will be my all purpose knife, from cutting twigs to skinning and cutting up deer.

Which marerial should I get? (154CM, S30V, D2, VG10, Aus8, 440C, damascus)
Does one manufacturer produce better blades from a certain material than another manufacturer?

 

[knarfeng]

Damascus is not an alloy, There are many types.

Any of the others will do nicely,
though AUS8 won't hold an edge as long as the others.
D2 requires a bit more care than the others as it is not quite stainless, but it may hold an edge longest of them all.

Add: if you are new to knives, I would choose VG10 or 154CM. They hold an edge really well, yet are fairly easy to sharpen.

 

[enderwiggin]

I understand that the search feature is on and off, but it consistently surprises me when folks come to a knife discussion forum, assume that a thread about types of knife steel had never been posted before, and go right ahead and post one.

There really should be a steel types sticky.

 

[J. Rosa]

Sarcasm or an honest inquery regarding the sticky? In any event brilliant. Ask and....

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368828

 

[x-shocker]

Damascus is not an alloy, There are many types.

Any of the others will do nicely,
though AUS8 won't hold an edge as long as the others.
D2 requires a bit more care than the others as it is not quite stainless, but it may hold an edge longest of them all.

Add: if you are new to knives, I would choose VG10 or 154CM. They hold an edge really well, yet are fairly easy to sharpen.

Thanks for the knowledge. It is exactly what I was looking for.

The "search" button was off to non-payers, hence, the post.

 

[Goemon1973]

Why not a 4/ 4,5" fixed blade? A2 steel.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Thank you, Murdock72605

* ****** **** ****** *​

It never hurts to have the question asked again, since there are often new steels to discuss and new knives using them. This particular question also included much more information than newbies generally give us, regarding the use he'd put it to, which makes a good answer that much more likely.