Which of these steels sticks out as most "prestigious"

Which of these simple steels sticks out as most "prestigious" when you see it. Choose 2.

  • AEB-L

  • 14c28n

  • VG-10

  • N690

  • AUS-10

Results are only viewable after voting.
I chose one. AEB-L, the one I have the most experience with. I don't think of it as "prestigious", and it doesn't make me feel "warm" and I'd rather it etched than stamped. I chose it because it is tough and can be ground extremely thin, is easy to work with, and at around 60-63 RC is about a perfect knife steel for me in anything from small knives to machetes and choppers.
 
"Prestigious"?
I would have thought of M390, S110 and S90V, M4, 20CV, and ELMAX first

But that's just me...
 
420J is tough stuff, highly stainless, takes a fine edge, AND thin overall blade geometry. Great for fighters, beaters, choppers...
 
unwisefool said:
...and lovers. 😘
Click to expand...
iu
 
I agree with Quiet Quiet I mean these are all fairly run of the mill, older tech steels. I would not be one to brag about owning any of them in 2021. VG-10 maybe in 2005.

If you can call steels prestigious, you need to at least start with something that uses particle metallurgy at the minimum. Having the latest greatest is not a pre-requisite for me, but I prefer PM steels. I like CPM-S35VN, CTS-XHP, M390 (and its derivatives), CPM-S90V.
 
Yes, the word "prestigious" seems to imply something beyond simpler alloys, tried and true though they may be. I am still excited about AEB-L (and LC200N!), though, but this might be the knife abuser in me speaking.
 
Just to beat the dead horse, I don't consider any of these choices as "prestigious".

But since I had to chose 2, I went with AEB-L and VG-10 only because they are the lesser evil of the selections.
 
None of these are "prestigious" so I did not vote. However, they are all decent budget steels. All are capable of decent edge retention and the actual differences can have more to do with heat treatment and who made it. AEB-L and 14C28N are among the toughest stainless steels. Both N690 and 14C28N have excellent corrosion resistance while both AEB-L and AUS-10 are on the lower end of the stainless spectrum.
 
I said "most prestigious", not "prestigious", there's a big difference. I just wanted to gauge peoples draw to the "budget" steels. I have the opportunity to have a knife made in either VG-10 or 14c28n, 14c28n is a significantly more expensive steel though at least from my research is the better choice. VG-10 = better edge retention+price, 14c28n = better toughness+stain resistance. N690 was the wild card I don't know much about though its composition seems fine so I don't know why people turn their nose up at it.
 
I see some nice knives in N690, like some custom knives from Africa, for instance. Is this a steel that outperforms its reputation with the right HT, or is there some other benefit to its use? Apologies if this is a distraction from the OP (please ignore me, if so).
 
onewing said:
I said "most prestigious", not "prestigious", there's a big difference. I just wanted to gauge peoples draw to the "budget" steels. I have the opportunity to have a knife made in either VG-10 or 14c28n, 14c28n is a significantly more expensive steel though at least from my research is the better choice. VG-10 = better edge retention+price, 14c28n = better toughness+stain resistance. N690 was the wild card I don't know much about though its composition seems fine so I don't know why people turn their nose up at it.
Click to expand...

I think I see what you mean here. Honestly, I've got to extend my answer from "none of these are prestigious" to "don't worry about it". Seriously, the reactions here kinda prove the point. Anyone who is interested in "prestige" or "degree of prestige" for blade steel is probably interested in "higher end" stuff anyway. The difference in degree of prestige between any of these steels is like an inch compared to the mile between this level and steels like M390, S110V, Vanax, etc.

Now, that's different than the actual difference in quality between any of these steels or how far any of them can be taken with the right heat treatment and blade geometry. For instance, S35VN is still a highly regarded steel and goes for a premium. Meanwhile, 9Cr18Mov is relatively inexpensive and lots of people turn their noses up at it. Well, there are lots of $100-150 knives in S35VN with an okay heat treatment that perform fairly well. There are also $40-50 knives in 9Cr18Mov with an excellent heat treatment that perform about as well. So long as you like both designs, there are compelling reasons to choose the $50 knife in 9Cr18Mov with an excellent heat treatment over the $100 knife in S35VN with an okay heat treatment. How much do the superficial cool points for having "S35VN" printed on the blade really matter?

As far as N690, I don't usually see people turning their noses up at it. I still see it being used in custom knives. It also seems to be well-regarded as a budget steel. (Kizer uses it for their Vanguard series.) In theory, N690 should be a little better than VG-10 in both edge retention and corrosion resistance but at the cost of a little toughness. Otherwise, AEB-L is the winner on toughness, followed by 14C28N, with all the others way behind. The winner on corrosion resistance is 14C28N, followed by N690 and then VG-10, with both AUS-10 and AEB-L way behind.
 
SCTorrero said:
I see some nice knives in N690, like some custom knives from Africa, for instance. Is this a steel that outperforms its reputation with the right HT, or is there some other benefit to its use? Apologies if this is a distraction from the OP (please ignore me, if so).
Click to expand...
N690 is easier to get in South Africa than Japanese and American steels.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top