Which steel are you able to get the sharpest?

I'd say it really depends on the job and are you looking for sharpness and durability or is durability of no consequence?

Soft and brittle steel can be made extremely sharp but lacks edge retention, so a harder less brittle steel might not get as sharp but it's edge will maintain that level of sharpness much longer.
 
14C28N on my Kershaw "Needs Work"
1095 (ESEEs)

and oddly enough 420HC on a number of differnt Buck knives.
 
YoYojunkie said:
I'd say it really depends on the job and are you looking for sharpness and durability or is durability of no consequence?

Soft and brittle steel can be made extremely sharp but lacks edge retention, so a harder less brittle steel might not get as sharp but it's edge will maintain that level of sharpness much longer.
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You have that a little backwards. Softer is less brittle harder is more brittle. Harder steels tend to get much sharper and are more stable with more refined edges. In truth its really toughness we speak of brittle doesn't really describe steel http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toughness
 
knifenut1013 said:
You have that a little backwards. Softer is less brittle harder is more brittle. Harder steels tend to get much sharper and are more stable with more refined edges. In truth its really toughness we speak of brittle doesn't really describe steel http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toughness
Click to expand...

Haha doh! Thanks for the correction I thought I had that backwards. I appreciate the gentleness in your correction as well I am still learning and I know I wont make that mix up again :).

Merry Christmas!
 
At best,I would consider myself an intermediate sharpener.I've found I can get AUS-8 & Case's CV the sharpest,especially the AUS-8.I can get that stuff splitting hairs with just a sharpmaker & a strop.Though being AUS-8 it's relatively soft compared to "super-steels",so it won't hold that fine edge very long.

I will also attest that Richard J's 1075 knives are some of the sharpest I've ever encountered,plus any other knife I sent him to sharpen.;)
 
I can get a scary edge on S30V and 154CM with a 220 grit wheel and paper strop. VG-10 takes a nice edge too but it doesn't seem to last as long.
 
I have had fantastic luck with Sandvik 12c27, 1095, and VG-10. I am starting to figure out S30V too.
 
In my experience the knives I can get scary sharp the easiest are either old Schrade Walden knives or any Victorinox Swiss Army Knife
 
8cr13mov and 9cr18mov are cheap steels and dont hold an edge that well but they get so very scary sharp, and its so easy to get them that wayy. 9cr had a hardnes of 60 so not a bad cheap corosion resitant steel.
 
actually have an unused double schrade sch307 im thinking bout trading with 9cr18mov. any offers let me kno. open to anything as i have doubles.
 
Opinel stainless and carbon both take some of the best sharp edges of any steel I have used.

1095 in my slip joints.

I don't have the most experience with steels.

1065, 1080, 1095, 5160, 52100 (SR101), L6, Aus8A, 440C, VG1, Ats34, CPM154, Infi (at regular and higher hardness and thinner blade), D2, and a bunch of other random steels I can't remember off my head.

I don't have any experience with super steels, or ultra high hardness steels. But the Opinel steels seem to get the sharpest with my methods the easiest.

I have had good, hair whittling edges with all the above listed steels. Some take more work.
 
Missed this thread before. For me it's the fine grained stainless steels: AUS series, 4116, Sandviks, etc. They may not be the best edge holders, but getting them so sharp that your eyes bleed just from looking at them is easy peasy. :thumbup:
 
I think that I can get any of my knives equally sharp. The question is how much time do I take for some of them.
 
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