Which steel?

D

Dao.Hung_105

Joined
Jun 6, 2011
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247
First thing I wanna say is that I'm no steel snob.
Since my job needs a lot of cutting work, so I need a knife to go with me.
Have tried a number of knives but still can't find a nice knife with suitable knife steel to fill my needs...
So, which kind of steel do you guys think that gonna take a fine sharp polished edge and hold it for a while?
I've heard and seen some kind of steels that take a really fine edge but can't hold it long enough; and some kinda steels that take a coarse or toothy edge but hold it for quiet awhile. Can I find a steel that is the best of both world? :jerkit:
 
im no expert but i think cpm-s30v would be a good choice.

really depends on what you are cutting and like what zombie said, what steels have you tried?
 
yeah, you didn't give enough info for what you've used, what you use them for, and what specifically you disliked.

S30v is probably a safe bet, but it is one of those steels that people like to tout as losing it's fine edge quickly, but keeping a working edge for a long time. Of course, everyone has a different idea of working edge or fine edge. For me working edge means you don't want to shave with it, but it will still cleanly slice paper. however a few years back, cleanly slicing thin paper felt like the most razor sharp edge I'd ever seen :p

But if you're going to be cutting a lot of cardboard or something S30V will do great.
 
Let's begin by understanding what you need to cut with a knife for your work. Not all steels are the same, but not all cutting chores require the same steel.
 
You might try a Spyderco Gayle Bradley in M4 steel (non-stainless) or a Benchmade 710 in M390 (stainless). Easiest to Google them.
 
Well, my job requires A LOT of paper cutting...
Seriously, if it's juat a few envelopes then it's ok for whatever steel, but I have to cut paper and some nylon strap/cord and duct tape like all-day-long.
Well sometimes I cut some cardboard too, but not often...
And I've tried china unknown steel, 420hc, 440a, 1095, aus8, 440c, 154cm and D2...
I buy a D2 blade becuz I've heard that it's a super steel in terms of edge holding...It does hold an edge, but not a smooth one... Along with d2, I think 440c, 154cm, they don't seem to take a really fine edge to me. low end steel like 420hc, aus8a and Victorinox steel seem to take a really fine edge but not for a long time...
that's the information, please give me some advice, thanks guys
 
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edge geometry and the type of blade grind usually makes a lot more noticeable difference than the type of steel.

if you really do cut that much material where the edge needs to be touched up during the work, just carry a small stone or strop with you. you can even strop it on the material you're cutting through.

people like to talk about steels like there's a world of difference, but when it comes down to it you can get through a mountain of cardboard with an AUS-8 knife just as well as a S30V knife. and being picky about steel is the definition of a steel snob. normal people ask for a knife, not "CPM-154CM knife" or w/e.

with that said, I preferred the Spyderco Military for my cutting chores(went through a ton of cardboard when I would sometimes work in receiving for a retailer). the full flat grind does a great job slicing through and the long blade is a big help. small blades tend to be less effective as they tend to slide out of the material.

I guarantee a Benchmade 710 in any steel would suck at cutting something like cardboard in comparison, simply due to the blade grind.
 
I like the simple carbon steels. They give great performance, aren't too expensivve (depending on brand), and if properly cleaned and oiled will last just about forever. One question I do have about carbon steel is if I still have to oil the edge if you use a very high grit finishing stone or something of the sort to give it a mirror polished cutting edge?
 
Cold Kill said:
One question I do have about carbon steel is if I still have to oil the edge if you use a very high grit finishing stone or something of the sort to give it a mirror polished cutting edge?
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The more polished your edge is, the more resistant to corrosion it will become, but typically on the plain carbon steels like O1, L6, 1095 they can tend to loose their shaving sharp edge just sitting around because of oxidation on the cutting edge. Especially worse in a humid environment. Quite often they can feel kind of dull, but just 1 or 2 passes on a compound loaded hone will restore the shaving edge again. It does depend on the environment. My knives sitting in an air-con office for months without oil will still be razor sharp, but the ones at home in my house can loose their clean edge in a day.

TO the OP.. Getting a knife with a slightly thicker convexed geometry will help any steel last througout the day quite well, and as someone else said.. Stropping on a piece of cardboard every so often while at work will probably keep the edge sharp all day whatever steel you use.
 
thanks guys, that's great advice.

edge geometry and the type of blade grind usually makes a lot more noticeable difference than the type of steel.

if you really do cut that much material where the edge needs to be touched up during the work, just carry a small stone or strop with you. you can even strop it on the material you're cutting through.

people like to talk about steels like there's a world of difference, but when it comes down to it you can get through a mountain of cardboard with an AUS-8 knife just as well as a S30V knife. and being picky about steel is the definition of a steel snob. normal people ask for a knife, not "CPM-154CM knife" or w/e.

with that said, I preferred the Spyderco Military for my cutting chores(went through a ton of cardboard when I would sometimes work in receiving for a retailer). the full flat grind does a great job slicing through and the long blade is a big help. small blades tend to be less effective as they tend to slide out of the material.

I guarantee a Benchmade 710 in any steel would suck at cutting something like cardboard in comparison, simply due to the blade grind.
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Well I do think about blade geometry and type of grind too.
I'd prefer flat grind blade for any kind of chore and always sharpen the edge to a really sharp, thin, fine polished edge. I measure the edge degree on mine must be 14-15*, or so
Don't use a bench stone really often, but I use sand papers.
I love benchmades, but for their grind. they're pretty low for my preference. To me, stainless steel or carbon steel or semi stainless...it doesn't matter.
Since edge geometry, blade grind and steel are all important, what specific model do you suggest?
I think H1 is a nice steel, never try it before, and I don't really enjoy using/sharpening serrated edge tho. I'd like something slices paper as smooth as it can
 
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I would say a Military or even better for cardboard an Endura 4 in ZDP-189.

S30V is a cutting steel for cardboard and will continue to cut for a very long time. :)
 
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Ankerson said:
I would say a Military or even better for cardboard an Endura 4 in ZDP-189.

S30V is a cutting steel for cardboard and will continue to cut for a very long time. :)
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hey I do agree with ya. But I don't have to cut cardboard very often, mostly some nylon cord and fine paper cuttin' chore. like envelopes or so... Do S30V and ZDP take a keen edge? how bout Vanax35 and Elmax I heard they're some kinda new right?
 
Dao.Hung_105 said:
hey I do agree with ya. But I don't have to cut cardboard very often, mostly some nylon cord and fine paper cuttin' chore. like envelopes or so... Do S30V and ZDP take a keen edge? how bout Vanax35 and Elmax I heard they're some kinda new right?
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Yes, they all will take very fine edges, ELMAX is very fine grained as is M390 and both will take an edge as refined as you would ever need and get as sharp as you would ever want.
 
thank you all, guys. I've never tried S30v before, so I think I'm gonna give it a shot soon...
2 new ZT with Elmax and Vanax look really cool, wonder when they'll be released?
 
Dao.Hung_105 said:
Well, my job requires A LOT of paper cutting...
Seriously, if it's juat a few envelopes then it's ok for whatever steel, but I have to cut paper and some nylon strap/cord and duct tape like all-day-long.
Well sometimes I cut some cardboard too, but not often...
And I've tried china unknown steel, 420hc, 440a, 1095, aus8, 440c, 154cm and D2...
I buy a D2 blade becuz I've heard that it's a super steel in terms of edge holding...It does hold an edge, but not a smooth one... Along with d2, I think 440c, 154cm, they don't seem to take a really fine edge to me. low end steel like 420hc, aus8a and Victorinox steel seem to take a really fine edge but not for a long time...
that's the information, please give me some advice, thanks guys
Click to expand...

shunsui said:
You might try a Spyderco Gayle Bradley in M4 steel (non-stainless) or a Benchmade 710 in M390 (stainless). Easiest to Google them.
Click to expand...

There ya go. If you are cutting large volumes of paper and nylon strapping on a daily basis, you do require an alloy with extreme edge retention. Both CPM M4 and M390 have that. They are only available on a few knives, and the knives are a bit pricey. The low cost alternative for that type of cutting on a daily basis is a razor knife.
 
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