Which steels do you enjoy using the most?

I

I.V

Joined
Sep 6, 2004
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Hi all, I just wondered what steels do people like and why. Please note that this is not a 'which steel is best' thread, just what you enjoy using.

For me, when I first got started with the knife hobby, I was quite the steel snob, always looking for the latest and greatest. I ran to get ATS-34, 440v, s30v, SGPS and so on.. All fine steels no doubt but as time went by I discovered that I didn't like sharpening those and generally prefer easy maintenance and a keen edge over edge holding, especially when outdoors or at work.

I very much enjoy SAK's with their simple super easy to clean and sharpen steel, I love H1 and I'm also quite a big fan of AUS-8 which takes really nice edge for me.
VG-10 I also like because I find it quite easy to sharpen when compared to other high end stainless, even though I don't use it as often.

Funny thing is, with all my love for easy maintenance I started having a real soft spot for 1095.. really nice stuff :)

So, what are your favorites?
 
To paraphrase Will Rogers, I never met a steel I didn't like.
They're all good for something.
 
Any carbon steel out there! and like most people here i have a ton of the exotic stuff... still prefer carbon though.
 
For stainless I like VG-10 I find it is a good balance between ease of sharping & edge holding. I like a good AUS-8 also some of it does not seam as good as others. I am sure it's the way it's heat treated. In carbon I like 1095 & O-1.
D2 is great but it can be a pain to sharpen for me.
 
VG10,ZDP 189, S30V, S90V, M2, Vascowear, SG2, 20CV. In Fixed blades 1085/95, 52100, A2, 3V, and my current favoeite, Super blue. Also Aogami1, "white steel" , OU31, W1, W2. Hell, I like them all. They all are different and exploring their differences is the real fun to me.

Want to try:
CPM M4
Cru Wear
S125V
10V

Joe

PS: Dissappointment: R2
 
S30V has never disappointed me.
But I'm really liking my ATS-34 Buck 110 as well.
 
I like good, simple, carbon steels like 1095, though I dearly love my Victorinox SAKs, too.
 
1095.

I love when I use a knife in 1095 & it does everything just as well as a knife with "better" steel.
 
Most of my knives have VG10, few S30V. I like both. Steel isn't my primary concern when I am buying the knife, as long as it holds edge well and not stains easy. Very happy with VG10, S30V, do not like 440A (I used to have couple Gerbers), not crazy about 440C and ZDP for different reasons.
 
For Stainless, I like 154CM and S30V the best, I think. I own knives in 12C27 (nice), 420HC, ATS-34, D2, the 440's, and another or so that maybe I'm not thinking of, but when it comes to sharpening ease, 154CM is tops for me.

For high carbons, I like 1095 and the A2 that Bark River uses. I don;t own any others, so my ability to compare is very limited. Plus, all my A2's are convex edges and the 1095's are v-grind, so I couldn;t say how they compare as to ease of sharpening.

In the end, I don;t own any knives in the other fine steels such as VG10, ZDP189, M2, O1, INFI, etc... So, I base my favorites on the few that I own or have owned and chime in to threads like these... just because. ((( :D )))

And, like BH49 said, I don;t usually put the type of steel at the top of the list when buying a knife, though it does have its place in my decision-making process.
 
I like them all, but the fine-grained, small carbide steels; stainless and non-stainless; are especially liked and the high-carbide, high hardness steels are very fun, too.
 
Stainless I like 13C26 fine. Like and use a lot of the 440C but probably like the AUS6 and 8 steels just as well as that or better.

I prefer all those over ATS34 or 154CM although I use those too. I have S30V blades but can't say I have taken to it. Its a good steel and cuts fine but I am always afraid if I get carried away with it I'll chip out the edge and feel its kind of picky about bevel angles. I've found I don't much have to worry about that so much with these others and VG10 so I'd personally take those when I can although 440C can chip too if its taken too thin. I like the AUS steels for their toughness.

1095 and 01 steels and any that are derivitives or off shoot steels using those as the base steel to add elements to to enhance and improve performance of the steel such as the old Case 0170-6 AKA CV with Case or Carbon V with Cold Steel and by whatever other marketing names it was given since being created and patented by Sharon steel in the 50s are old time faves and of course D2. All these are my preferred faves over all the stainless steels mentioned.

STR
 
Bring on the contempt, but 440C is pretty decent all around - easy to sharpen, holds a pretty good edge, and is fairly tough. I'm never impressed when I see a 440 blade, but I certainly have no contempt for it.

I recently purchased a set of Japanese chisels made with a HSS. Sorry, I don't know what specific steel - I'm pretty sure it was a Hitachi. I don't wheel sharpen so it takes a little longer to hone, but it gets really sharp and holds that edge noticebly longer than my Blue and White steel (more Hitachis) chisels & planes. The chisels are marketed to have HRC 68. My blue steel chisels are HRC 64, sharpen really easily, and hold the edge. If someone knows the real designation for "Blue" and "White" steel, please post. All I know is that they are Hitachi, one with a blue label and the other a white label - hence, "Blue" & "white" steels.

Having said all that, what I really wanted to say was that Hitachi's HAP40 (powdered metallurgy) looks really great. I was wondering why more custom knives aren't made with the like (HSS). If they are, where they can be found, or where one could purchase Hitachi Steels in the States.

I have a Benchmade mini-TSEK with GIN-1. Love the knife and the steel seems to be pretty tough, but I've been disappointed with it's edge retention.
 
Any folder or FB with these steels tend to work for me:

VG-10
D2
M2
BG-42 (current fave)
154CM
Case's Chrome Vanadium
 
This one is always a tough one, because it does depend on the application.

I have a Spyderco Salt 1 that I EDC, and from a pure maintenance standpoint, that's gotta be my favorite. Takes and holds a good edge, and it's basically guaranteed corrosion free.

For general use stainless, I've had very good experiences with the "standard" high end steels: 440C, 154CM, ATS-34, VG-10. S30V, BG-42, and D2 (okay, so D2 is technically semi-stainless. . . it's close enough that I usually put it in the stainless category). I think my current favorite is BG-42, although it's by a hair. I honestly haven't had a bad experience with any of them, and wouldn't hesitate to buy a knife in any of them.

I've also had good luck with the Sandvik steels, and the "lower" ranges of the 440 and AUS steels (440A, AUS6, AUS8). Particularly for cases where I'm more worried about corrosion (such as boating), I like these for their high stainless abilities.
 
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