Who does not like "supersteels"?

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lonestar1979

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Mar 2, 2014
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I was wondering,how many people here do not like so called supersteels,that hold edge forever,but are also harder to sharpen?I do not hate supersteels,and my only supersteel is s30v and d2,lol,but am just satisfied how the steels that are easier to sharpen perform and dont mind sharpening more often.Also i prefer razor sharp edge,and most suoersteels hold that working edge long but lose razor edge quickly ,then youre stuck with so so sharp forever.I love 12c27,440c,1075 and 1095,also d2 and still think that heat treat along with gwometry is what makes the knife perform,not so much the steel.all input welcome.
 
They're all fine imo. Most of the lower end steels were cutting edge at one time. I use diamond plates so it doesn't matter much to me when sharpening. Any reprofiling I do with a belt sander and I also have a paper wheel available that I do use as well. For touchups though on my edc and kitchen I start and end on a 325 DMT.
 
lonestar1979 said:
I was wondering,how many people here do not like so called supersteels,that hold edge forever,but are also harder to sharpen?I do not hate supersteels,and my only supersteel is s30v and d2,lol,but am just satisfied how the steels that are easier to sharpen perform and dont mind sharpening more often.Also i prefer razor sharp edge,and most suoersteels hold that working edge long but lose razor edge quickly ,then youre stuck with so so sharp forever.I love 12c27,440c,1075 and 1095,also d2 and still think that heat treat along with gwometry is what makes the knife perform,not so much the steel.all input welcome.
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Use some diamond stones and it's all the same. Razor sharp and easy to sharpen.
 
I don’t especially enjoy “super steels” on larger (9”+) knives. Infi, s7, 5160 work better since they’re much easier to sharpen than a similarly sized blade in 3v(not sure if this is considered a supersteel though). For 5” and under s35vn, s30v, cruwear, d2 and m390 are my favorites, but I’ll take a spyderco millie in any steel whatsoever.
 
I strongly prefer super steels for my uses. I do a lot of box opening and cardboard cutting so it pays to have something that holds a great working edge. I've been carrying a Native 5 in maxamet for over a month and it's the best steel I've ever used for MY uses. I think a lot of it depends on your daily uses.
 
I have found that when you have a repetitive task at hand, it pays off to have a supersteel, because you can take advantage of the superior edge retention.
However for my particular needs on an edc knife where most of the times the edge gets banged against something hard, metal, ceramic, etc. I prefer sharpenabilty over edge retention.
 
I don't dislike "supersteel", but I don't have real need for it either. The only knives I have with it are modern knives and I rarely carry those anymore. If I had traditional knives with those steels I would certainly use them.

I use old fashioned carbon steel all the time, it always works. I usually carry a three blade knife, worst case dulling scenario I use another blade.
 
lonestar1979 said:
I was wondering,how many people here do not like so called supersteels,that hold edge forever,but are also harder to sharpen?I do not hate supersteels,and my only supersteel is s30v and d2,lol,but am just satisfied how the steels that are easier to sharpen perform and dont mind sharpening more often.Also i prefer razor sharp edge,and most suoersteels hold that working edge long but lose razor edge quickly ,then youre stuck with so so sharp forever.I love 12c27,440c,1075 and 1095,also d2 and still think that heat treat along with gwometry is what makes the knife perform,not so much the steel.all input welcome.
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I have a D2 Ontario and sharpening it is a pain in the ass. Plus if you "abuse" it (I used it to scrape heat shrink off of a knurled wrench) you can still dull it. Like anything else it's a tradeoff and I suspect total "sharpening time" is about the same on any of them. It's just whether you have to do it often for a few minutes, or seldom and it takes hours.

Most stuff that takes a "razor sharp edge" or that I know will damage the knife, I use a small boxcutter I carry. Lesson learned after dulling the Ontario.
 
Yonose said:
I don’t especially enjoy “super steels” on larger (9”+) knives. Infi, s7, 5160 work better since they’re much easier to sharpen than a similarly sized blade in 3v(not sure if this is considered a supersteel though). For 5” and under s35vn, s30v, cruwear, d2 and m390 are my favorites, but I’ll take a spyderco millie in any steel whatsoever.
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I suspect that in the larger knives that can be used for chopping, etc, that the uber-hard steels might be a problem and could actually crack.
 
T Abell said:
I have a D2 Ontario and sharpening it is a pain in the ass. Plus if you "abuse" it (I used it to scrape heat shrink off of a knurled wrench) you can still dull it.
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Abrasive wear resistance wouldn't help in that situation, would it? Rather you need edge stability to minimize damage from this abuse.

http://zknives.com/knives/articles/glossaries/mtlgterms.shtml
Sometimes a steel can have high edge stability with fairly low toughness, or a steel with low edge stability can have moderate toughness. Blue Super has fairly high edge stability but low toughness; D2 has low edge stability but moderate toughness. Generally wear resistance and edge stability are opposed to each other since a greater volume of carbides means greater wear resistance but less toughness and edge stability, meaning one of the most important factors for selecting a steel are how much slicing it will be doing and how thick the edge will be. Usually edge stability is more important in kitchen knives.(Auth. Larrin Thomas)
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I don’t own any current super steels. I’ve never pursued super steels either. It’s not that I dont like them but I don’t feel like I need them. If I get a new ZT and it has 20cv, ok great. If I get a Spyderco and the base model is S30v,ok, Im not paying extra for s110v for example.
 
Ok, let me start by saying I do like the super steels. I have numerous knives in S30V, D2, 3V...etc.
But boy o boy do I LOVE carbon steel. I like for a knife to show it's age and the love you've given it. I dare you to get a NATURAL patina on D2.
 
The majority of my knives are carbon steel. I do have a few knives in higher end steels, but carbon steel generally works great for what I use knives for. The knives I have with "super" steel blades I bought because I liked the knife itself, not because I was after the steel. That being said, they are great knives and the high end steel certainly does not disappoint. But in the end, I like the character that aged carbon steel acquires through use as well as its ability to take an edge with little effort. I also appreciate a knife that has proper attention paid to heat treat and edge geometry. Humble carbon steel highlights these characteristics, in my opinion, of a well made knife.
 
Is there any definition for supersteel?
I've heard specific steels referred to, but haven't been able to determine what it is they all have in common except for some alloy content. But on the other hand, there's some alloyed steels that are not included.
 
lonestar1979 said:
supersteels,that hold edge forever,but are also harder to sharpen
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They aren't with modern sharpening media.
In a word : Diamonds (if you want polished, otherwise Crystalon if you want toothy but shavey).

I do not hate supersteels,and my only supersteel is s30v and d2,lol,but am just satisfied how the steels that are easier to sharpen perform and dont mind sharpening
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I really like sharpening as well. Fascinating and enjoyable activity.
The only thing I like better than sharpening . . . is . . .
good, hard, super steel alloys. ;) :)

i prefer razor sharp edge
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Well yeah ! ! ! !
Anything else is just . . . less than fun . . . or as my Ranger friend says : Lesssss thannnnnn immmmmpressssssed.
Some of them funny super steel wannabees don't though do they. :( :thumbsdown:

,and most suoersteels hold that working edge long but lose razor edge quickly
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Well lets say some rather than most.

That's why some smart feller invented M4.
(((my Dad used to ask me when I was a little kid : Are you a real smart feller or a real fart smeller ?))).
People will tell you M4 was invented for industrial tools but really it was because the guy just got fed up with his "super steel" knife and decided to show the world what "super" means.

M390 works well. I would even sneak N690 in there. Not super super but super enough for me to pay attention to it . . . finally . . . after I had one kind of forced on me. Bless you Sal Glesser (he knows his stuff doesn't he).

CTS-XHP is right up there for what I do. Great stuff if heat treated right.
ZDP-189 is to die for if you get along with it. I DO FOR SURE ! ! !

ALL THOSE HOLD SHAVE SHARP EDGES WHILE GITNER DONE.

The only thing that totally pisses me off about super steels . . . well ok M4 . . . is that I can't have it in every knife I own. :mad::(:(:(:(:mad:
 
jpm2 said:
Is there any definition for supersteel?
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All you have to do is spend a year or two using Case SS and CV and SAKs etc., etc., etc.,

then

as Kurt Elling said when asked "What is Jazz ?".
He said : Jazz is like pornography; you know it when you here it.

Super steel . . . you know it when you use it.
 
If you abuse them a super steel and more common steel like 440a will have the same edge retention from my experience.

Diamond stones help negate this but it still takes more time to sharpen a super steel. It's something I have to deal with at work due to the nature of my job.

So I don't have any particular love or hate for super steels as they aren't super for me. Plus I tend to have a sharpener handy or grab a small one when I have a lot of cutting to do to help maintain a high degree of sharpness so I kind of negate the entire point of super steels.

One of my favorite steels is still 440a from rough rider, I've abused their knives before and never had any issues and I swear if I look at it funny with a stone in hand I can scare it sharp.
 
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