Why does stainless even exist?

W

Wesp666

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When good carbon or tool steel exists? Mabye it's because people are too lazy to take care of their knives... Only good reason I can think of is that it bends not breaks (most of it anyway).
 
Stainless exists for several reasons:
Use in wet conditions
Some of us sweat more than others
It will stay nice and shiny :rolleyes:
....and, because the technology exists to make it so. :p

Paul
 
Mabye it's because people are too lazy to take care of their knives...
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You've answered your own question. Rust and corrosion have been the bain of high Carbon steel since it was discovered. As you know, it is easy to control with a wee bit o' care.
 
Stainless alloys are being improved every day...I wouldnt mind betting they will surpass carbon steels given more research time :). Alloying in the right equasions is the key...
 
You seem to imply that a good stainless (CPM S30V, VG-10, ATS-34, BG-42?) knife blade is not worthy of existence. Just curious as to your reasons for feeling this way.
 
Get a high quality stainless with a good heat treat and you've got the ideal EDC knife. My Sebenza is BG-42 and it never leaves my side. Hold such a scary edge the hairs just off my arm when they see the knife coming! :eek:

I think it is better put that carbon steels have their place. Too many big knives are made with stainless steels, when a good carbon steel would kick the tar out the stainless steel any day in a big, tough chopper.
 
5160 and some of your high chromium carbon steels still hold a good rust resistance with minimal maintenence...I have a few custom knives of 5160 and while i know it can rust its alot hard to do so (eg. water, finger acids for prolonged periods). Longer blades naturally will be affected by more stresses of use, stainless is not good for that. Which is why I cringe whenever some twat on a sword forum says they cut with a stainless sword :eek:

smaller blades however can be heat treated very well, like folders and small fixed...440 stainless is usually bagged out, but I've ordered some joker knives due to a friend owning one that holds a wicked edge and I put it to them doing a good heat treat. Kevin Cashen on another forum at one point said "its all in the heat treat" and I concur with that, there are smiths out there doing wonders with stainless.
 
I don't think it's fair to say that we're "lazy." Some of us just don't want to have to DOTE on our knives for them to stay in decent shape.

I think it's a TRIUMPH that mankind has been able to formulate steels that resists rust. I don't see the big advantages of tool steel or carbon steel over stainless, to be blunt. And I live near the ocean in Florida. I don't want to take out a knife and find that it has spots all over it. It's easy enough to find that has happened to a knife just from being in your pocket on a hot, sweaty day here in Florida. I don't want to have to keep a knife coated with oil all the time while it's used for EDC.

I'm not such a steel snob that I have a problem with 440C. Some of my favorite knives are made of that steel, including my two Mini Griptilians and my Nimravus Cub. My 100SH2O is made of H-1 noncorroding steel. I'm "lazy" because I don't want to have to babysit knives? No, I don't think so.

Couldn't you have just started a thread that said, "Gee, I really like tool steel and carbon steel, to the point where I don't bother with stainless and don't see the need for it"?

-Jeffrey
 
Because stainless steel development provides employment for us metallurgists!!!!
 
Years ago I was an overseas buyer of cutlery and flatware. If I am not mistaken the use of stainless, for knives etc, began with tableware. I am talking about forks, spoons etc. This of course was for sanitation and ease of maintenace in the kitchen. No one really wants rust appearing on their knives, forks and spoons. Also, with the invention of the dishwasher, the stainless use in tableware was even more important.

Shortly afterwards, stainless began appearing in the manufacturing of sporting knives etc.
 
Because it works for so very many of us. Real knife nuts like some of us guys may prefer Carbon, but for the general public, as well as this particular heavy-knife user, it works great.

A challenge to sharpen? I have never noticed that. It's all in technique. Using the right sharpener for the steel.

Comparing Carbon to modern stainless steel is like matching up your old transister radio to my new digital Cd player.
 
My current EDC combo is a non-stainless tool steel knife combined with a 100% stainless knife. Severtech auto in A2 (black coated), and a Spyderco Pacific Salt in H1.

I've had no corrosion problems with the Severtech (the coating helps), even on the edge. It's dry here in AZ though, so I dont' have much to worry about (until monsoon season starts maybe). My D2 steeled Benchmade balisongs haven't had any problems with corrosion on them either. I had to go with the H1 on my secondary knife though, as my VG-10 Spydie which I kept IWB gathers moisture and got discoloration spots.

I like having a knife that I don't have to worry about, and I use my H1 blade appropriately for that. I love the A2 steel too though, more than the 154CM and S30V and VG-10 "high end" steels. This fact makes me want to agree with Wesp666's opinion, but I'm not sure I would if my high carbon, non-stainless knife wasn't coated against corrosion. I'd love to have a small fixed blade in high carbon steel, something classy, yet simple, where patina and coloration would be considered "character".

If I lived in, say, Florida or Houston or Oregon though, I would probably have to stick to stainless knives because of the humidity.
 
Living here in the 'Sunshine State' (or should i say hurricane state?!?!) I would have to say stainless is best for an everyday carry knife. Whether it be a folder or a fixed blade. It's very humid here of course...

I have found that even when coated, the edge of a carbon steel knife will develop rust very quickly if it isn't 'fussed with' down here. I have one knife in 5160 that is a beaut but will patina instantly with a little use. While not really an issue for me personally, it does mean that mild use immediately changes the appearance of the knife & decreases its value as a result - far more so than stainless...

When picking up storm debris & cutting fallen trees, a knife is an essential tool. A knife that requires too much care though; that will be left in the drawer when the time comes to have need of it.

Look at the Cold Steel Master Hunter for example; Carbon V is one of the best steels out there IMO but they came out with a stainless model due to popular demand for a knife that requires a little less care.

Stainless steel has its place - namely the jungle or subtropical environments like here in Florida.
 
After owning many variations of Carbon Steel and Stainless Steel knives I now own two different CPM S30V knives (BM552 and BM630) that I am extremely happy with. As a matter of fact I am so happy with these two knives that have sold or am selling all of my other knives minus a couple Frost Moras and SOG MultiTools that I keep in eachof my vehicles.
 
I have a friend that is so abrasive that he can't keep high carbon anything without it getting really bad looking. It is something in his body chemistry. If he comes by the house and plays my guitar for just a few minutes I can feel the fact that he was on my guitar in the strings. Honestly I can tell when he has had my guitar because he leaves his mark afterwards. Some people are like that with knives too. That is why stainless is so popular I think.
 
@STR:

Same here, my "corrosivity" is the reason why I only buy stainless blades. I have one carbon-damascus bladed folder, and it rusts even if I only carry it in my pocket for a day without using it, and daily oiling does not seem to help either. Even my stainless blades develop rust spots frequently, but it happens slowly enough that my maintenance can keep up with it.

Kristofer
 
Demand! One word " Demand ", my friend.

No steel manufacturer would still be in bussiness if they keep producing stainless steel and the market don't care for it.
 
Wesp666 said:
When good carbon or tool steel exists?
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Tell you what. Next time you go for a surgical procedure, tell the surgeon that you prefer he use high carbon blades. Let's see what response you get.

Same for the guys that live in high humidity areas, or work at sea...
 
Grey Area said:
@STR:

Same here, my "corrosivity" is the reason why I only buy stainless blades. I have one carbon-damascus bladed folder, and it rusts even if I only carry it in my pocket for a day without using it, and daily oiling does not seem to help either. Even my stainless blades develop rust spots frequently, but it happens slowly enough that my maintenance can keep up with it.

Kristofer
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I really liked a D2 stockman that I carried, but even with maintenence, my sweat would cause small pits to form. A regular 1095 is fine, since it patinas instead of pitting, but I had to stop carrying the D2 everyday (still carry it but not every day).
I prefer stainless for EDC for that reason alone, even though I have some good carbon and D2 for use at home.
 
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