Why i like simpler blade steels

Hickory n steel

Hickory n steel

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I don't think of sharpening as a chore as it's just part of the fun of being a knife user, so while I do enjoy sharpening my knives that doesn't mean I want to spend all day doing it ( not literally all day if course ).
With simpler steels like 1095, o1, aus8 , and 420hc I know that with nothing more than the few stones I have I can get a great edge on my knife in short order.
I know that these modern super steels have their benefits, they just wouldn't make a difference in my daily knife needs.
 
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Hickory n steel said:
I don't think of sharpening as a chore as it's just part of the fun of being a knife user, so while I do enjoy sharpening my knives that doesn't mean I want to spend all day doing it ( not literally all day if course ).
With simpler steels like 1095, o1, aus8 , and 420hc I know that with nothing more than the few stones I have I can get a great edge on my knife in short order.
I know that these modern super steels have their benefits, they just wouldn't make a difference in my daily knife needs.
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There are a number of modern not so simple steels that are not that hard to sharpen. If you don't let a steel get super dull, and you keep up with them super steels are not hard to maintain.
 
I agree HnS. I love my Sebenza, ZT, ZDP spyderco knives, but I love and carry my lower end steels just as much because I know maintenance will be super easy.

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As long as you match up your needs, the steel, and your sharpening equipment / skills, you're set.

I carry and use simple steels (Victorinox SS, Case CV and Tru-Sharp, Buck 420HC) but I also have some knives in more modern steels (154CM, Elmax). I have the right sharpening tools for all of them and have taught myself how to sharpen each steel well enough for my needs so it evens out.
 
Simpler steels are great; even humble 1070 takes a fantastic edge, speaking of my Ivan Campos Scandi. But diamond hones work equally well on all steels from S35Vn and CTS-XHP on down to the simplest high carbon steels, in my experience. I do reserve an ancient Black Arkansas inherited from a great uncle for the finishing edge on my high carbon steel blades (50100/Carbon V, 1095, 52100); it seems to impart a microscopic toothy edge that gives those blades a hair-popping edge.
 
I freehand sharpen all my knives with silicon carbide paper on a granite floor tile I bought at Home Depot.
Haven't encountered a steel that won't sharpen with that. :)
Some steels use few more sheets of silicon carbide paper, but it isn't a big deal.
 
I should probably add that the simple steels and the knives that use them perfectly fulfill my needs in a knife. I know that there are some modern steels that are said to be just as easy to sharpen , but I can't think of anything that would change for the better if I used them.
I currently swap primary edc's each week and at the very most touch up the weekly knife before carry, and sometimes don't need to at all since I carry a neck knife for certain tasks.

If I carried just a folder and was more of a hard use guy I might want something with a modern super steel, but currently I don't.
 
Have you actually tried one to see how it performs? Sure, it's probably not needed, but you may enjoy it.

I actually find sharpening the higher end 'super' steels easier than many lower end steels. The low alloy steels seem to many times raise a burr that is hard to get rid of and flops back and forth. The high alloy steels seem to barely form a burr at all and get hair whittling/popping sharp much easier. For me.

The difficult part is if you let them get extremely dull or if you reprofile and change the edge angle. But even reprofiling the low alloy steels can be a chore depending on your equipment.

I actually like sharpening the high alloy steels in my experience and they seem easier to get screaming sharp.
 
I thought you were strictly talking simple steels, which is limited to low alloy carbon steels. I certainly don't consider any Stainless steel a simple steel.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I don't think of sharpening as a chore as it's just part of the fun of being a knife user, so while I do enjoy sharpening my knives that doesn't mean I want to spend all day doing it ( not literally all day if course ).
With simpler steels like 1095, o1, aus8 , and 420hc I know that with nothing more than the few stones I have I can get a great edge on my knife in short order.
I know that these modern super steels have their benefits, they just wouldn't make a difference in my daily knife needs.
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fair enough.
 
I don't mind sharpening, actually like it, but only when time permits. What I do mind is having a knife that won't complete time constraint jobs without stopping to sharpen. This is what I often run into at work with all no/low alloy steels, and surprisingly a lot of the high alloy steels . With my prefered steels, it's never an issue.

It does take slightly longer on the stones, but at the geometries I run it's not bad at all, and the reward is well worth it to me.

However, I do like the low alloy steels and always have one handy for less demanding tasks.

If you'd like the best of both worlds, get ahold of some spyderco hap40. It has the best balance of edge holding and ease of sharpening that I've run across.
 
I have read similar threads, and I don't really see much of a difference between sharping any steel from 1095 to D2 to S35Vn.

And I always let my knives get a little duller than I should...

I have no explanation for this, I use stones/freehand.
Just never found much of a difference in time between HC and Stainless steels.
 
I don't have any knives with a lot of the super steels available today. I guess as close as I get is a Blur in elmax and a few S30v and S35v as well as CPM 154. I have never had any problem at all sharpening these knives. I freehand sharpen and make it a habit to touch my edges up before they get dull. I have found that many knives that I buy new are dull out of the box and those are the ones that require the most attention but even then just a little more work on those give me a good sharp blade. I bought the Blur off of the exchange and it was very dull and I did end up spending a good hour or more on it but the results were a very sharp knife. What gives me more trouble than steel is blade shape on some knives trying to get them uniform across the cutting edge.
 
The steels I like run the gamut from 5160 to K390 mule depending really on what I use it for. For example, I like 5160 on my choppers which I often use for clearing and some delimbing on my backyard. I did really appreciate the K390 when we moved residence(3 times in less than 2 years) and I had to cut up a lot of cardboard and rope during the packing and unpacking and the subsequent tidying up after.

One thing I don't get about edc'ing and using a high wear resistance steel is the sentiment of "not letting it get too dull". If I have to resharpen often, then what is the point of carrying a steel that takes a long time to dull? I might as well carry 8CrMov if I have to sharpen daily.
 
Prefer was a poor word choice as I haven't experienced any modern super steels.
What I'm really saying is that My knife needs are very basic and simple, and being perfectly happy with my simpler steels means I'm not looking to replace them anytime soon.
I'm not saying I'll never own something with a super steel, I'll just have to find a knife that I like so much that I pay no attention to its steel.
 
Ok, then. Sounds like you found what you like and are happy with it :thumbup:
 
jc57 said:
Ok, then. Sounds like you found what you like and are happy with it [emoji106]
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Agreed. This is one of those things there is no 'right' answer to. Find what works.

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Hickory n steel said:
Prefer was a poor word choice as I haven't experienced any modern super steels.
What I'm really saying is that My knife needs are very basic and simple, and being perfectly happy with my simpler steels means I'm not looking to replace them anytime soon.
I'm not saying I'll never own something with a super steel, I'll just have to find a knife that I like so much that I pay no attention to its steel.
Click to expand...

I have never categorized "knife steel" by being "older" "newer" "stainless" "supersteel" any of these terms...

I could care less about Carbon being prone to rust vs stainless, I have no issues with simple maintenace.

I try to keep it simple, try as many different steels that I can, and make decisions based on what works best for the performance I want for how I use my knives.
 
Steels with large carbides seem to require the right abrasives to get a nicely sharp edge. I like them but usually don't carry them at work. At work I have access to emery cloth, double sided tape, and simple hockey puck stones all day and use my work knife to scrape, cut against metal and other horrible things. I've found that a steel with less chipping that I can quickly re-sharpen with rudimentary abrasives works for me better there.

Horses for courses.
 
I don't think of sharpening as a chore as it's just part of the fun of being a knife user, so while I do enjoy sharpening my knives
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amen to that. Me too. Although there is a limit to how much "fun" I will let myself have in a week.

For me the PM steels and "good stuff" make a huge dif. I bow down before the alter of these.

Love 'em.
Much less time sharpening, every few days or week a touch up as opposed to everyday or during the day.

and really . . . though I have said in the past "I don't touch up I just sharpen" I have found this Spyderco Ultra Fine ceramic rod (the triangular thing with red on the end) to really get in there and "steel" and "strop" things back into order very well. So after several days or a week this can some times be all I use to geeeeter done. :thumbup:
No big "process". ;)

 
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