Why use carbon steel over stainless?

[Masteroffajitas]

Is it just a personal prefrence? Why do people choose to carry a 1095 knife as apposed to a VG-10 knife? Is it just part of how stainless steel is made that makes it less tough then these steels? When you have more corrosian resistance, does that sacrafise for toughness?

I'm asking becuase in MN it can get pretty cold here and I've heard of people saying thier carbon steel knife cracked or snapped.
I've been looking at Fallknivens for awhile drooling but since it's vg-10, how they will hold up. Should I just get carbon blade?

 

[cpio]

Take a look at this: http://www.cutleryscience.com

That really explains better than I possibly could.

And I think you'd find that any of the laminated Fallkniven blades will take a serious beating.

 

[Masteroffajitas]

Take a look at this: http://www.cutleryscience.com

That really explains better than I possibly could.

And I think you'd find that any of the laminated Fallkniven blades will take a serious beating.

I read this site for thier steel evaluations, but it can get hard to read sometimes. It's like reading a college chemistry book.

 

[Shotgun]

I'm interested in these stories of carbon steel cracking and snapping. I can't imagine a stainless steel surviving breakage that a carbon steel cannot.

 

[James_Terrio]

I agree with Shotgun... if similar-quality carbon-steel and stainless steel knives are tested for breakage, I'd be a bit surprised if the c-s failed first. (assuming of course they're both HT'ed appropriately) I know a little bit about cold winters... even at -30F I don't think that's going to affect a quality blade very much. I could be wrong, of course, but I haven't seen it happen.

It's simply a matter of personal preferences and priorities. Edge-retention, ease-of-sharpening, toughness, corrosion resistance, whether it likes to take a mirror polish... all are factors that the customer needs to consider before choosing a steel. Joe Talmadge's Steel FAQ thread is provides a very good overview.

Keep in mind there's a wide variety of steels in both classes. Just saying a steel is "carbon" or "stainless" doesn't mean a whole lot.

Don't overlook tool steels, either... there are some that are both tougher and hold an edge better than either c-s or s-s... but then again, they typically don't sharpen as easily as c-s or resist staining as well as s-s. It's all about the trade-off you want.

There are so many quality cutlery steels available today, that if you can't find something you like, you're just not looking. Just define what you need before shopping for steel.

 

[batosai117]

Just tagging along here for the information as I've always wondered the same thing . I'm stuck at work so I will pop in later, J.