Your opinion: D2 or 1095 for a woods utility fixed blade?

[dantzk8]

Carbon steel has much more lateral strength, so when using a larger blade i like it to be able to bend and retake it's shape. Also D2 being so hard tends to chip easier:thumbup:

I'm not an expert but i think you confuse strenght and toughness.Toughness allows to the blade to retake it's shape after bending. Strenght allows to the blade to take an impact without deformity.

dantzk.

 

[Dr. Mudd]

I look at it like this. First and foremost you have to be able to maintain a knife's edge, no matter what conditions or circumstances you find yourself in. A fancy knife made out of some kind of trick steel isn't much good if you can't sharpen it using improvised equipment (like a rock from a stream) if and when necessary. To me it's like a gun. You have to be able to reload it when it's out of ammo. I don't get serious about a gun in some exotic or foreign caliber that woud be hard to find ammo for. Likewise I don't want any kind of steel in my knife that I can't easily sharpen. You might say that 1095 is the .30-30 of blade steels. Does that make sense to you?

 

[dantzk8]

I look at it like this. First and foremost you have to be able to maintain a knife's edge, no matter what conditions or circumstances you find yourself in. A fancy knife made out of some kind of trick steel isn't much good if you can't sharpen it using improvised equipment (like a rock from a stream) if and when necessary. To me it's like a gun. You have to be able to reload it when it's out of ammo. I don't get serious about a gun in some exotic or foreign caliber that woud be hard to find ammo for. Likewise I don't want any kind of steel in my knife that I can't easily sharpen. You might say that 1095 is the .30-30 of blade steels. Does that make sense to you?

Yes it makes sense to me but i wouldn't say D2 is a tricky steel hard to sharpen. It's hard to get a razor edge with it, which is different. Large carbides make of D2 a slicer rather than a pushcutter. The question being "1095 or D2 ?" the answer is in the use you have of the knife.
1095 for pushcutting, D2 for slicing.

dantzk.

 

[gustavosal]

You might say that 1095 is the .30-30 of blade steels. Does that make sense to you?

Yep. Thanks again for all the thoughtful replies. I've learned a lot in this thread. I think a TAK or RAT 5 in 1095 and a Dozier would be the ideal combo for me, if I really wanted to confine myself to two fixed blades. Ha. I mean, really, just two? But those might be the last two I buy for a long while. I'm lucky enough to be in this for pure fun. When I actually lived and worked in the woods 20 years ago I had a Buck 112 (still do, minus the tip), which I skinned deer and smaller things with, cut rope, branches, and whatever, with, etc. Now I hardly have time to get out, but I have the resources to buy knives. Go figure.

Gus

 

[jarlaxle]

I'm not an expert but i think you confuse strenght and toughness.Toughness allows to the blade to retake it's shape after bending. Strenght allows to the blade to take an impact without deformity.

dantzk.

Yea your right. its just symatics.

 

[mmmotorcycle]

A well done D-2 blade is superior to many steels. It's hard to find that sopt though so I tend to look for 1095 unless I find some great D-2. Charles May does D-2 well from what I've heard.

 

[waterboiler]

D2 is probably my favorite knife blade steel but if you are going to abuse a knife ( and who does not from time to time ) than 1095 is a better choice IMHO. If you are going to pound, scrape, pry, chop then a tougher steel that is easier to field sharpen is a better choice. If you carry a hatchet for chopping a pry-bar/scrapper for other abuse and use you knife for cutting, whittling and the like than go D2.

In a smaller blade < 5" D2 is generally a great choice ( less likely to abuse ), in a 9"+ knife I generally recommend 1095 or similar ( high probability of abuse ) in that size and up. The 5-7" range is personal preference/experience, I go with D2 but either has merrit.

 

[Buck268]

A lot of people love the D2, and though I've never had a knife in it, I'm pretty happy with 1095. Takes a knice keen edge, and sharpens up real ease. Plus, like it has been said, takes abuse like no other.

 

[mitchshrader]

thought on D2 vs 1095. I like 1095 a lot for 'scary sharp'..

but a full convex edge on D2 isn't weak or liable to chip MUCH.. it's fine for green wood and batoning if you avoid knots. Not as friendly to abuse, but WILL hold an edge, if you use it for a knife and not a rock chopper..

I've got exactly the opposite combo, a 1095 AF Pilots knife for all around work and a D2 outcast as my big blade.. while it's not an axe it will slice through a sapling on a draw cut that might take several chops with a hatchet.

I've left the edge short and a bit coarser up close to the handle for batoning, to leave the primary cutting edge (belly) untouched in heavy use, and am totally satisfied with the blade.

And it only took two days and one DMT fine grit 2x6 pad (used UP) along with about 3 hours on the waterstones..

D2 has it's advantages but easy to grind aren't any of them.

ONCE it's properly profiled, chances are good it's not for sale, and chances are about that good you couldn't sell them another one.