Zdp·189 or Super Blue

Super blue may not be around that much longer, get that first, then try zdp 189. Super blue gets zinging sharp. Both are fun steels. Russ
 
Superblue!

It sharpens up much quicker than ZDP, and can take accidental impacts without being prone to chipping. Both can rust if neglected, but Superblue will rust quicker. I quite like the laminated SB, the 420J1 layer will scratch but protects the pivot area from corrosion (same applies to the laminated ZDP).
 
Both are great, but SuperBlue is a limited run and will only become harder to find. It's a little higher maintenance (When I say a little, I mean a little, not a large difference), but is definitely easier to sharpen and is more stable at the apex which holds itself better to more acute edge angles. If all you cut is is abrasive materials like cardboard though, you may find ZDP outperforms SB. On softer materials or at more acute edge angles, SB is definitely the way to go.
 
I've had better experience with ZDP. My Caly 3 CF is a laminated blade so perhaps thats why rusting hasn't really been an issue. But generally, my SuperBlue blades would rust in the box / bag while sealed in tupperwear. YMMV
 
SB for casual cutting - kitchen stuff, soft material, push cuts. ZDP for everything else.
 
Brock O Lee said:
It sharpens up much quicker than ZDP, and can take accidental impacts without being prone to chipping. Both can rust if neglected, but Superblue will rust quicker.
Click to expand...

Agreed on all points, as well as the overall preference for Super Blue.
 
First off, i have both. I haven't used my Super Blue knives nearly as much, so I'm probably biased towarda ZDP.

With that said though ZDP189 is one of my favorite steels, and if i had to choose one or the other. I'm taking ZDP. It takes an extremely fine edge and stays sharp through use. I have had a couple of my ZDP blades chip on the cutting edge, however on both cases it was still with the factory edge. Once I sharpened the chip out, I haven't noticed any more chipping. I use a consistent angle sharpener to set my bevels, and I touch up my edges with my sharpmaker. So far I have had no issues getting and maintaining an extremely sharp and keen edge (at least by my standards) with ZDP.
 
I enjoy interacting with Super Blue. Really wish it could have been spread out to other Japanese production models as well... but that will always just be a dream.

That said, I have plenty of knives in ZDP-189 that I love and carry nearly as much as my Super Blue variants, including the Caly, Stretch, and Delica.
Although I have not had any chipping of my ZDP-189 knives, I do keep that in mind when in use.

I have no preference whether clad or not and can appreciate either, but if that is something important to you then keep in mind that Seki ZDP-189 is solid and unclad, but their Super Blue was clad. Moki is the exact opposite. I doubt you'll find a Caly Super Blue these days though, somehow they have been elevated to cult collector status and resale prices are skyrocketing, if you even find one for sale. Kind of defeats the purpose if you're looking to use the knife regularly.


Very anxious to try out this next wave coming with HAP40! :)
 
SB has much more soul than ZDP:)

Had a Mule in ZDP but never used it and don't have much experience with it. Would like to pick up a Delica in ZDP for Casey Lynch's up and coming Ti scales.
 
I have both steels, a Stretch in SB and a Caly 3.5 in ZDP. I really like them both. Hard to say which I prefer. The Suberblue is just a pleasure to sharpen and cut with. ZDP gets wonderfully sharp and seems to stay that way. I guess I'd recommend Superblue, but it's a tough call, they're both great.
 
Both are great steels to experience, but I would also recommend getting Super Blue while you still can at a reasonable cost. ZDP will hold an edge longer and is more corrosion resistant than Super Blue, but I am very fond of Super Blue and its properties. I like the looks when it patinas and how the edge seems to grab ahold of what it is cutting. The Caly 3.5 Super Blue might just be my all time favorite Spyderco.

SpydercoCaly35SuperBlue1_zpscc48bb68.jpg
 
Neither. I'd suggest if they're in the market for a Spyderco folder that's made in Japan they stick to VG-10 unless they want something with teeth, in which case they'd be better served by H-1. The way I see it, all that ZDP-189 offers is deferred maintenance. Sure, you only need to sharpen it 1/3 as often, but it takes 3 times as long so there's no real gain. The price for that is higher cost and lower rust resistance. As for Super Blue, it's even worse, since it tosses rust resistance straight out the window.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top