Favorite Steel?

[sharpshooter996]

Hey guys, Ive just been doing some thinking about what my favorite steel is and why it is. That is a pretty tough question, because I think it goes hand in hand with knife selection. You might really like the design, but not be super happy with the steel they use. Or you might really like the steel and not the design. ???

The more experience i am getting with knives the more I am liking the cheaper steels. like 1095 and AUS8. I find that they hold a good edge and a easy to sharpen. And that alone saves me so much stress and anxiety.

I know that my knife sharpening skills could be improved upon, But i am using some good equiptement the way it should be and with some of my knives I just can not get that razor edge and to get a pretty darn good one it takes so much time and fussing. Some of these that come to mind are my Endura in ZDP-189 and My RAT in D2. And I even find my Spyderco's in CPM S30V a pain in the ass to sharpen if I let them get to dull.

On the other hand I have a New RAT in 1095 that I can put a razor edge on in very few min, even after a good working. And I also have 2 Spyderco Byrd Raven's that use the china equiv of AUS 8 that take a wicked edge and it is so simple for me to sharpen it. And It holds a very good edge. A couple more of these easy to sharpen knives for me are my CS in Carbon V (1095) and CS Recon 1 in AUS 8.

For me I am finding the tradeoff for extra edge retention not worth the extra headach of sharpening. Because for a little noticelbe diff in longer edge holding it is taking me 10 x longer to sharpen. And for carrying extended in the field, im ready to say no more to these harder steels.

Right now id say my favorite steels are 1095, Infi, SR101, VG10, AUS 8 and equiv. For the $ factor. 1095 and AUS8. They are inexpensive and offer good performance.

Now Lets hear your honest feedback. And if you have not used and sharpened these steels at least a dozen times you might not have the best user input.

[eatingmuchface]

I though spyderco's byrd steel was some type of 440?


1095,1085,1055, 5160, 521000, A2 and infi.
for the most part... for folders... idk even know really.
I do like edge holding more than sharpenability in a filder though.
in all honesty.

[burronia]

i think you 're right. i go for edge retention. really like s30v and spgs (fallkniven U2).

[Richard J]

i have some knives in 440c, ats34, 154cm and the ones i make are made with 1075. since i dont have any problem getting any knife with decent steel razor sharp in minutes i cant say much about a steel being hard to resharpen.

the few knives i have made with ats34 and 154cm were a little hard to put the initial edge on when my friend gave them to me but after that i couldnt notice any difference. the ats34 and 154cm knives kept a lot better edge than some with 440c but i do have a couple of tanto blades he made that i had him heat treat a little harder than 440c normally would be.

they hold an edge really well but putting the initial edge on took a little while. he was afraid of the edge chipping due to the steel being harder than normal but it chopped through deer leg bone with no problems (and it only took 1 hit for each leg, here is a link to the tanto i used to chop the deer leg with http://mysite.verizon.net/ress6fq6/id19.html )

as far as the 1075 goes, thats all i have used ever since a farmer friend gave me some cultivator discs to make my knives. i dont do anything to the steel as far as anneal it, i grind it just the way it is (56rc)and i heat treat only the edge. every knife i have tested is usually between 63rc to 65rc.

yesterday when i put the initial edge on the knife i helped my friend make, it took me a little over a half hour, the one i made for his wife took about an hour if not longer just to work up a good burr. dad cut a tomato with it yesterday and he was afraid of cutting himself from it being so sharp.
she uses a granite cutting board and i'm curious to know how long it will keep an edge compared to the stainless kitchen knives she uses. i think they are chicago cutlery if i remember right.

over the years i probably sharpened enough knives to easily (over) fill a pickup truck bed since i first started sharpening as a teenager. its hard telling what half of them were made from. as soon as macgregor22 comes over i'll have a chance to sharpen some busse knives and whatever else he has and if i remember i'll post my opinion on how hard or easy they are to sharpen.

[thombrogan]

I really like 13C26/AEB-L, VG1, VG10, Blue Super, White #2, fully hardened 1095, Schrade's old soft 1095, AUS-8A, AUS-6, AUS-6M, 420HC, INFI, 52100, H1, ZDP-189, 5160, SG-2, SGPS, Aritsugu gokinko, X50CrMoV15, and could get used to 440A. S30V, 440C, and D2 are my least favorite steels to sharpen or even use, though D2 appears more appreciative than the other two. If I had more experience with it, I'd put 12C27 in one of those two categories.

[G. Scott H.]

Carbon: 1060-1095, 5160, Blue, and White (think Kanetsune).

Stainless: AUS-8, 12c27, 13c26, and (surprisingly enough) 440A. :rockon:

[Macgregor]

Sr-77, infi, s90v, 440c, 12c27, aus-8, 8cr17mov(just because its Chinese doesn't mean its bad), cpm s30v, 1095, and cpm d2.

[itxploded]

i like 154cm, a 440c with a good HT and aus8 witha good HT

[Templar]

I'd like low alloyed carbon steels than inoxidable martensitic steel.

Low alloied carbon steels like 1050, 1095, 52100, 5160, O1, O2, have a good edge retention and edge durability, are easy to re-sharpen and have good-high toughness (good for 1095 or 5160, very hight for 5160 or 1050).

But my favourite steels are on the category of high alloyed carbon steels, like A2, A8, INFI, S7, CPM 3V, D2.

Yes, the low alloyed steels and the high alloyed stessl with low anoubt of chromium don't have a good corrosion resistance but they tend to form a layer of FeO, passive oxide (dark-black) and if you do a little manutention you don't have a particulars problems of corrosion (if you don't ude the knife on salt water).

Regards

[kurodrago]

Any steel without these two components chromium,vanadium:) is ok:)

[arnisfighter1]

For stainless, I always favored the blades made of BG42.
I've a bunch of forged blades in 1095 and also L6.

Never a complaint with any of the above.

[shmoopiebear]

If it has to do with ease of sharpening it all depends on the sharpening method you use. I like all steels for their pros and cons. There is the appropriate steel and knife design for the job. The sharpening method determines how easy are difficult they are to maintain. I am partial to supersteels not necessarily for their practicality but for the premise of how technologically advanced the work put into them are.

[lsutigers1010]

i have lots of favorite steel hereis most of it
INFI:D
SR77
1095
1055
CPM-S30V
CPM-3V
154CM
VG-10
A2
D2
O1
SURGIGAL STAINLESS
440C
13C26
AUS-8A
AND THAT IS IT

[G. Scott H.]

Is that all, lsu? You need to expand your horizons a little. :D:p

[lsutigers1010]

Is that all, lsu? You need to expand your horizons a little. :D:p

those aremy favorite steels so far iamonly 13 teen:rolleyes:

[Macgregor]

infi
sr-77
s90v
s30v
aus8
tru-sharp stainless(case)
1095
1085
1075
1055
5160
carbon V
9cr17mov
8cr13mov
3cr13mov
aus 4
aus 6
440a
440c
154cm
ats-34
420hc
d2
12c17
13c26
O1
vg10
vg1
I have some more types in there I just have to think.

[eatingmuchface]

surgical stainless?

have any info on it?
what it's composed of or anything?
I always thought it was just a term fro cheap knockoffs. lol

[Macgregor]

Surgical stainless= melted down pot metal and cans pounded into a blade like object. :D

[eatingmuchface]

hahah! lol
thats what I thought.
thanks mac.

[out5yder]

INFI
Laminated SGPS
SK5
A variety of no-name stainless steels
A variety of unknown composition carbon steels
12C27
Solingen steel
Laminated VG10 + 420J2
420
440C
INOX

The order above is random, not an order of preference.

INFI is my favorite and the only one I found up to date which fully feets my need which is to bring together a balance of high deformation resistence, edge retention, chip resistence, rust resistence and ease of sharpening.

Next to INFI on my list of preferences come SK5 and SGPS (I think), but it's difficult to make a proper classification, because all of these steels excell in some areas, but are pour in other areas, each of them being suited for something different; very difficult to compare them because are so different.

[Noss]

Screw steel. I like aluminum. :p:D

[Macgregor]

Who doesn't?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcTjsDRiXVA

[me2]

I pretty much like them all, as they all do something well, though I have a longing for another Kershaw Random Task in S60V.

Does anyone have any experience with 9260? I've heard good and bad, but dont know anyone who's used it first hand in a knife.

[LoganSackett]

I like D2 myself. I made a knife out of D2 and it held an edge like a a politician holds your money. I agree that it's hard to get sharp, but I never had much trouble with it. It rarely got dull anyway, and by "dull" I mean it wouldn't slice an atom in half as easily as before.

Overall, the knife sucked, but that was my fault not the steel's.:o

[Tankuel]

now this is just going off of my own experience but i've found that the best steel for smaller knives like pocketknife size is 440 stainless and the larger sized ones 1055 seems to work just fine
a knife that i made from a bit of 440 steel keeps its edge after i've cut 1/4 inch leather for an hour and i know this because after wards i shaved with it and it worked just fine

[winbag338]

Cant think of a reason why i need anything other than a-2 & vg-10.

[wildjim]

I prefer a knife to be easy to sharpen and tough. The latest fade steel at a premium price doesn't interest me if it requires special sharpening methods and materials. I assume there is a good reason that Buck continues to use 420HC and most people think its tough enough.

Since seeing many test failures of 1095 steel I'd prefer 1085 or 1055 instead for a camp knife.

[winbag338]

I prefer a knife to be easy to sharpen and tough. The latest fade steel at a premium price doesn't interest me if it requires special sharpening methods and materials. I assume there is a good reason that Buck continues to use 420HC and most people think its tough enough.

Since seeing many test failures of 1095 steel I'd prefer 1085 or 1055 instead for a camp knife.
I dont agree these knives failed to do what they were designed to do, Noss broke them intentionally.

[wildjim]

I dont agree these knives failed to do what they were designed to do, Noss broke them intentionally.

As with 1095 steel they broke before 1055 or SK-5 in the Noss Knife Tests, I thought it would be tougher since reading so much praise of 1095. Also I was writing of what I have read of 1095 failures, that is not just Noss Knife Tests. I read of a few reported failures of large camp knives failing when batoned through wood in a camping senario.

[winbag338]

I do see your point, however if you visit the forums long enough, you will see evidence of many knives in many steels failing eventually. If i drove a race car into a wall and then posted what a piece of crap the car was, would you take my word for it?

[Noss]

1095-1055. Edge retention goes down toughness goes up. In my tests. 1055 blades are some of the toughest under INFI. They don't have great edge retention but they are very easy to sharpen.

[kurodrago]

1095-1055. Edge retention goes down toughness goes up..
I　agree 100%



In my tests. 1055 blades are some of the toughest under INFI.


I Really don't know about that...
But will be nice to see GI tanto made of INFI on test:D
And a FFBM made of 1055:D
then you know for sure:thumb:

[xxo]

1055 can take a lot of punishment, won't hold an edge as well as most knife steels but it is very easy to resharpen.....great steel for axes, machetes, and throwing knives!

[wildjim]

I agree about the toughness of 1055 and relationship of hardness to toughness but I do not understand the statement of it not holding an edge.

As for me while weekend camping on more than once I used the Cold Steel 1055 12 inch and Kukri machetes to chop wood for fire all weekend, some of the wood was fallen dried tree branches which were very hard. When I got home the I checked the edge and it would still slice paper easily and only required sharpening by hand on a ceramic rod to get it shaving sharp again. Also the Cheaper Than Dirt Rough Use Knife did the same on another camping trip; although its too short for chopping effectively. The CTD knife may be 440A blade steel?

I believe the edge retention as described above would last longer than a weekend camping trip. I'll defer to someone else for longer camping trip experiences and how much knife edge retention is truely necessary.

I also read somewhere else of someone in the meat and fish processing industry and they stated that no knife super steels were used as the knife needed to be sharpened easily and needed to get through a whole day or work shift of constant use without sharpening. I believe if super steels were necessary the professional meat and fish industries would be using it.

These are my personal experiences and observations rather than arguments : )

Also I am curious about the exact type of steel used in cable and wire cutters and pruning shears. I found one description as "tool steel" hardened to 58-60 HRC but considering the price I do not believe any of them are using super steels for cable and wire cutters. What about the steel used for chisel and punch tools?

Could knife enthusiasts possibly be duped and psyched into believing they need a "special" "super" type of ultra expensive steel to go camping?

Another thought. I haven't seen any camper or hiker with a super steel expensive knife nor have any campers or hikers ever commented on or asked a single question about my knives. What, Who is it for?

[Noss]

It's not that it's unusable. There are many out there on the forums who will have one believe that 1055 is worthless for cutting since many times it's not 60 RC or some super steel. It doesn't hold it edge as well as other steels but it does work. It just means you may have to sharpen it more often then other steels but it's easy to sharpen.. Some of the edge retention fanatics will argue with you all day about this. I like 1055 a lot. It's tough easy to maintain the edge when needed and it is cheap and it works. :thumb:

[wildjim]

It's not that it's unusable. There are many out there on the forums who will have one believe that 1055 is worthless for cutting since many times it's not 60 RC or some super steel. It doesn't hold it edge as well as other steels but it does work. It just means you may have to sharpen it more often then other steels but it's easy to sharpen.. Some of the edge retention fanatics will argue with you all day about this. I like 1055 a lot. It's tough easy to maintain the edge when needed and it is cheap and it works. :thumb:

I like my knives shaving sharp always but I ain't shaving with them. This weekend camping my daughter and I used my Cold Steel Trail Boss axe to chop fire wood, my Cold Steel Sax machete to baton some wood, and a Rough Rider 3 inch Razor blade style lockback to open a pack of hotdogs and cut and whittle some branches to roast the hotdogs on. They all remained pretty sharp through the two day's chores and after. 1055 and 440A steel seems all I need for now ; )

[N.D.]

Hey guys, Ive just been doing some thinking about what my favorite steel is and why it is. That is a pretty tough question, because I think it goes hand in hand with knife selection. You might really like the design, but not be super happy with the steel they use. Or you might really like the steel and not the design. ???

The more experience i am getting with knives the more I am liking the cheaper steels. like 1095 and AUS8. I find that they hold a good edge and a easy to sharpen. And that alone saves me so much stress and anxiety.

I know that my knife sharpening skills could be improved upon, But i am using some good equiptement the way it should be and with some of my knives I just can not get that razor edge and to get a pretty darn good one it takes so much time and fussing. Some of these that come to mind are my Endura in ZDP-189 and My RAT in D2. And I even find my Spyderco's in CPM S30V a pain in the ass to sharpen if I let them get to dull.

On the other hand I have a New RAT in 1095 that I can put a razor edge on in very few min, even after a good working. And I also have 2 Spyderco Byrd Raven's that use the china equiv of AUS 8 that take a wicked edge and it is so simple for me to sharpen it. And It holds a very good edge. A couple more of these easy to sharpen knives for me are my CS in Carbon V (1095) and CS Recon 1 in AUS 8.

For me I am finding the tradeoff for extra edge retention not worth the extra headach of sharpening. Because for a little noticelbe diff in longer edge holding it is taking me 10 x longer to sharpen. And for carrying extended in the field, im ready to say no more to these harder steels.

Right now id say my favorite steels are 1095, Infi, SR101, VG10, AUS 8 and equiv. For the $ factor. 1095 and AUS8. They are inexpensive and offer good performance.

Now Lets hear your honest feedback. And if you have not used and sharpened these steels at least a dozen times you might not have the best user input.

I'm no expert but I have been sharpening for many years and I was trained by Andrew Blackton in custom cutlery, he could sharpen any tool steel blade, he introduced me to D2 in the mid 80's it was one of his favorite steels (and mine too now) and he could even get that D2 shaving sharp, the first knife I ever made was from 440C and he had that razor sharp in no time too!

(440C was the softest and easiest to sharpen steel he used in his shop, and no a file would not cut it after heat treat!)

Over time I learned that some steels are harder than others when properly heat treated and if sharpened by hand they require you to start W Diamond abrasives and to really be thorough at refining the edge to sharpen or you will be rubbin that blade on your stone for a VERY LONG TIME! (Some Natural stones will not cut some of the harder tool steels, and this is even much more so true today :headbang:; he (AB) always used a belt grinder then went to several diff. buffing wheels then he knocked off the last bit of burr on the linen strap of a razor strop then he would hit the polished side of the strop a few strokes and voila a scary sharp mirror polished convex edge!)

Another thing that I learned is that the cutting ability of a blade is not just about how sharp the edge of the blade is, it is more about the overall blade/edge geometry and how that works together in the cut.

When you cut think of the knifes edge/blade as a wedge going through whatever you are cutting, now what ever you can do to that blade/edge (wedge) to reduce resistance in the cut will make the wedge go through the material easier, cleaner. (think less friction or drag)

Now look at the design of the REAL Japanese Katana and you will see a tool that (even though thick) is designed to cut very well, yes I know that's a big Sword, but certain things are still the same (Physics/Geometric shape principles); OK now lets look at those theory's applied to a blade a bit on the smaller scale; now look at how Japanese Kitchen knives (Blade/edge profiles) are shaped, examine a sushi chefs blade if he would let you touch his knife that is!

The study of sharp begins W OVERALL BLADE GEOMETRY FIRST! then when you remove metal and start polishing (refining) the edge you start to see the dramatic results you are looking for. "but" you can still get a sharp edge on all the steels mentioned in the OP's post above regardless, but as I already mentioned there are different methods for diff. steels just as there are diff. sharpening methods that work better for diff. geometric blade profiles (shapes)

Good luck in your studies!:rockon:

N.D.

[kurodrago]

to make a long post short..
I like the 10XX series
The 10-series -- 1095, 1084, 1070, 1060, 1050, etc.
It is reasonably tough and holds an edge well, and is easy to sharpen.
It will rusts easily because is a simple steel, which contains only two alloying elements: .95% carbon and .4% manganese...But you can improve rust resistance by endless way.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s307/kurodrago/IMG_3982.jpg

On the pic from the top

1055
N690 cobalt
1095
1095

[Madnumforce]

About 80% of the kitchen/butcher/pro knives made in Thiers (France) are made out of what we call Z40C13 (or C14), it means: 0.4% Carbon, and 13% or 14% Chromium. Chromium increase hardness , so it's equivalent to a 0.5-0.6% C non alloyed "carbon" steel. Z40C13 finally is just a 1055 made stainless. And everything from the midget garlic knife to the one foot long blade butcher knife and heavy duty cleaver is made from this steel. When properly heat treated, knives made from this steel bend before breaking (well, I only tested a 1.5mm thick blade, so this information is of no real practical use, but it shows it's a tough rather than fragile steel). I should try to make a camp knife out of it, but because of the high chromium, it won't be as easy to sharpen as a good old 10XX.

By the way, using mostly the douk-douk made of 1075 (called XC75 or C75 in France) for my everyday chores, I think it's a real good steel. Razor sharpness is not a problem with it. But I mirror polished the whole blade to avoid rusting, and for a pocket knife it's a finish easy to maintain with car polish, though sometimes I wish I could fix the beautyfull coloured patern it makes on the blade when I cut steack, with dashes and stripes of blue, yellow, red and brown.

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1994/dscf3114m.jpghttp://img52.imageshack.us/img52/2696/dscf3116e.jpg

[wildjim]

Interesting since I've acquired a bunch of carbon v?

http://www.zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=infi%2C1055%2C0170-6C%2C1095%20Cro-Van&gm=0

[jankerson]

Infi

sr-101

5160

vg-1

154 cm

s30v

[wildjim]

5160 (1950 truck springs) looks good since watching Tai Goo and Tim Lively forge it.

[MonkeyBomb]

SR-101, SR-77 and Infi. Not in order.

[The Tourist]

I'm a mutt, I like several alloys.

Nothing shines like a Myerchin with their brand of 440C. Most of my personal knives are S30V.

But if I had to pick one steel to use and sharpen for the rest of my life it would be D2.

[Madnumforce]

D2? Strange choice in my opinion. But maybe that's because I sharpen almost only on natural stones now, and that they don't bite this kind of steel. I have a DMT sharpener, but I experienced some kind of wearing after some years of use. Maybe that's because I put too much pressure (that's what I've been told), but I don't have this problem with natural stones, that's why I'm prefering it, and thus the steels it bites in.

[The Tourist]

D2? Strange choice in my opinion.

I prefer steel alloys you might refer to as "high carbon, low chromium." Even though it gets hot and muggy in Wisconsin come August, I don't think an alloy with 20% chromium is really needed to fight corrosion.

"Stainless" is defined as any alloy with more than 12% chromium. The only reason that D2 is not so classified is that it is 11% chromium. (Granted, I do not know the figures for 'free chrome.')

While I have not seen any, I hear there is now CPM-D2. That might solve most of the sharpening issues. If I find a knife like that from my supplier, I'll get a mule for tests.

[N.D.]

I prefer steel alloys you might refer to as "high carbon, low chromium." Even though it gets hot and muggy in Wisconsin come August, I don't think an alloy with 20% chromium is really needed to fight corrosion.

"Stainless" is defined as any alloy with more than 12% chromium. The only reason that D2 is not so classified is that it is 11% chromium. (Granted, I do not know the figures for 'free chrome.')

While I have not seen any, I hear there is now CPM-D2. That might solve most of the sharpening issues. If I find a knife like that from my supplier, I'll get a mule for tests.

I'm a D2 fan for smaller blades as well, and my EDC Folder is a Kershaw JYDII W a CPM D2 Composite plain edge Blade.
The factory bevel is way too steep, so I'm in the process of re-beveling it W a Lansky diamond kit, I'm tapering back @ 17* and sharpening @ 20* and am going to try to hand blend and polish the 2 angles together, its slow going and lots of work, but I do expect it to hold the edge a long time, and also be less work to touch up nxt time!

N.D.

[The Tourist]

I think with a lot of work and a bit of 'deferred gratification' you'll enjoy that knife for years to come.

I like to save metal. If I find that a personal knife of mine functions well--and I can see that over time gentle polishing will perfect the edge--then I do not worry about getting everything done today.

The EDC CQC-16 in my pocket right now has a small imperfection on the left side of the blade in front of the coil. I know guys who pace and cuss unless every minute defect was polished out immediately.

I think more guns and knives have been ruined by over-maintenance than by actual use.

[Barbarian]

From my personal experience, I like the 1055-95 series steels as far as carbon steel. For stainless, s30v is by far my favorite.

[paulie]

.r. Richard_1, I'm knew to a lot of steel concepts, e.I what is best edge holding and the ease of sharpeningg, this is why one of the reasons I joined this forum. And so I read these posts, and search what I read, but isn't ats34s, and 154cm the same type of steel?...Paulie

[Barbarian]

ats34s, and 154cm the same type of steel?

They have the same chemical formula, but are prepared differently, and perform differently.

[Falcor]

Until recently, it was INFI, but 3V when HT to RC60 by Peters HT for example, like on Koster, Jonny Mac and Gingrich knives, it is No.1

It likes a convex edge (done properly) and once setup, it holds it, and edge maintenance is very easy.

I like it so much that after my first 3V, a Gingrich Custom, I have bought a Koster Bushmaster, ordered a custom from Jonny Mac which is going for HT soon, and pre-ordered a MUCK from Koster, all in 3V.

I still love INFI of course just bought another TMDSF - my favorite Busse.

Will post pics when they arrive here.