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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - “Best” modern steel for a knife (Page 2 of 2)

Posted: 12/20/2022 5:06:04 PM EDT

[#1]

A knife I just finished up in S35VN

This steel is rich in vanadium carbides which gives it terrific edge retention and hardness

Posted: 12/21/2022 3:46:10 PM EDT

[#2]

Buck of the month for April 2021, 104 compadre in 3V and burlap micarta, one of 500 made, wife immediately claimed this one because the color of the micarta roughly matches her S&W custom shop 637, perfect size for a camp knife IMO:

Posted: 12/26/2022 1:21:17 AM EDT

[#3]

I'm a big fan of 3V for fixed blades and m390/20cv & s110v for folders.

Posted: 1/2/2023 12:47:37 AM EDT

[#4]

CPM Cruwear is another excellent steel. Very tough and good edge retention. It isn't stainless but I've found it to be very stain resistant.

S90V is a monster when it comes to edge retention. It's loaded with vanadium. It's also a bear to sharpen.

M390/20CV/204P are basically equivalent and have excellent corrosion resistance, great edge retention and decent toughness.

But I enjoy many steels. S30V, S35VN, S45VN, CPM M4 and 3V have all been great for me.

People are bored with S30V but that's only because it's a victim of its own success. It's ubiquitous because it's an excellent steel for a pocket knife. An incredibly balanced stainless steel.

Posted: 1/12/2023 6:23:10 PM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:
A knife I just finished up in S35VN
https://i.imgur.com/flvVSNm.jpg

This steel is rich in vanadium carbides which gives it terrific edge retention and hardness

View Quote

Oh FFS!!!

Posted: 1/15/2023 2:57:10 PM EDT

[#6]

I’d stick with ATS34 or 154CM. Stainless and resilient if heat treated properly. I find all the new super steels too brittle, limited shock resistance. Older tool steels like D2 are just difficult to sharpen.

Posted: 1/15/2023 3:30:58 PM EDT

[#7]

I like emlax, holds an edge very well, equally hard to sharpen. But is very durable. I have peeled copper and solder without edge damage.

Posted: 1/15/2023 10:35:04 PM EDT

[#8]

Quote History

Quoted:
A knife I just finished up in S35VN
https://i.imgur.com/flvVSNm.jpg

This steel is rich in vanadium carbides which gives it terrific edge retention and hardness

View Quote

Nice blade.

Will the average owner see much difference vs S30V?

ETA: most of my prior daily carry knives are CPM154, which hold an edge & is easy to sharpen, IME. I did buy Cruwear, CPM20CV, ZDP189 & Maxamet, but whatever Victorinox uses is probably my most-used knife, actually, those little scissors get used most, then the knife.

The carbon steel 1095 knives seem slightly sharper “hair wiping” is how Bill Bagwell referred back in the 1980s, I think, whereas the stainless will shave, but takes slightly more effort.

Or, maybe i’m nuts & just a steel junkie.

Posted: 1/15/2023 11:30:30 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:

Nice blade.

Will the average owner see much difference vs S30V?

ETA: most of my prior daily carry knives are CPM154, which hold an edge & is easy to sharpen, IME. I did buy Cruwear, CPM20CV, ZDP189 & Maxamet, but whatever Victorinox uses is probably my most-used knife, actually, those little scissors get used most, then the knife.

The carbon steel 1095 knives seem slightly sharper “hair wiping” is how Bill Bagwell referred back in the 1980s, I think, whereas the stainless will shave, but takes slightly more effort.

Or, maybe i’m nuts & just a steel junkie.

View Quote

Thanks
I don’t think the average user will notice a difference
S35 is less prone to chipping though
Btw I love CPM154
Maybe my favorite stainless steel

Posted: 1/17/2023 4:28:27 PM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

[b]Quoted:

People are bored with S30V but that's only because it's a victim of its own success. It's ubiquitous because it's an excellent steel for a pocket knife. An incredibly balanced stainless steel.

View Quote

I think I read a while back that Paul Bos said one time that all things considered it was the best all-around stainless knife steel.

I only have one blade in S30V and haven't used it, so don't have any first hand experience.

Probably the steel I have used the most over the last dozen years is actually AUS-8, when properly heat-treated and tempered it's an amazing everyday steel. Super easy to sharpen and does a good job of holding a working edge.

Posted: 1/19/2023 10:01:47 PM EDT

[#11]

INFI

Posted: 4/21/2023 2:11:04 AM EDT

[#12]

I've been making knives for 35 years now....mostly forging carbon steels, etc.

AEBL is one of my favorite stainless steels.

I've made several now in Magnacut and I am REALLY impressed. The only drawback is cost of the steel alone and a somewhat extensive heat treat/cryro process

Here's a Magnacut fighter I did recently

Posted: 4/21/2023 6:33:42 AM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
I've been making knives for 35 years now....mostly forging carbon steels, etc.

AEBL is one of my favorite stainless steels.

I've made several now in Magnacut and I am REALLY impressed. The only drawback is cost of the steel alone and a somewhat extensive heat treat/cryro process

Here's a Magnacut fighter I did recently

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/3606/EBZKeO.jpg

View Quote

That looks amazing

Posted: 4/21/2023 10:15:43 AM EDT

[#14]

The more I work and use Magnacut the more I believe that is going to be the industry standard on stainless steels in the future.

Posted: 4/21/2023 10:20:10 AM EDT

[#15]

W2 with hamon, force a slight patina that doesn't drown the hamon and roll with it.

I have knives of Elmax S35VN, M390, you name it. At the end of the day, geometry and heat treat are much much more important.

Posted: 4/24/2023 8:03:45 PM EDT

[#16]

I’m a Busse fan and I love Infi, I have nothing but good things to say about it.

Outside of that I like cpm-154 because it’s stainless but I can sharpen it in the field pretty easily.

I have had good experiences with sr101, a2 and 1095 but they all require more maintenance since they aren’t stainless, that being said they take a crazy sharp edge and are very easy to sharpen in the field.

Posted: 4/24/2023 8:08:44 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
Spyderco Mule Team Project

In the knife industry a "mule" is a sample knife used for performance testing. Spyderco's Mule Team series takes this concept a step further by offering the same fixed-blade knife pattern in many different steel variations. This ongoing project allows steel-obsessed knife enthusiasts a unique opportunity to test and evaluate different steels using the same identical design platform.

View Quote

not really offering it when they are all discontinued.

Posted: 4/24/2023 9:06:43 PM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
not really offering it when they are all discontinued.

View Quote

https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/category/mule-team

M398, AEB-L and com SPY27 are all available now. They do them in limited runs (except SPY27) so if you see one you want to try you need to grab it when it shows up.

Posted: 5/5/2023 8:56:27 PM EDT

[#19]

CTS XHP and 154 in either flavor are my over all favorites

Posted: 5/7/2023 2:16:30 AM EDT

[#20]

I'm thinking Magnacut. I asked CRK about when they think they'll be switching over for their Inkosi insingo blades and they expect by Fall, which is around when mine will be delivered.

Posted: 5/12/2023 1:29:14 PM EDT

[#21]

Any steel can "work". Performance steel can give you some insurance for hard, beyond intended use. More importantly in my opinion it can also allow you to make a knife thinner, thereby increasing performance without sacrificing strength.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - “Best” modern steel for a knife (Page 2 of 2)

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