3 best steels?

[redneck]

My leatherman tends to be dull and used for ****ty jobs cause it doesn't hold an edge well and I got tired of sharpening it, I probably should have opted for a better model but it is what it is. I beat the tar out of it.
My EDC knife is usually a home made fixed blade and have been 01, 5160, or leaf spring steel, they tend to be a decent balance on the ease of sharpening vs. good edge holding spectrum but as work gets busy and the days get long I find I don't keep an edge on it like I would like. I'm getting tempted to buy some kind of midsized folder in one of the super steels to carry as a backup or to grab in a pinch when I want a sharp blade and haven't had a chance to touch the normal one up. I suppose I would do just as well to make myself 2 of whatever I plan to carry and have a sharp one on standby.
Difficulty sharpening might be obnoxious but having a knife still have a usable edge by the end of the day would be nice sometimes. Some days on the farm the knife is just a letter opener and other days it gets used hard all day long.

 

[borrowedtime69]

Not being a metallurgist or a knife maker, I have 3 of my favorites:

1. Esee 1095 HC
2. Buck knives 420 HC
3. Kershaw D2

The worst steel ive had, other than "chineseum," is CRK&T's AUS8, it's difficult to sharpen well.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

That’s a great video. Been meaning to watch it for a month.

soooooo…… I buy and carry pretty expensive knives just because I enjoy them from a design aspect. The design is more important to me than the steel given my usage.

Steels I have actual cutting experience with include:
S30V
S35VN. Many knives with regular light use.
154CM Lawn cutting home improvement knife.
Bohler M390/CPM 20CV/CTS-204P. Many knives with regular light use.
Bohler M398 Lots of light use.
Magnacut. Actual user That isn’t just a fun knife.
Lots of 440c.

In my largely and admitted light use lifestyle, everything listed above between S30V and Magnacut is good stuff. I live in a relatively dry place but sweat is a real thing. I’ve never had corrosion issues or poor performance from any off them. But I’m not beating on then by any means.

I‘ve assigned “user” roles to 3 knives in my 30ish knife collection. They’re in 20CV, Magncut, and S35VN. By user I just mean I do what’s needed and scratches, edge wear, and cleanliness aren’t a serious consideration. Use it, clean it, strop it, and move on. I carry two knives each day, one of these three, and a bit of pretty pocket jewelry to fiddle with when in a meeting.

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them between S30V and Magnacut, provided you choose one with the attributes you’re focussing on, given the intended use. That being said, my Hinderer Half Track in Magnacut is doing fantastic so far, and I use it a lot.

If I was going to throw cost in the mix, 154CM/CPM154 would be my recommendation for someone looking for a high quality user and needing a suggestion. Those steels are great in my usage experience, and I’ve actually put 154CM through some real usage. It holds a crazy good edge due to its toughness. Strops up easily.

440C should not be overlooked as a great beater steel. It‘s stupid cheap, takes a nice edge in 30 seconds of pull through “ruin your knife by giving it a wire edge” sharpening action, and gets simple tasks done. Do I want citric acid on an expensive blade from peeling an orange? Nope! 440C beater knife to the rescue!

Different steels for different tasks.

Magnacut is fantastic. If you can afford it, try it out. I doubt you'll regret it.

 

[Spats McGee]

Dr. Thomas and his willingness/ability to share knowledge is a real gift to knife enthusiasts....

^^^This. I don't know a lot about knife steels, but I learned a lot of what I do know from his site at https://knifesteelnerds.com/

I find a lot of the modern steels fascinating, but I generally can't justify buying them myself. My most "top of the line" knives have S35V and M390, if memory serves. I've got plenty of older knives that serve my needs just fine, though.

 

[WooD]

I don't know much about steel, but heard Toledo Steel was good stuff.

I have a very old cane sword, and bayonet marked Toledo.

 

[JohnKSa]

...Toledo Steel was good stuff.

It's very similar in quality to Seki, Sheffield, and Solingen steels. <--Knife steel humor.

 

[sparkyv]

I use folding knives daily, mostly for light to medium duty chores, and I do sharpen them myself on diamonds when really needed, but I find that frequent stropping keeps them going and going. Cost is definitely a consideration; just above budget and well, well below exotic, I guess. Mostly what I need is a good "stainless" utility steel, nothing too fancy.

My preferred steels are:
D2
420 HC
S30V/S35VN


Funny...I do the same exact thing!

I carry two knives each day, one of these three, and a bit of pretty pocket jewelry to fiddle with when in a meeting.

 

[hso]

but heard Toledo Steel was good stuff

150 years ago, yes. Anything modern marked that is probably leveraging the mythology for marketing.

 

[WooD]

150 years ago, yes. Anything modern marked that is probably leveraging the mythology for marketing.

Pretty sure my cane sword is legit. Bayonet not so much. After reading up some, my bayonet is marked Toledo on one side and FN on the other. Just read it was made in Toledo Spain around 1965.

 

[Savage30L]

I like the old stand-bys of 154CM and 440C. S30V is to damned hard to sharpen.

 

[RA40]

The 1911 still serves many well and for me ATS-34 and 440-C don't disappoint. (I'm using up what I have because I bought lots.) Some of the people buying them are familiar so I've had requests for 440-C steel. Suffice that it is user friendly so that may be a big part for field maintenance. Getting with the times so the next batches will have updates in steel with CPM154 maybe Magnacut.

 

[JohnKSa]

Sure. A steel doesn't get worse just because a new one becomes available. I still have some AUS-8 knives I purchased many years ago when it was considered a really great knife steel. They work just as well as they ever did. The other thing to keep in mind is that steels are always a tradeoff. Better edge retention--harder sharpening. Lower hardness--better toughness. etc. That means in some cases, for some applications, one of the old standbys may actually be a much better choice than one of the modern supersteels.

 

[Flat Rock]

CPM 154 really is hard to beat

 

[hso]

CPM 154 really is hard to beat

Haven't tried forging it...

 

[Flat Rock]

Haven't tried forging it...

yeah, it's not a forging steel, stock removal only

 

[hso]

Forging...hard to beat...

My apologies

 

[rust collector]

Most will meet my modest needs just fine, but s35vn, 14c28n and Magnacut are my current preferences.