Survival knife: stainless or carbon?

[Combat-wombat]

I just got the new Cold Steel "Special Projects" catalog, and it appears they're using their "Carbon V" steel more instead of that 420 crap. They've also added a nifty black coating to some knives, too.

I also like the Becker combat/utility line of knives, too, which are carbon steel as well.

The only way I could justify buying a fixed blade like that would be survival, though, because they're not practical for carry where I live.

So all I'm wondering is would carbon steel be okay for a survival knife, or should I stick to stainless? I hear carbon has good eddge retention, but also has pretty bad corrosion resistance.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

if you're limiting yourslef to cold steel knife shaped objects, i'd just get the bushman, it's inexpensive and won't fail.

 

[Soap]

I chose carbon. I've cared for my knives through some rough field use and they have never rusted. Plus, in the field and at home, they are easier to sharpen.

 

[Harbinger]

Carbon. Take care of it and you won't have a problem.

 

[Slydlok]

Get carbon. Like Harbinger said, take care of it and the knife will take care of you. Besides all "stainless" used in knives and guns are actually high carbon content steels so they are not corrosion proof, just resistant. Yes more resistant than carbon steel blade but they are suseptible to corrosion none the less so you have to take care of them too.

Take a look at the Howler from Swamp Rat Knives. They are made from SR101, which is 52100, metal used for bearings, very tough and hold and keeps an edge.

 

[riverdog]

S30V as in Doug Ritter's RSK Mk1â„¢ Folding Knife . It's really just a limited edition Benchmade Griptilian with a custom blade design using S30V steel.

 

[kannonfyre]

My $0.02 worth of knife steel choice for field knives......

.....I get called up for obligatory territorial army duties every now and then. I notice that those who have a knife simply because it's required go for stainless steel blades made from 420J, AUS6 or other affordable stainless grades. They don't maintain their blades much and minor tarnish is often seen after some time.

However, those who camp/fish/work in rough environments or carry a sense of professionalism in their reservist duties mostly carry carbon steel knives with blades made of 1095, Carbon V, SK5, 01 or A2. They maintain these tools as regularly as they clean their rifles and treat the blades with machine oil and WD40 at least TWICE a day. With our HUMID climate, the same or even less amount of tarnish occurs as with an abandoned stainless knife.

Basically, those who choose non stainless blades tend to have a more serious attitude towards their reserve obligations and frequently hold the equivalent grade of E-4 or above.

 

[Slydlok]

The 3 pillars of freedom: a)ballot box, b)soap box and most IMPORTANTLY.... (c) CARTRIDGE BOX

kannonfyre, I like that.

 

[Joe Demko]

Carbon steel is great if you have the mind set and the means to take proper care of it. Tough to oil it down twice a day if you haven't any oil. Also be aware that the edge will microcorrode away with the knife just sitting in a drawer. That said, I prefer carbon steel, and always choose it when it is one of the choices. People got along without stainless steel for a good long time.

 

[kannonfyre]

Also, the larger the knives get, the less stainless they seem to be. I think it's because machetes and their ilk need to be tough to withstand frequent hacking. Stainless tends to be more brittle and would likely break or fracture. Hence, if you're thinking of including a big hacking knife in your kit then you may have little choice but to pick non stainless steels.

 

[kannonfyre]

Golgo-13,

I was referring to military exercises whereby personnel carried some machine oil for their M-16s. Those who use carbon steel maintain their knives whenever they clean their rifles.

As for mircocorrosion, would it still corrode if the blade was GENEROUSLY coated with a layer silicone grease and kept in a dry place?

 

[Joe Demko]

As long as you keep the actual edge itself coated with oil or grease, one supposes microcorrosion should not be a problem, especially in a dry environment.
The thing about surivival knives is that you are going to be using it for everything in a real and for true survival situation...including processing food that you are going to place in your very own tum-tum. Food contaminated with petroleum-based preservatives is a fine way to give yourself a bad case of the runs, which is exactly what you don't want in a survival situation. So, when you pick that carbon steel blade, also pick a protectant that you can ingest, at least in small amounts, w/o catastrophic results. One supposes machinegun oil isn't on that list.

 

[The Tourist]

As a rule, I like stainless knives. All of my folders are usually hih end stainless, like BG-42 and S30V.

My survival knife is 1084, short nine-inch Bowie-styled knife, not a Bowie..

Why the disparity? In a survival situation, it ain't "looks" that saves your butt, it's function. Besides, if a survival problem extends over more than 3 days, you've got other issues, like exposure.

The 1084 is easy to sharpen with found objects, strong enough to pry if need be, good for defense of four-legged critters and fairly cheap to replace if totally damaged.

 

[Slydlok]

The knife I carry when I'm just out and about out here in the desert or if I'm in the mountains just scouting for game is for hunting season is a Swamp Rat Camp Tramp. It's made out of what SR calls SR101, which is nothing but 52100, it is one tough knife.
Like The Tourist, my EDC pocket folders are of the stainless variety, ATS34 and BG42. But for a hard use knife, I like the carbon ones.

 

[riverdog]

S30V is a tough steel. The process to make it is not simple but it results in a steel that's strong, tough, takes a great edge and is very corrosion resistant. There is a reason Doug Ritter's survival knife was spec'd to use Crucible's S30V; it's a really good steel.

 

[Slydlok]

S30V is good steel, that's why all the makers, especially for folders, are using it. One thing about S30V, it keeps an edge but once it gets dull, it's a bitch to put the edge back on. You need to use a diamond sharper. If you are out and do not carry a handy little sharpner, well you are out of luck. Having said that, a knife made out S30V will keep its edge for a long time. You'd have to be chopping up rocks to mess it up.

 

[SteelyDan]

Keep in mind that "carbon vs. stainless" is not a black-and-white issue; there are enormous variations of gray. Always worth checking out this site:

http://www.bladeforums.com/features/faqsteel.shtml

I have a fair number of knives, and I tend toward the carbon end of things, but for a single "survival" knife I'd downshift into the more stainless category without missing a heartbeat.

 

[Ivy Mike]

when I'm working, my CRKT M-16 00K is in my pocket. She carries an AUS-6 blade with a Ti Nitride coating.

When I'm working in the elements, the cricket sits in a drawer at home and my Ka-Bar USMC is strapped to my boot. She is made of 1095 Carbon and has a black epoxy coating of some type (don't remember Ka-Bar's name for it)

Short list: the CRKT and its stainless blade cuts envelopes, boxes and other unimportant items.
The Ka-Bar and its carbon blade always get called on for the nasty jobs.

 

[XLMiguel]

kannonfyre, ya left out the jury box. FWIW.

Personnaly, I like the high end stainless alloys.