H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

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Evil D
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H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#1

Post by Evil D »

I've come to realize that H1 is the absolute perfect EDC steel. I want to firstly make it clear that I don't mean it's my favorite steel or even the steel I would choose to have in all my knives even if it were an option. That said, I fully believe that for most people and for real day to day use, this steel cannot be beat.

The first argument against this will no doubt be poor edge retention. That's a fair argument, as I've been there myself and I've done jobs where H1 in plain edge just would not go the distance throughout the day and would be far more dull by the end of the day than I would be happy with. I would argue that in that situation, a "work knife" in a more appropriate steel for the job is warranted. For casual daily use, H1 has very reasonable edge retention, especially if you thin the edge/blade grind.

Another fair argument is whether you need the rust proof nature vs another steel that is very good at corrosion resistance. VG10 is a good comparison here because it holds an edge at least as good as H1/PE and is really decent at not rusting, but it also isn't quite as tough. The magic of H1 as an EDC steel is the sum of its qualities, not just one single quality. I'll reserve judgement on LC200N until we've seen more about how it performs, but I still suspect it will fall short in toughness.

By comparison, most other steels that hold an edge better are also equally more time consuming to sharpen. S110V for example will go the distance with a great working edge but takes more time and effort to sharpen, even with my SIC stones. With H1 I can make a few swipes on the Sharpmaker and have it back to peak sharpness in a fraction of the time it would take for practically any steel that has significantly better edge retention, even VG10. The added toughness also means it's less likely that I'll have to repair edge damage, which further speeds up sharpening.

So, when it really boils down, the only real reason to not love H1 as an EDC steel is that you simply do not want to touch up an edge on a daily basis. Nobody can tell you you're wrong for that, but in the end you're going to spend the same amount of time sharpening your knife as I do, perhaps even more, you'll just spend it in one sharpening session once a week vs the 2-3 minutes I'd spend each evening touching up my edge. I'll have the advantage of starting each day with an edge that's at peak sharpness, I'll worry less about edge damage, and I'll never worry about corrosion. I really think the worst part about H1 is that it isn't available in more models.
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dj moonbat
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#2

Post by dj moonbat »

H1 is not steel. QED.
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Evil D
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#3

Post by Evil D »

dj moonbat wrote:
Fri Mar 02, 2018 7:42 am
H1 is not steel. QED.
Steel, alloy, it's a hard thing with an edge. :rolleyes:
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npad69
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#4

Post by npad69 »

you won't find a lot of FFGs with it
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Evil D
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#5

Post by Evil D »

npad69 wrote:
Fri Mar 02, 2018 7:54 am
you won't find a lot of FFGs with it
That's absolutely a down side. I wish this we're different.
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dogrunner
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#6

Post by dogrunner »

The poor edge retention in PE is a deal breaker for me. I prefer a steel that does not require constant maintenance. I actually find a little end of day touch up is all I need for Cruwear, M4 or S90V (my most common carries), and it does not take long. I may not need to do it every day, even. OTOH, H1 and even VG10 require repeated sharpening if I use them much, which means anything more than casual use creates frequent interruptions. Maybe I have no patience or don't appreciate taking a break enough ;)
But no, H1 is NOT the perfect EDC steel *for me*.
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#7

Post by standy99 »

Live tropical, EDC a salt and used Pacific salts in the boat for years.
If I had a $1 for every rusted fishing knife I have seen in mates boats or Christmas Rapala or the like fishing knives I've thrown out after a season in the boat.

H1 is a great steel, hit it with a butchers steel in between sharpens and never have to worry about poor edge retention

GB1 is my hunting knife, Can't beat M4 for the tuff stuff
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#8

Post by elena86 »

Not perfect but very good. Perfect edc steel for me would be SRS15
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#9

Post by zhyla »

Unless I'm missing something, your argument is basically: "it's easy to sharpen." But can't you say that about all kinds of steels? Why is H1 better than GIN-1? Or BD1? Or 8Cr13MoV?
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#10

Post by ThePeacent »

after all those years of knife learning and trying out different steels and blades,
I agree on that

For my needs and my uses, it can't be beat. Balanced and excellent in all I look for in a steel,
I can only imagine LC200N beating it in the near future,

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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#11

Post by curlyhairedboy »

I've gotta say, I'm very impressed with H1 in my Atlantic Salt. the sharpmaker got that thing scary sharp.
EDC Rotation: PITS, Damasteel Urban, Shaman, Ikuchi, Amalgam, CruCarta Shaman, Sage 5 LW, Serrated Caribbean Sheepsfoot CQI, XHP Shaman, M4/Micarta Shaman, 15v Shaman
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me2
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#12

Post by me2 »

dj moonbat wrote:
Fri Mar 02, 2018 7:42 am
H1 is not steel. QED.
Why not?
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wrdwrght
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#13

Post by wrdwrght »

H1's toughness gets lost in all the amazement over its rustlessness. If LC200N proves itself to be nearly as tough, I think its similar rustlessness and its superior plain-edge-holding might make it a more "perfect EDC steel".

My SpydieChef is good enough to make me want to find out more. I'll be getting several LC200N knives this year.
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#14

Post by ChrisinHove »

This is pretty much the same rational that Victorinox adopt, if you think about it, and the SAK is the definitive EDC.
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#15

Post by tonijedi »

H1 is great for the ease of sharpening and corrosion resistance. I start to appreciate more and more the steels that can be sharpened very fast.
One of these days I was thinking that if I was on that hypothetical scenario of the desert island I'd like to have my Aqua Salt because I know I could resharpen it with some river or sea stones.
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#16

Post by zhyla »

me2 wrote:
Fri Mar 02, 2018 12:33 pm
dj moonbat wrote:
Fri Mar 02, 2018 7:42 am
H1 is not steel. QED.
Why not?
It has no carbon. Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. But this is just like a material science joke, everyone considers H1 to be steel in the practical sense.
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#17

Post by thewoodpecker »

Pacific Salt has climbed to the top of my list, right next to SB Caly 3.5. Love the handle, better than Endura 4 by far and H1 has great properties for EDC use.
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#18

Post by thewoodpecker »

elena86 wrote:
Fri Mar 02, 2018 11:10 am
Not perfect but very good. Perfect edc steel for me would be SRS15
Stainless Cruwear? No experience with this and not much info out there but looks good on paper. What is your experience?
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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#19

Post by attila »

zhyla wrote:
Fri Mar 02, 2018 1:52 pm
me2 wrote:
Fri Mar 02, 2018 12:33 pm
dj moonbat wrote:
Fri Mar 02, 2018 7:42 am
H1 is not steel. QED.
Why not?
It has no carbon. Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. But this is just like a material science joke, everyone considers H1 to be steel in the practical sense.
H1 does have carbon in it per the alloy's specification. It is only 0.15%, but it is there. Therefore, by the definition of steel being iron with carbon in it, H1 is indeed a steel alloy, albeit a weird one.
Have: old S30V Native, HAP40 Endura, ZDP DF2, S110V Manix LW, Cru-wear Para 3, SE H1 DF2, S90V Native 5, K390 Urban, SE Pac Salt, P.I.T.S., XHP Manix LW, SB Caly 3, B70P, PMA11, K03, Kapara, REX 45 Military, 154CM Manix LW, Swick, AEB-L Urban, KC Cruwear Manix, M390 PM2, Mantra 2, CruCarta Shaman, M390 Manix, K390 Police 4, S90V Manix LW, Rex 45 Manix LW, 20CV Manix, Rex 45 Lil’Native, Shaman, C208GP, Cruwear Manix, Cruwear Manix, M4 Chief, Z-max!!!

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Re: H1 is the perfect EDC steel. Change my mind..

#20

Post by abbazaba »

Corrosion resistance isn't high enough on my own priority list to justify H1 as being perfect for my primary EDC, and usually favor something that holds an edge longer. Completely agreed about ease of sharpening though, which is one of the reasons I love XHP for EDC. But it's subjective of course. For example many find M4 very easy to keep screaming sharp.

LC200n has been great on the Spydiechef, though I have not truly used it enough to judge. Really looking forward to the Native5 Salt to beat on. I have a feeling it may be the ultimate utility knife for many.
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