Carbon vs Stainless Steel

[Larrin]

In this article I covered the history of the carbon vs stainless steel debate, the differences between carbon and stainless steel, and where the debate stands today.

https://knifesteelnerds.com/2018/09/10/ ... in-knives/

[Sharp Guy]

Thank you Larrin! You're articles are always enlightening. I'm looking forward to reading this one too.

[JD Spydo]

I really appreciate your in depth contributions "Larrin" :) As you consistently bring great information concerning our hobby/obsession

I've been checking out that website and I must say I find it quite interesting. It's an interesting comparison between Carbon & Stainless steel knife blades because I've found that when I encounter an "old school" guy that is totally sold out on carbon steels that they are sold out on them to the point that they will even get very mad at you if you try to defend your own choice of using the newer/better stainless blades.

I remember about 9 years ago I was at one of the BLADE Shows in ATlanta when I struck up a conversation with a really old school knife maker at his booth. We got into a conversation about this very subject and it didn't take long before he got really angry with me. I even offered to let him use my ZDP-189 Caly Jr for a whole day just to see what he thought about that specific blade steel. You would have thought that I said something extremely degrading about his mother or his sister the way he reacted to me :eek: I had to put on my very best diplomatic personality to somewhat calm down the situation. And truly I was trying to be nice to the guy and share something with him. But he would have none of it!!! How I got away from that booth without getting into a physical encounter I'm not sure but I somehow calmed him down enough to make my quick escape.

I don't think even if I went to a meeting of staunch conservatives with a Hillary Clinton button on my shirt or on my lapel would I even got that bad of a reaction :rolleyes: Yeah those discussions concerning "Carbon versus Stainless blades" are ones you got to be really careful of I found out. :rolleyes:

[JonLeBlanc]

Oh thank you, I love carbon steels and ALSO learning about newer metallurgy!

[The Meat man]

Thanks Larrin! Another great article.

[Larrin]

I remember about 9 years ago I was at one of the BLADE Shows in ATlanta when I struck up a conversation with a really old school knife maker at his booth. We got into a conversation about this very subject and it didn't take long before he got really angry with me. I even offered to let him use my ZDP-189 Caly Jr for a whole day just to see what he thought about that specific blade steel. You would have thought that I said something extremely degrading about his mother or his sister the way he reacted to me :eek: I had to put on my very best diplomatic personality to somewhat calm down the situation. And truly I was trying to be nice to the guy and share something with him. But he would have none of it!!! How I got away from that booth without getting into a physical encounter I'm not sure but I somehow calmed him down enough to make my quick escape.

We will have to add "carbon vs stainless steel" to the list along with politics and religion. :)

[blues]

We will have to add "carbon vs stainless steel" to the list along with politics and religion. :)

Don't forget "Ginger" vs. "Mary Ann" :cool:

[Larrin]

Don't forget "Ginger" vs. "Mary Ann" :cool:

Mary Ann is clearly the superior choice.

[JD Spydo]

I remember about 9 years ago I was at one of the BLADE Shows in ATlanta when I struck up a conversation with a really old school knife maker at his booth. We got into a conversation about this very subject and it didn't take long before he got really angry with me. I even offered to let him use my ZDP-189 Caly Jr for a whole day just to see what he thought about that specific blade steel. You would have thought that I said something extremely degrading about his mother or his sister the way he reacted to me :eek: I had to put on my very best diplomatic personality to somewhat calm down the situation. And truly I was trying to be nice to the guy and share something with him. But he would have none of it!!! How I got away from that booth without getting into a physical encounter I'm not sure but I somehow calmed him down enough to make my quick escape.

We will have to add "carbon vs stainless steel" to the list along with politics and religion. :)

OK I'll admit that not everyone of the old school knife guys are like that but there are ones like I described because I've ran into 3 of them since that one Blade Show. I just couldn't believe how upset that guy got>> and we're talking about which blade steel he liked best. Holy Toledo!!! I couldn't even imagine how redneck the guy would have got over a political or religious debate :eek:

And what's really baffling about it is that you can't even get one of the guys in the "carbon steel" camp to so much as even give a newer/better stainless blade even so much as a try-out. Don't even ask one of them to do a "side by side" competition because I'm sure that the Police would have to be called at some point :rolleyes: .

Man you talk about "jaded" and "narrow minded" :eek: I'm here to tell you that most of those old school knife guys won't even discuss the subject in a diplomatic way at all

[JD Spydo]

Don't forget "Ginger" vs. "Mary Ann" :cool:

Mary Ann is clearly the superior choice.

If I were ever lucky enough to meet Mary Ann ( Dawn Wells) I would most definitely gift her with a Pink Delica :) Yeah I always thought she was far more real than Ginger ( Tina Louise). I've often wondered what Gilligan ( Bob Denver) and the Skipper ( Alan Hale)might have carried for their main EDCs. The Skipper would have been one of those "redneck" carbon steel guys all the way :rolleyes: Whereas Brother Gilligan might have had a Hawkbill and a Para2 in his pockets. Just a wild guess but it all sounds right anyway.

Even in my younger knife days all the way back into the 1970s ( boy those were GOLDEN years) I even gravitated toward stainless blades when I could even that far back. Some of the earliest generation BUCK models had really nice stainless blades for that time especially. I truly think that Spyderco, Benchmade and maybe two other knife companies I could mention were really the ones who catapulted the popularity of stainless blades. Because even all the way up to this present time you see far more custom knifemakers still fixed on carbon steel blades for the most part. I do think that is going to change here in the next, upcoming decade.

The newer generation STAINLESS blades are the future>> and I sure hope a civil "knife" war doesn't break out between the newer and older school knife guys :eek: But the way that one guy acted to me in Atlanta that time it really wouldn't surprise me either :rolleyes:

[blues]

I like simple carbon steels. I like forged blades. I like damascus and "wootz". I like tool steels. I like modern stainless super steels.

I like Ginger and Mary Anne. (One you can introduce to your mother, the other you keep away from your friends.)

Life is good.

[Larrin]

I like simple carbon steels. I like forged blades. I like damascus and "wootz". I like tool steels. I like modern stainless super steels.

I like Ginger and Mary Anne. (One you can introduce to your mother, the other you keep away from your friends.)

Life is good.

Nope you have to pick one.

[Rutger]

Nice read on the history of the steel development over the years. What i'm interested in now is what is next in our future. Stuff like the nitrogen steels like LC200N, Vanax etc. Much of the steels we use today are already pretty old tech.

[Larrin]

Nice read on the history of the steel development over the years. What i'm interested in now is what is next in our future. Stuff like the nitrogen steels like LC200N, Vanax etc. Much of the steels we use today are already pretty old tech.

How old is old?

[Rutger]

10-20 years seems pretty old to me with how fast tech is moving in other industries.
REX121 - 1998
S30V -2001
S110V - 2005

[Fixmeister]

What a great article. My 1st ‘super steel’ was S30V. I bragged to everyone about how it was the best knife steel ever created. Then I started to read. And had to retract some of what I had touted. I had no clue about grain structure and why a carbon steel might outperform a stainless in test xyz. I blew around like a leaf in the wind.

Articles like this one have allowed me to explore steels I would have never considered before and to appreciate the qualities each particular knife steel brings to the table. And kudos to Spyderco and Sal for the incredible offerings they continue to churn out. My current fave is the new PM2 in REX45. Man I love that knife!

[kodai78]

Great article! Keep up the great work.

[Forest Green]

Beautifully written, didn't seem nerdy at all.

[Larrin]

Beautifully written, didn't seem nerdy at all.

Must be losing my touch. :)

[Evil D]

For me this is where knife use splits between legit daily use needs and basic hobby fun. I prefer stainless for easy care free daily use, and carbon for the hobby aspect because I enjoy patinas and how most carbon steels behave. Sometimes the line between gets blurry and my carbon steels get used for daily needs but not regularly.