What's the lowest edge retention steel you'd carry?

[jpm2]

I use a 10" chopper and a few kitchen knives of unknown composition, so I guess anything.

[Tucson Tom]

I am a steel geek but not a steel snob.

That is a fine edge that I try to stay the right side of.

It makes me think of a Bible verse. Paul said, "I have learned how to be abased and how to abound, and in whatever state I am, to be content".

[Marine6680]

None of my current carried knives are less than s30v/s35vn steel. It is a favorite, just due to the balanced nature, and overall performance to cost. I tend to go for more balanced steels... Some do this better than others, and there are some very nice balanced steels in the super steel category, that have excellent characteristics in all of the properties, and that are just better overall, at a higher cost of course... I like those too, and have a couple knives in them, but most are the 3x series.

I seen a video title the other day declaring "s110v is the best knife steel evar!"... Which amused me. I wouldn't touch the stuff myself. I passed over s90v in a knife for the s30v version, simply due to the lower overall toughness of s90v. I really liked the s90v version, with the carbon fiber and other niceties. But I am fine with the G10 on the one I chose.

I avoid the super hard steels... I will take a bit of a hit to edge retention for easier sharpening, and more toughness, and I don't want to sacrifice much in the way of corrosion resistance either.

Hard steels are fine if you don't use the knife in certain ways that can stress the steel... If you are a desk jocky who uses their knife as a glorified letter opener more than any other use, then a super hard steel is great. Less sharpening needed. Most guys like that wouldn't be opposed to sending the knife to a professional sharpener either, so difficulty isn't a concern.

I would probably be ok with 154cm even though I don't own a knife with that steel, but will choose better if I have the option within a knife design. I have a smallish Victorinox stashed in my camping emergency kit, and I have some fixed blades for camping that are a tougher carbon steel, for the rigors of camp use. Those are not EDC by any means though.

[Marine6680]

A second related thought...

Blade steel isn't the whole story. Blade geometry plays a big role as well.

A more brittle hard steel can be helped by blade shape. With the tip and tip edge tending to be the most vulnerable parts of the blade.

So a thinner more pointed tip may not hold up in a hard steel, but could in a tougher steel, it may fair just fine with a stronger tip design on the blade.

All relative... A stronger tip can make slicing or general cutting more difficult, or just not as easy... Give and take is a constant in design.

[Carlito86]

For me It Is vg10. I mean...in case I have to do a lot of cutting I know with vg10 I Will Be ok. Anybody Can say and will say that 99% of the time you do not do lot of cutting ... but since EDC is about being ready I feel like vg10 Is the minimum that wont dull at me in a reasonable cutting session.

Anything below will dye quickly in case of intensive use. My 2c

[steelcity16]

Plain Edge H1 for sure. I love the stuff. For my EDC i'm not going to be cutting miles of cardboard or rope or whatever in a single day, so im not worried about it getting dull so quickly. I can touch it up at the end of the day if I need to. I love my PE H1 Dragonfly for small carry. I also carry a PE Salt or Pacific Salt for food if I am going to be eating somewhere and need to cut up food for kids. And I keep a PE H1 Pacific Salt in my work bag to cut upmy lunch at the office. Im typically cutting on paper plates at the office so it doesnt get dull super quick.

[embry386]

An 8cr-something Byrd Cara Cara Rescue (although I don't carry it much, just leave it in the car for emergencies), a G-2 super old Rescue, an ATS-55 newer Rescue and Endura 3. They do get dull fast, but unfortunately there are no versions of those models with higher edge retention steels or cool supersteels. But the general awesomeness of the knives makes up for it :)

[Evil D]

I don't know if I really have a cut off point. I'll carry and use a SAK and their steel is not really known for edge retention. Unless you count my Bugs, I think VG10 may be the "lowest" steel I have from Spyderco. Having grown up with 1095/440 I think my expectations are a bit lower than most. I have had jobs where all out edge retention was very important to me but those days are behind me so now I tend to like more middle of the road steels that have a good balance of traits, maybe even going so far as to say I prefer ease of sharpening and toughness over edge retention now.

[Fred Sanford]

As a few others have said, 1095 is fine for me. If you mean only stainless, then 154CM.

I like ATS-55 better than VG-10. Takes a finer edge IMO.

[vivi]

I don't know if I really have a cut off point. I'll carry and use a SAK and their steel is not really known for edge retention. Unless you count my Bugs, I think VG10 may be the "lowest" steel I have from Spyderco. Having grown up with 1095/440 I think my expectations are a bit lower than most. I have had jobs where all out edge retention was very important to me but those days are behind me so now I tend to like more middle of the road steels that have a good balance of traits, maybe even going so far as to say I prefer ease of sharpening and toughness over edge retention now.

I've been able to get every steel I've tried hair popping sharp, but some steels feel like they fight getting sharp while others just want to be sharp.

420hc, 440c, bd1, vg10, AEB-L, O1 - these steels aren't just easier to sharpen because they take less time to grind, but the steel feels like its working with me, like we have the same goal in mind. I have to really be having an off day to get anything less than an exceptional edge with these steels.

I just touched up my leatherman rebar recently. Gave the PE blade 7 or 8 passes on each side on my fine sharpmaker rods used freehand. All I have to do is touch it to a piece of stubble and it goes flying.

[NoFair]

I think I have an AUS-6 Jester and a few PE H1 knives. They sharpen up quickly, but for general use I prefer something that lasts a bit longer between touch ups.

[ZeroRange]

I sometimes carry a Buck 110 in 420HC so I guess that's my lowest.

[vivi]

I sometimes carry a Buck 110 in 420HC so I guess that's my lowest.

I just picked up a new 420HC knife today. Also grabbed a carbon Mora.

[murphjd25]

I like all steels, I don’t discriminate. The lowest I have at the moment though is S30V. Spyderco heat treats are spot on.

[ZeroRange]

I sometimes carry a Buck 110 in 420HC so I guess that's my lowest.

I just picked up a new 420HC knife today. Also grabbed a carbon Mora.

I love all my moras both stainless and carbon although I don't have a single one that hold an edge with a true scandi grind. All of mine get touched up on the sharpmaker for better results.

[Cycletroll]

I always carry a larger folder in some schwanky super steel (lately its a large micarta Inkosi) but more to the point, in addition to this, I ALWAYS carry an Alox SAK Cadet. Said Cadet is some unfathomable Swiss Super Solingen steel which I find I must sharpen every few days of use. This takes on average 30 seconds. If I had to choose one over the other it'd be the SAK every time

[knivesandbooks]

I sometimes carry a Buck 110 in 420HC so I guess that's my lowest.

I just picked up a new 420HC knife today. Also grabbed a carbon Mora.

What'd ya grab in 420hc? First thought when I hear that steel is buck.

[vivi]

I sometimes carry a Buck 110 in 420HC so I guess that's my lowest.

I just picked up a new 420HC knife today. Also grabbed a carbon Mora.

What'd ya grab in 420hc? First thought when I hear that steel is buck.

Leatherman Wave. I'll be posting pictures sometime soon, waiting on a pocket clip from Leatherman since they don't sell them locally.