Listed below are several types of steel and their performance in knives. I approach my rankings from an EDC perspective and how versatile a steel can be. If this is useful to the community, I will keep the list updated and add more as I can. Suggestions for new steels and rankings are always appreciated.
Disclaimer: Just because one knife steel can outperform another in several categories, does not mean the other can not shine for a specific use. Different steels are going to be optimal for different people and different uses under different circumstances. The list below represents my opinion of the optimal steels for EDC. I value high edge retention, great corrosion resistance, and decent toughness in an EDC folder. If you live by the beach, you might want a highly stainless steel like LC200N over something like S30V. If you are careful to wipe down the blade and occasionally oil it, you might prefer M4 over S30V because corrosion resistance may not matter as much to you. Different strokes for different folks.
Categories for rankings: Edge Retention | Toughness | Corrosion Resistance | Ease of Sharpening
Poor
H1 - 2|7|10|8 - 43 TRC. Outstanding corrosion resistance, but poor edge retention (fair for serrated blades).
8Cr13MoV - 3|4|5|8 - 73 TRC.
N690 - 3|4|7|6 - 87 TRC.
440C, 420HC, 420C, etc - 3|5|5|6 - 87 TRC. There are some differences between each, but combined to save space. 420HC had the best edge retention with 108 TRC and is also more corrosion resistant (closer to a 7).
AUS-8/8Cr13MoV - 3|5|6|8 - 89 TRC.
Sandvik 12C27, 13C26/AEB-L, 14C28N, Etc - 4|6|6|6 - 101 TRC. There are some differences between each, but combined to save space. AEB-L had the best edge retention with 108 TRC.
CPM-S110V - 9|2|8|1 - 547 TRC. Better corrosion resistance than Maxamet and a bit tougher at the expense of edge retention.
Maxamet - 10|1|3|1 - 875 TRC. Outstanding edge retention, but it's more brittle than others on the list. Consider a DLC coating to help protect against corrosion.
Good - 6+ Edge Retention, 3+ Toughness, 2+ Corrosion Resistance
A2 - 6|7|2|4 - 204 TRC.
CPM-3V - 6|10|4|5 - 223 TRC. Outstanding toughness. Great for a fixed blade.
Hap40 - 6|7|3|3 - 294 TRC. A bit tougher than M4. Tends to roll instead of chip.
LC200N - 7|5|9|6 - 372 TRC. Much better edge retention than H1 and 90% of the corrosion resistance.
CPM-CruWear/Z-Wear - 8|8|4|3 - 400 TRC.
ZDP-189/Cowry X - 8|3|4|1 - 490 TRC.
CPM-M4/K390/Rex45 - 9|7|2|3 - 511 TRC. All 3 are very similar in production heat treatments and geometries. M4 is often the standard others are held to for edge retention with 480 TRC. Consider a DLC coating due to low corrosion resistance. K390 has slightly better edge retention than M4 with 524 TRC, but it is more difficult to sharpen (closer to a 2 like M390). Rex45 is a bit tougher than M4 (better for extreme geometry) and has slightly more corrosion resistance (more like a 3). Rex45 had the best edge retention with 530 TRC.
Very Good - 7+ Edge Retention, 4+ Toughness, 5+ Corrosion Resistance
CPM-SPY27 - 7|5|6|5
CTS-XHP - 8|6|5|5 - 430 TRC.
CPM-S90V - 8|4|6|1 - 473 TRC. Tougher than S110V with less edge retention. Should be able to hold up a bit better for everyday use.
CPM-4V - 8|9|5|5 - 474 TRC. Better edge retention than 3V for a slight decrease in toughness.
CPM-S30V/S35VN/S45VN - 7|5|6|5 - 341 TRC. S45VN leads in edge retention (580), followed by S30V (254) and S35VN (190). Note that some tests show similar edge retention between the 3, close to ELMAX. S45VN is more corrosion resistant than both (really a 7). S35VN is tougher than both (really closer to a 6). S35VN and S45VN are easier to sharpen than S30V.
Elmax - 7|6|7|4 - 344 TRC.
CPM-20CV/M390/CTS-204P - 7|6|8|2 - 382 TRC. All 3 have similar chemical composition, made by 3 different companies.
Vanax - 9|6|9|4 - 580 TRC.
-- TRC = Total Ropes Cut. Thanks to Cedric and Ada. Thanks to Creely for their corrosion resistance chart.
Last edited by Trinity300 on Thu Jun 18, 2020 6:57 pm, edited 36 times in total.
ZDP 189 is outclassed by s30v? And Maxamet is outclassed by s110v?
I think your rankings are _very_ different from mine.
Can you share the platforms you tested in each steel to reach your conclusions?
I agree, definitely a few that have me scratching my head. I'm all for reading how/why he ranked some that way though. Especially XHP and S35VN higher than the M4/K390/Rex45 grouping.
15 's in 10 different steels
1 - Bradford Guardian 3 / Vanadis 4E Wharnie
1 - Monterey Bay Knives Slayback Flipper / ZDP 189
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31/Macassar Ebony Inlays
1 - CRK Large Inkosi Insingo/ Black Micarta Inlays
1 - CRK Small Sebenza 31 Insingo/Magnacut
Interesting list! One thing I can't agree on though right away (like Tom): S30V and ZDP 189 same edge retention? Very different from my experience (still I personally prefer S30V overall)
Since you're new to this forum, you might not have seen this great chart and article by Larrin concerning edge retention (and toughness). More than worth reading!
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
Nice job on the ranking. It's a pretty good general guideline. I think there could be some discussion on a few, like ZDP vs S30V on edge retention, ZDP vs 440C on corrosion resistance, and also O1 on corrosion.
You've generated some discussion here and that's good.
- Connor
"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
I'm also not sure that I'd put Elmax and 20cv (et al) as totally equal except ease of sharpening. That definitely doesn't line up to my experience. And I've definitely found s110v to have more stain resistance than s90v (or 20cv).
I'm really curious what your testing process for generating your numbers was, and what test blades were used.
So a bunch of good stainless steels beat out the top of the line tool steels. I disagree, unless corrosion resistance is more important than any of the other factors.
If maxamet gets a 10 for edge holding, then I think stuff like xhp and 20cv might have too high a score in that category. I dont think they have 80/90 percent of the edge holding of maxamet. I agree with your corrosion resistance rankings.
Really its all good. Makes sense the most balanced steels might come out on top. But I wont call them better.
Last edited by VooDooChild on Mon Jun 08, 2020 3:19 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Edge retention isn't everything, although I do tend to favor it over the other categories because I am generally too busy to constantly sharpen my knives. And one steel may be super premium (expensive) or designed to perform amazing in one category, but that does not mean it is well rounded (such is the case of H1, Maxamet, and even M4). For example, I don't think it is fair to call H1 poor. Take it on a fishing trip. However, since LC200N is available, I personally would not pick H1 for any knife I buy. A blade could stay sharp for ages under ideal conditions, but if the knife edge chips when it hits a staple or rusts when it gets humid, I don't have a practical use for it.
Edit: Since I changed the ranking system to be more quantitative, H1 got moved to Poor, which makes sense approaching this from an EDC standpoint. I would not want to carry it everyday, but it might be good for an occasional fishing trip.
Last edited by Trinity300 on Tue Jun 09, 2020 7:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
I made an edit to the original post, which has to be moderated so I guess that's why it disappeared. I noted that ZDP does have better edge retention than S30V (not as much as 20CV though, so still staying at an 8), but I still think S30V is better all around. I might make a modification to O1 once I have time to read that article.
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
ZDP 189 is outclassed by s30v? And Maxamet is outclassed by s110v?
I think your rankings are _very_ different from mine.
Can you share the platforms you tested in each steel to reach your conclusions?
Well Tom I guess this might end up being a "Ford vs Chevy" type argument because I would take a ZDP-189 blade over an S30V blade any day of the week. And I'm a fan of Crucible steels for the most part too. Haven't yet got to own and use a blade with Maxamet yet so I guess I'll just have to take your word for that one.
Because the two S110V folders that I own I have no complaints about at all. I even like it just a bit more than I do S90V. So I might end up agreeing with you on that one.
But I've had people tell me that my good luck with my M390 Military model is all in my head too :rolleyes: But it sure has worked extremely well for me these past 3 to 4 years.
I'm guessing the mods must have pulled the post for some reason? :confused:
No reason I could think of. I could read that post before it disappeared, it was well crafted and not even remotely offensive whatsoever.
Maybe if one is brand new here and edits a post it gets reviewed and there is some approval time again?
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
's in 10 different steels
