Knife that won’t chip, won’t roll?

[Drebs]

Thanks for all the words and insight! looong time lurker first time poster am leaning towards Hap 40 for the sharpening response have read it takes a great edge in touch ups! Just wish it was in a manix ! Also will seriously look into cruwear.

I liked the 52100 but it’s not currently offered and they are high on the secondary market. So I didn’t think spyderco offered aeb-l, will look.

[Drebs]

So what’s the hardest that won’t roll but won’t chip, thus giving the easiest to sharpen steel with this attribute?
...
Would love Rex 45 but don’t want to invest in diamond stones for my edge pro

If there was a steel that won't chip and won't roll, then Spyderco could give up on all these inferior steels, and just stick with The One. You mentioned REX 45, and that's what I've been using recently. Under sensible use, it keeps an exceptional edge. It will show microscopic chipping, but not to the degree that it diminishes usability. But if you get stupid with the knife, the edge will become damaged just like anything else. Last week I did that, and while the chips were small and localized, they were enough to make me get out the Edge Pro that evening.

I understand the reluctance to throw down for diamond stones, but they've really allowed me to hit the next level of sharpening.

Where did you get your diamond stones for you edge pro? I was looking at the Venev Orion Series from gritomatic

[blues]

=

"Deadboxhero" is probably the best person to answer this type of question.

It's Friday. He may be testing the ABV percentages of various craft ales...

...and who's to say he'd be wrong. :p

[Sumdumguy]

LC200N(Z-finit) is still my go to for an abusable steel. It's far tougher than M4, albeit at 59rc vs 61rc. I've only had one, very small roll and it was caused by smacking the edge into a metal tool box with a good bit of force.

It was a tiny roll, though. Fixed it on the Sharpmaker whites in seconds.

[jpm2]

Ok, Ok I know, all knives will either chip or roll if abused and that geometry and heat treat, thickness behind the edge play a factor.

However for spyderco production knives at factory angles 15-20 dps, what won’t roll but also will resist chipping if maybe you slip and Knick something? Of corse again I understand it depends and what you hit and how hard. But the steel that you would wince knowing you probably put a chip in and are pleasantly surprised to find none.

My understanding is m4 and Rex-45, also maybe 4v but it’s not in production to my knowledge . So it seems to me high Rc knives won’t chip nor roll Which seems to be counter intuitive because I seems the higher hardness the more brittle but maybe that’s only for say dropping a knife or lateral pressure. Maybe it has more to do with micro structure?

So what’s the hardest that won’t roll but won’t chip, thus giving the easiest to sharpen steel with this attribute?

I’m really thinking Gayle Bradley 2 at 63.5 Rc which is what they are reported to run? Thoughts and any steels I’m missing( would love to hear the stainless steels with these attributes I’m
missing)? Would love Rex 45 but don’t want to invest in diamond stones for my edge pro (am using moldmasters now from Congress) suppose I could get diamond rods for my sharpmaker

The only controlled testing of knife edge rolling I've found is in this article.
http://knifegrinders.com.au/SET/What_Ed ... steels.pdf
You might get something out of it, might not.

As a group, I've found the steels that consistently give me the best resistance to chipping/rolling/dulling in my use are high speed tool steels (not to be confused with non-high speed tool steels). There are exceptions, but this is what I've generally found.
I've also found that impact testing, like the charpy test, may not translate well to my use, since most of the damage I incur is from torqueing/twisting/scraping/cutting into other metals. Sometimes I slam my edge into something hard, but rare.

[RustyIron]

Where did you get your diamond stones for you edge pro? I was looking at the Venev Orion Series from gritomatic

I use the Diamond Matrix Stones available from Edge Pro. After experimenting on harder blades using a variety of aluminum oxide, cheap diamond plates, and different emulsions, I finally threw down for a handful of these stones. They upped my sharpening game from "pretty good" to "very impressive.". I'll not tell you why these stones are great, because I'd just be parroting what I've read on the interwebs. They're discussed in detail on the knife forums, if you're interested. If you get them, I think they'll shorten your learning curve.

[Nate]

So I didn’t think spyderco offered aeb-l, will look.

If you haven't already found it, Spyderco did an AEB-L Urban sprint that is fairly inexpensive and still available.

[Slash]

It's called an AXE/hatchet/tomahawk. So long as it's made of some decent steel and HT properly. OHH and don't whack it on any rocks you should be fine.

[Woodpuppy]

High Toughness / high edge stability / ease of sharpening.

Pick 2.

I like cruwear for a balanced steel. Rex45 does not require diamonds to sharpen, but does if you need to reprofile an edge. The cbn Sharpmaker stones aren’t prohibitively expensive and work quite well.

[TomAiello]

Thanks for all the words and insight! looong time lurker first time poster am leaning towards Hap 40 for the sharpening response have read it takes a great edge in touch ups! Just wish it was in a manix !

Perhaps the REX 45 Manix (either LW or G-10) would work for you?

[Wartstein]

Thanks for all the words and insight! looong time lurker first time poster am leaning towards Hap 40 for the sharpening response have read it takes a great edge in touch ups! Just wish it was in a manix !

Perhaps the REX 45 Manix (either LW or G-10) would work for you?

Beat me to it!

If Spydercos REX 45 essentially is HAP40, just not cladded and run a bit harder, I am very curious myself to try it out.. HAP 40 is my favorite steel, but I would not need it any harder or with even more edge retention. So if REX 45 offers both the latter, but sacrifices a bit toughness and ease of sharpening for that, I'd still prefer HAP40 in my use...

[Hardbawl]

Hi Drebs. It seems to me that you're asking for balance. All steel properties involve some degree of compromise. A steel that has a good balance of properties will be the best option for resisting both rolling and chipping. Cruwear and 4V are extremely close to one another in their balance of hardness, toughness and overall edge stability. Cruwear is also more corrosion resistant and is a little easier for most people to sharpen really well. Although those are 2 ideal options IMO, there are others that have been suggested here that would be great too.
It's also very important that you understand that steel doesn't necessarily predict knife performance. Heat treat and geometry of the blade affect performance more than anything else, so choosing the blade design and the manufacturer are even more important than the steel. Spyderco does better than the other manufacturers with heat treating...and they offer more design choices too...so you're definitely looking in the right place! :) :sp
/quote]
Wise words. I have searched for a good steel for years. Have been disappointed with the stainless steels that I tried. I am too lazy to properly maintain a really good tool steel. Then I found Cruwear. It was [is] so good that I stopped searching. When I found out that Spyderco will no longer use Cruwear, I bought a spare and squirreled it away. I use my Spyderco Native 5 in Cruwear daily on the farm. The combination of the steel, blade geometry, temper, and construction have resulted in zero issues. Good luck in your search. Perfection is a joy to own and cary.