End of 2020 Opinions on VG-10

[I_like_knives]

VG10 is good in my book.

S30V is great.

IMO, anything beyond that is overkill for the vast majority of us. But it sure is neat experiencing some of the upper tiers of metallurgy.

My favorite attribute of vg10 is probably its ease of sharpening. Its a breeze to bring back to screaming sharp. After getting caught up in the latest super steel craze, sometimes we forget that this can be a desirable feature.

[OppositeJay]

VG-10 ha been an excellent steel for us for more than 2 decades. We've sold millions of knives with this steel with no complaints. It is very unique in it's balance of blade steel properties.

sal

VG-10 is absolutely good to go. I believe the group of steels VG-10 belongs to (154CM/N690/ATS-34) is a fine choice for a knife that will be used, not fondled. VG-10 has a nice range in the HT that can allow it to be pretty tough, or hard with good edge retention. I am a fan personally of these great midrange steels.

P.S.

The above is of course predicated on the knife in question having a good HT. Spyderco can be counted on to always provide that.

[BLUETYPEII]

Still ranks in my top three steels. I love it, boring as it may be.

So what are the other 2 out of 3?

I’m just going to go ahead and guess LC200N is one of them considering your affinity for the Spyderco Caribbean.


EDIT: I like VG-10 because of its corrosion resistance and ease of sharpening.

[The Meat man]

Still ranks in my top three steels. I love it, boring as it may be.

So what are the other 2 out of 3?

I’m just going to go ahead and guess LC200N is one of them considering your affinity for the Spyderco Caribbean.


EDIT: I like VG-10 because of its corrosion resistance and ease of sharpening.

I'll guess that the other one is CPM M4.

[Sumdumguy]

Still ranks in my top three steels. I love it, boring as it may be.

So what are the other 2 out of 3?

I’m just going to go ahead and guess LC200N is one of them considering your affinity for the Spyderco Caribbean.


EDIT: I like VG-10 because of its corrosion resistance and ease of sharpening.

I'll guess that the other one is CPM M4.

Still ranks in my top three steels. I love it, boring as it may be.

So what are the other 2 out of 3?

I’m just going to go ahead and guess LC200N is one of them considering your affinity for the Spyderco Caribbean.


EDIT: I like VG-10 because of its corrosion resistance and ease of sharpening.

You guys know me so well. :p

Yep LC200N, VG-10 and M4.

LC200N is my favorite, for it's combination of extreme corrosion resistance, ridiculous toughness and ease of sharpening.

VG-10 would have to be second, because of the number of my favorite knife models that use it. It's just an unbeatable "base" steel. I will never complain about something coming in VG-10.

M4 is a close third. The only reason it isn't second, is because of the corrosion resistance. While it has been excellent in my experience, it is still not a stainless. Toughness, sharpening response and edge holding are all very impressive. I stabbed the tip of my Mantra into a nail head(accidentally), with full force and it barely rolled the edge.

[zuludelta]

So to get to the question, what is your personal opinion on where VG-10 falls in the hierarchy of knife steels in 2020?

I think VG-10 is still a good stainless steel in 2020 as far as how its physical properties translate into work knife applications. I find that Spyderco's VG-10 is just fine with regards to edge retention, corrosion resistance, and toughness. It's obviously been surpassed by today's powder metallurgy/particle metallurgy steels in many respects, but I think it still offers a good balance of qualities, while being quite easy to sharpen.

Where VG-10 has perhaps not kept pace, however, is cost. There are cutlery steels that are roughly in the same ballpark as far as performance at an equivalent hardness of, say, 57 to 59 Rc, but to me, at least, these steels seem to be found in more budget-friendly options. But that's an economics issue (everything in Japan is just more expensive, it seems), and not an issue with the steel itself.

[knife__bro69]

There are cutlery steels that are roughly in the same ballpark as far as performance at an equivalent hardness of, say, 57 to 59 Rc,

Do we know what Spyderco’s VG-10 rockwell tests at?

[Josh Crutchley]

There are cutlery steels that are roughly in the same ballpark as far as performance at an equivalent hardness of, say, 57 to 59 Rc,

Do we know what Spyderco’s VG-10 rockwell tests at?

Seen a few results around 58.

[NarwhalisnotKosher]

The same as 2019. A decent all around steel.

[zuludelta]

There are cutlery steels that are roughly in the same ballpark as far as performance at an equivalent hardness of, say, 57 to 59 Rc,

Do we know what Spyderco’s VG-10 rockwell tests at?

I've seen a couple of online spreadsheets that list VG-10 from an Endura testing at about 58 Rc and a Delica testing at around 57 Rc. I think VG-10 at 58 Rc is fine for most people. Heck, I cut at least 80 feet of 275 lbs.-test cardboard everyday at work and I only ever need to touch up my Delica 4 Wharncliffe PE on the Sharpmaker after every 4 or 5 days of work use to get back a good working edge (emphasis on "working edge"). That's a lot of cutting. Some people don't cut that much cardboard over an entire year.

[carrot]

I like VG-10 a lot as a regular carry, it's quick to touch up and responds well to stropping. It's also delightful in SE, performs quite well.

I would pick just about any other steel if I had to cut up a lot of abrasive materials like cardboard, rope, or carpet, though. That's its biggest weakness. Cardboard seems to eat up a VG-10 edge faster than all the other steels I've tested (besides H1), including BD1-N.

[cody6268]

For general use, it's decent. But in farm work, not really tough enough. Noticed some barely noticeable chipping on the edge of my Dragonfly after I stropped it last week.

But, VG-10 does sharpen without much of a headache.

[knife__bro69]

There are cutlery steels that are roughly in the same ballpark as far as performance at an equivalent hardness of, say, 57 to 59 Rc,

Do we know what Spyderco’s VG-10 rockwell tests at?

Seen a few results around 58.

Ah that makes sense to why my vg-10 delica seems so indestructible haha