Name Five Steels All Spydie Fans Should Try

[EmperorMA]

The members here are very much into the steels the knives are offered in, with a bit of a bias toward high carbon steels. It might be useful if we had a thread where the afis told us what five steels we all should try.....and why.

I don't have a ton of experience, but I'll go first. My bias is toward steels with a decent stainless component, as I'm on saltwater five days a week and submersed in fresh water the other two days.

1. VG10 - Nothing says "Spyderco" quite like it.

2. S110V - Super-stainless workhorse that hangs onto an edge like grim death.

3. CTS-204P - Maybe the best "all-around" somewhat stainless steel.

4. CTS-XHP - The Slysz Bowie and Techno are offered in this steel. Enough said.

5. CPM Cruwear - Tough, sharp, decently stainless and totally bitchin'.

[murphjd25]

1) CRU-WEAR - my favorite, a joy to sharpen.
2) XHP - great all around edc steel, easy to sharpen
3) H1 SE - extremely excellent in SE and rust proof!
4) S110V - stays sharp forever!!!!
5) HAP40 - just a bitchin' steel!

[me2]

VG10, H1, S110V, Superblue, CPM M4

[jdw]

HAP40, M4, Cruwear, ZDP, SB

[bearfacedkiller]

You gotta experience the regular offerings first. These are the steels that Spyderco's brand are built around.

S30V
S110V
VG10
ZDP189
H1 serrated

After that if you still need more these steels offer a lot for a steel geek...

HAP40
Cruwear
CPM M4

[SG89]

S110V, Hap40, elmax, k390, 10v

On second thought try them all bc that hurt trying to just pick 5 lol

[ivtecdaily]

VG-10
CTS-XHP
S30V
M4
ZDP-189

I reallyyy need to try some Hap40 ASAP.

[017]

.

[EmperorMA]

Please give us some "why" and also give us your bias. This will help everyone who reads this thread!!!!!

[paladin]

1. Cruwear & XHP...I put these together because they sharpen almost identically for me, and stay sharp almost identically for me also.
2. VG-10...a must for any Spyderco afi...it's an easy to sharpen stainless.
3. ZDP-189...Spyderco pioneered this steel and it's a **** good steel EVEN TO THIS DATE, I've had a burgundy Caly Jr. since release, it opens most all my mail and knife parcels and I've only touched it up ONCE since I bought it-- and it didn't really need it then!
4. H1...another Spyderco pioneer species...has stainless properties unlike any steel ever seen on in production knifedom...pretty tough, too...you'd be hard pressed to find a steel better suited for serrated edges at the value point as Spyderco's H1.
5. ATS-55...just because, for Auld Lang Syne...it was what my first Delica was made out of. :)

[vivi]

H1 SE
H1 PE
H1 SE
H1 PE
H1 SE

[Joshua J.]

H1. Until you have a Salt knife you've probably never taken your EDC swimming before. Also great in the kitchen.
ZDP-189. Grind it thin and watch the hairs fly.
M4/HAP40/K390. Opposite to H1, now you'll get to see how fast a patina develops and watch your blade darken with use.
S110V/Maxamet. Either one will make the best letter opener you've ever held. In EDC applications I find that 90% of dulling is destructive and not abrasive so high alloy steel probably won't have any impact on your sharpening frequency, but at least if you can use it for something specifically non-destructive you might appreciate having a blade that stays usably sharp for longer.

BG-42. "Because it's Retro".

[vivi]

I didn't care for BG42 myself. I specifically sought out the BG42 Military because at the time I lived right next to the Timken plants that developed it, so it was a local pride sort of thing for me. Even got a tip up mod for it. Sold it off because I couldn't get it very sharp, but looking back that might be my fault more than the steel.

Definitely on the same page as you when it comes to ZDP189, that steel goes together with thin edges like PB & Jelly :D

[JD Spydo]

I've got a bit different agenda here. I'm going to make two lists>> one for plain edge and one for Spyderedge.
PLAIN EDGE STEELS
1. M390 - my favorite EDC steel
2. VG-10- just a good old reliable workhorse steel ( nothing fancy)
3. ZDP-189- if you want a working edge similar to a surgical scalpel :rolleyes:
4. XHP- the new D-2
5. S90V- you just can't go wrong steel

SPYDEREDGE STEELS
1. 440V- for an indestructible workhorse steel for Spyderedges
2. AUS-8- works great in the kitchen
3. VG-10- a very dependable Spyderedge steel
4. ATS-55- The steel on my Stainless RESCUE model that never ever fails
5. H-1- We all know the story on H-1 don't we

[feralcomprehension]

Why so little love for Maximet? Is it just too new?

[The Deacon]

1. VG-10 - IMHO, the best "all around EDC" steel Spyderco has ever used.
2. MBS-26 - Everyone needs to try at least one Spyderco kitchen knife
3. 8Cr13MoV - If for no other reason than to see just how good even the least of Spyderco's steels can be.
4. H-1 - Best when serrated, or for knives that are "rode hard and put away wet" at least occasionally.
5. ATS-34 - But only if you're a collector interested in some of the most iconic "classic" Spydercos.

[Evil D]

I don't think I can name 5. I also feel like most people wouldn't be interested unless you tell them it has some kind of extreme property about it. I really like 52100 but really there's nothing too special about it and most people would just say what's the point if it doesn't hold an edge forever and it rusts? I tend to gravitate towards steels that do something really well and less towards the jack of all trades steels and I think that's maybe backwards from what most people like. I just don't need to buy a dozen different steels that all have very similar properties and behave very similarly, what's the point of that? So, I like my super simple carbon steels like 52100/1095 and then I like my crazy edge retention steels like S110V/Maxamet. I do like the average do it all steels, I just don't need to own several of them just like I don't need to own a dozen carbon steels or a dozen high carbide steels. I really get a kick out of how H1 just won't rust, but I also don't mind a patina one bit. I may be jaded, I just feel like most people aren't as open minded as this and are only interested in the latest and greatest.

[twinboysdad]

I find your lack of Maxamet disturbing

[GoldenSpydie]

Cruwear
S110V
SuperBlue
M4
H1

[dplafoll]

HAP40: It's my favorite. Sharpens great, stays sharp, cuts like a champ.
CTS-XHP: This is a fantastic all-around steel, and you can get into it fairly easily with a Chaparral (esp. when the LTWT FRN version is out)
Cruwear: I'm waiting on longer-term experience with this one, but so far it's doing very, very well.
ZDP-189: This is still one of the most premium steels that Spyderco uses, and it comes on production models.
CPM M4: This is a great steel if you're interested in trying a non-stainless.