What is the most general use Spyderco blade steel in your opinion?

[Surfingringo]

Lc200n for my uses. Vanax if it were more commonly available.

[Pelagic]

Vanax would be awesome.

[vivi]

Lc200n for my uses.

That might be my answer once I try it out.

For now I'll say VG10. It performs well in PE, SE, folders and fixed blades. Takes an amazing edge without much fuss, resists corrosion pretty well, it's tough for a stainless, holds an edge better than typical entry level steels and isn't pricey.

Very well rounded, I'm glad Spyderco hasn't phased it out for something newer.

BD1 gives me very similar performance. I'm excited to try BD1N when it gets used in a model I like.

[Bill1170]

Spyderco uses so many great steels. VG-10, S30V, the M390 family, these are all very well rounded offerings. I am loving S110V of late because it is tough enough in my uses and holds a working edge for a very long time. I don’t find it hard to sharpen and maintain it on the 204 Sharpmaker, brown rods only. The high corrosion resistance is another plus. It’s like VG-10 on steroids.

[JD Spydo]

I'm looking at buying some LC200N Spyderco knives in the next 4 months or so. But right now I still mainly use more Spyders with VG-10 blade steel. And even though there are many new supersteels that have come into Spyderco's great line up I still consider VG-10 my mainline blade steel.

I've always like VG-10 better than S30V and I tend to be a big fan of Crucibles fine blade steels.

My current main EDC folder is my hallowed M390 Military model. I've had it close to 3 years now and I don't see anything taking it's place anytime soon.

Now among my older Spyders I tend to like ATS-55 a lot. But after Spyderco discontinued GIN-1 they have had nothing but high end blade steels in my opinion. And Spyderco's VG-10 to me is better than a lot of blade steels used by their competitors. I won't be abandoning my VG-10 Spyders anytime soon I can assure you.

[Daveho]

Probably s30v- very easy all round

[standy99]

I’m a M4 fanboy for dry conditions but would have to say S30V

But choice with Spyderco is what I enjoy. The good thing is being able to pick a steel that suits what you intend on doing.

H1 has changed the world of fishing knives for me as I used to always use cheap knives as I couldn’t find a knife that could stand up to the tropical salt water environment.

So basically there is no need to pick a general steel in my book when you have the choices Spyderco gives us.

[ferider]

I don't go diving and feel I take reasonably care of my knives. So I say CPM Cru-Wear.

Roland.

[cycleguy]

So basically there is no need to pick a general steel in my book when you have the choices Spyderco gives us.

I think I'm a general user and sharpener and find the general use steels a great match for myself. However, I am beginning to see the value in a wide variety of steel choices. Kudos to Spyderco for doing this!!!

CG

[Cambertree]

For decent edgeholding and sharpenability on most abrasives, along with pretty good toughness, and corrosion resistance, I'd say VG-10. Pretty much anyone can get a good edge on it with basic knowledge and minimal sharpening skill.

For me personally - probably Cruwear.

[Albatross]

You can't go wrong with VG10 or S30V. I prefer VG10 more though, as it's very easy to sharpen/touch up and is great for stain resistance. It's also the cheaper of the two. One great plus for these two, is that both are widely available. XHP and the M390(I do love 204P) family are good options, but less abundant, and more expensive.

[Kyle8734]

LC200N for me. There are many other steels I love but this one has been great for me. Holds a good edge, easy to sharpen, gets extremely sharp. Here in West Virginia where I live it seems like it has just been wet outside for so so long but that hasn't been a problem for my Native 5 Salt. I own probably 10 other folders from Spyderco but this one hasn't left my pocket since my girlfriend gifted it to me a while back.

[lonerider1013]

Vg 10 is good, s30 v seems to stay sharper a bit longer. I've also had 2 natives in s35vn which seems like a cross between the two in terms of edge retention. But I can still touch up the s35vn on the bottom of a coffee cup if I have to! I'd like to use tool steel but the only one I've seen that on was the Bradley and it was mucho dinero, too rich for my wallet at the time.

I fear my experience in this respect is too limited to be useful lol.

Lonerider

[sparky2016]

I read this to say that Sal (and the other guy) thinks BD1N is a contender as a steel that a lot of people will find to be a good general use steel in the budget price category:
From https://knifenews.com/are-we-entering-t ... de-steels/

[p_atrick]

I read this to say that Sal (and the other guy) thinks BD1N is a contender as a steel that a lot of people will find to be a good general use steel in the budget price category:
From https://knifenews.com/are-we-entering-t ... de-steels/

I mentioned BD1N earlier in the thread (maybe I'm the other guy?). My concern is that, from what I have read (forums, Reddit, etc., so this isn't gospel or anything), Carpenter is not overly concerned with meeting the needs of the knife community. That is why Cold Steel moved from XHP to S35VN (again, I am basing this on rumor and hearsay, not from an industry source). If BD1N is as good as people say (or in my case, want to believe), could Spyderco expand its usage across several popular models? What if other companies want to use it as well?

[Evil D]

S30V and VG10 are two of the best middle of the road steels. They're reasonably tough, easy enough to reprofile and sharpen, and decently rust resistant. Depending on your needs and sharpening aptitude, I think H1 is the best/most user friendly steel available, it has practically no maintenance needs apart from keeping it sharp and it's one of the easiest steels to sharpen and is tough enough to survive careless use. For someone who doesn't mind making a few swipes on a Sharpmaker at the end of the day it's nearly perfect unless you have a legit need for extreme edge retention.

[ugaarguy]

I think Spyderco is implicitly answered this already. In Japanese made knives VG-10 is the standard all-around steel, H1 is the high corrosion resistance steel, and ZDP-189 is the long edge retention steel. In US made models S30V is the standard all-around steel (BD1 subbed in on the Manix 2 LW and BD1N subbed in on the Para 3 LW), and S110V is the long edge retention steel. I'm hopeful that the Native 5 LW Salt is the start of all (or at least most) US models being offered in Salt variations with LC200N blades.

It seems that China will remain the home of 8Cr13MoV economy models; while Taichung will remain the home of designer collabs, and special projects (Caribbean, Sage, Chaparral). Are the semi-regular sprint runs in Rex 45 now the standard high-carbon tool steel for US models, with V-Toku and HAP 40 filling that role on Japanese models?

[Albatross]

I think Spyderco is implicitly answered this already. In Japanese made knives VG-10 is the standard all-around steel, H1 is the high corrosion resistance steel, and ZDP-189 is the long edge retention steel. In US made models S30V is the standard all-around steel (BD1 subbed in on the Manix 2 LW and BD1N subbed in on the Para 3 LW), and S110V is the long edge retention steel. I'm hopeful that the Native 5 LW Salt is the start of all (or at least most) US models being offered in Salt variations with LC200N blades.

It seems that China will remain the home of 8Cr13MoV economy models; while Taichung will remain the home of designer collabs, and special projects (Caribbean, Sage, Chaparral). Are the semi-regular sprint runs in Rex 45 now the standard high-carbon tool steel for US models, with V-Toku and HAP 40 filling that role on Japanese models?

Agreed.

I'd love to see more Rex 45 m, V-Toku2, and HAP 40. They are all great steels.

[spyderg]

Hard to beat S30V for an all around steel.

What are your thoughts on s35vn compared to s30v? Wasn’t it supposed to improve upon it? Personally I find it dulls a little quicker but slightly less chippy for some of my uses. I don’t have an overall preference between those two.

I live away from saltwater, so extreme corrosion resistance is not a factor. Cruwear is tops for me! Stainless enough against my sweat, sharpens easy and holds an edge seemingly forever and not at all chippy. Never had a rolled edge either.

[Ankerson]

Hard to beat S30V for an all around steel.

What are your thoughts on s35vn compared to s30v? Wasn’t it supposed to improve upon it? Personally I find it dulls a little quicker but slightly less chippy for some of my uses. I don’t have an overall preference between those two.

I live away from saltwater, so extreme corrosion resistance is not a factor. Cruwear is tops for me! Stainless enough against my sweat, sharpens easy and holds an edge seemingly forever and not at all chippy. Never had a rolled edge either.

Flip a coin in my experience.

Never chipped either one and they are both about the same in real world use.