So what's your top 3 favorite steels? and why?

[TomAiello]

Nitrobe77, a sharpeners dream steel. Takes a wonderful edge, apexs like a champion and very stainless.

I'd love to see a sprint run of the Des Horn in Nitrobe 77. It seems like that would be a great fit, given the designer's use/distribution of the steel.

I only have one Nitrobe 77 knife, and I rate it very highly on pretty much everything but long term edge holding. It takes an amazingly thin edge and is very resistant to chipping. I'm not willing to do destructive testing on mine, but I'd love to see someone really beat on it to see what it could take.

Have you done one of your knives in Nitrobe 77 for testing? And if so, did you put a video online?

[gull wing]

......and RESULTS?

[Dee]

I think you hit a nerve here Sal, this generated some excellent feedback.
1) zdp 189
2) s110v
3) zdp 189
Number four is 20cv. Everything corrodes here. The top three give great performance at the edge, and I am able to stay on top of any rust specks. These will form on the zdp. I have had vg10 and 440c rust here from a drying drop of tap water. Lots of Spyderco choices in those top three. Number four is what is available in my favorite platform of all time. Which, sorry posters, is not a Spyderco.

[Deadboxhero]

It cut twice as long as production S30V, but that's because of the custom thin geometry, both bte and edge angle, higher Hardness is used to support that Geometry and the finer structure of the steel makes it very stable.



It doesn't cut as long as Vanax Superclean but takes a better apex and deburrs better. Vanax is no slouch though. Vanax is corrison proof, Nitrobe77 is very corrison resistant, right at the line of stainless and stainproof.

Everyone that's used the Nitrobe 77 loves it. As a knife sharpener I must say it is very unique with how wonderful it takes an edge. Vancron is similar but more aggression.

They stopped making Nitrobe77 in 2018. Nitriding the powder was difficult and expensive and that reflected in the cost of the steel much like Vancron and Vanax. It also has a very demanding cryogenic schedule and is prone to de-nitriding in vacuum furnaces. So it unfortunately didn't do itself any favors for being mass production friendly.

Some things in life just aren't made to be mass produced.

[kirilpetkov]

M4
CRUWEAR
10V

[JustinB]

From my experiences:

any of the steels in the m390 family (204p, 20cv), Hap40, and LC200n. All winners, all in their own way

[koenigsegg]

K390
20CV
LC200N

[sal]

Hi Redman, BehinDedge, Haunted House & Tgmr05,

Welcome to our forum.

This is some really good info and some are not what I would have predicted. Keep the info coming, I'm recording it for future planning. I think that there are a large number of steel junky's that visit here and it is really appreciated. Nailing down to 3 is really, really hard so I do appreciate the brain twisting you have to go through.

Hi Warstein, To be honest, I haven't done that brain twist yet. My list is much longer. I'll have to really think about that for a while. S90V, K390 and H1 are up there, but there are also some lesser known steels like 52100 that push buttons for me. I'll have to get back to you.

sal

[Surfingringo]

1. Lc200n/h1 for production knives but if it was available I’d probably replace both with Vanax. The question was favorite steel, not favorite steel that is practical and affordable to use in a production knife. :)

2. Cruwear or Maxamet. I know those two are pretty different but I’m trying to cram 6 or 7 steels into my list of 3. :p

3. A good stainless option like 204p or 20cv

[sailhand]

1. Lc200n as an everday corrosion proof steel with an edge retention in the vg10 s30v range and an edge that will still be there when you need it. Not corroded away. I now have 7 knives in lc200n and they are great, easy to sharpen as well. Thanks to sal and lance I think there may be a "sirens" song ringing in this old sailors ears. Price wise lc200n is also very attractive. Hard to beat this steel at the moment it just ticks all the boxes. Maybe not quite as good as vanax superclean however much cheaper and more readily available.
2. H1 is my second choice as it is the only other spyderco steel that is corrosion proof. It is just edge retention in plain that is a bit below par . However this is more than compensated for in the se blades. I have an even dozen knives in H1 mostly plain edge.
3. S110v, good edge retention in a very corrosion resistant steel. I only have a ukpk in s110v. A great knife for my needs. An lc200n exclusive ukpk would be a definite winner. Especially for our european cousins with limited access to the salt range due to legal restrictions.

All of these choices will be superseded by vanax superclean I suspect given the information already available about this steel. An lc200n Dragonfly is still at the top of my christmas wish list. The swick 5 will be a must have addition to the collection. I was wondering sal if it would not be more cost effective to produce the mule series as swicks instead of the current mule shape. I would miss the mules as i have 3 of them already and missed a couple that I would have liked to get. The swick is however smaller and possibly more cost effective as well as a great small fixed blade design for emergencies. That would certainly be one way to get more out there.
Cheers

[Wartstein]

....

Hi Warstein, To be honest, I haven't done that brain twist yet. My list is much longer. I'll have to really think about that for a while. S90V, K390 and H1 are up there, but there are also some lesser known steels like 52100 that push buttons for me. I'll have to get back to you.

sal

Hi Sal,

thanks for your reply!
I almost thought so... If I was familiar with that many steels as you (and obviously others on this forum) are, I´d have a hard time making my list too
But as it is (knowing just a few steels) it was pretty easy (again: VG10 / HAP 40 (SUS410) / CTS HXP)

What I was surprised to read, was how many here still like VG10 (just like I do)

[Halfneck]

1) CTS-XHP: I've used D2 in knives for a while and I'm familiar with it's properties. CTS-XHP is a refined version of D2. It holds a good edge for my needs, and I can sharpen it well.

2) CPM-154: Again, I used a lot of knives in 154CM. It always did what I needed a knife to do. Another refined version of a steel I like.

3) L6: For something that can take a beating I really like L6.

Of course ask me next week and it might be different :)

[Wartstein]

1) CTS-XHP: I've used D2 in knives for a while and I'm familiar with it's properties. CTS-XHP is a refined version of D2. It holds a good edge for my needs, and I can sharpen it well.

2) CPM-154: Again, I used a lot of knives in 154CM. It always did what I needed a knife to do. Another refined version of a steel I like.

3) L6: For something that can take a beating I really like L6.

Of course ask me next week and it might be different :)

Man! Never even heard of L6... :o

[Tucson Tom]

Wow, this is tough, especially given who is asking

20CV - a great stainless steel that seems to take a fine edge. And domestically sourced!'' I love every knife I have in this steel.

A11 - (or K390 or 10V) The mule in PM-A11 just blew me away. Holds an edge forever - amazing stuff. And domestic !!

Cruwear - it just loves to get sharp without much fuss. PD1 seems every bit as good.

M4, S90V, and 52100 get honorable mention, as does CTS204P.

Rex45 and 4V are up and coming contenders that I only have limited experience with.

[cbrstar]

I'm surprised at the lack of Maxamet lovers...

1) 1095: Why? Cause I can literally sharpen my knife on a rock down by the river like a real man! lol. Seriously will there be fancy diamond sharpening rods in the apocalypse? Gonna be able to carry around a lansky while fighting zombies?
There's tons of Antique knives made from 1095 or a similar carbon steel that simply have passed the test of time. Plus being a spring steel it's harder to snap prying something. And not only that, you don't have to waste cider to patina it...Just wait a week and it patina's it self. :D

2) CTS XHP: It's like a stainless version of D2!!! You literally get the best of both worlds!

3) M390: I don't actually own any M390 but I've seen the hype train whiz by, and I WANT to own something with M390!!!

Are we also allowed to say what our least fav steels are?

1) CTS-BD1: People want to pretend that this is somehow a exotic budget steel but it really is not. Every CTS-BD1 I've owned I found it to dull quicker then steels like Aus8. It also doesn't seem to take a good edge through sharpening

2) S110V: Own two with it and I just feel like it's too brittle. It's probably great if you are cutting the same thing all day, but I for some reason don't trust it not to crack or snap. But this is a gut feeling and probably baseless.

3) Insert any low end steel like 420HC, or 8cr13mov

[emanuel]

I'm surprised at the lack of Maxamet lovers...

Don't be, it's not maxamet's fault, it's the thread's fault asking for just 3 favorite steels :D I had to pick either s110v or maxamet, but went with s110v for being a better balanced steel that's also almost stainproof depending on the HT.

[Spook410]

I'm not hard on knives and factory knives are less expensive than customs so higher end steels on my Spyderco's are OK with me.

Maxamet

S110V

4V (for those few applications where toughness actually matters)

And while we're at it could we get some more 3D handles on folders? Micarta or G10 or stabilized wood. Even stag. Oh, and thanks Sal. The knife market would be so dull without you guys.

[Pelagic]

Oh, so this isn't necessarily one's top FAVORITE steels, this is what we'd like to see from spyderco in the future? Had I known that I definitely would have had a different answer, containing some of the more exotic steels I haven't tried before, haha. But I'm still happy with my previous answer (k390, 4v, s90v).

[ivtecdaily]

I guess I would say:

1) VG10 - basically stainproof for all intents and purposes to me, way more stainless in my experience than s30v and the like. Sharpens well and can be a great EDC steel. Have not tried LC200N yet, I imagine by all the reports it should a better version of this steel.
2) cladded HAP40 - great user steel, sharpens up nicely and stays slicey even through some tougher use. Seems like a combination of alot of good steel properties as far as I can tell. Kind of scratches my "exotic" steel itch.
3) SE H1 - does exactly what it's supposed to while being impervious to basically anything. I grab it when I don't want to mess up a "nice" edge or whatever. Don't worry about whatever could be thrown at it. I can easily just use a SE knife for my only knife, because of the reasons mentioned.

Been messing with Cruwear but not enough yet to really have an opinion. M4 is nice but just stains to easy for me to really not be able to live without it. Might pick up some LC just based on this thread alone.

[cycleguy]

For what it is worth...

My FAVORITES (mostly based off Deilcas on hand) are:

1)VG10 - have used this for a decade or better in pocket and in the kitchen and have had no issues
2)M390/cRUWEAR - I'm new to most steels other than 420 & VG10
3)not used due to 2nd place tie

MENTIONS & MISC:
1) Really enjoy the XHP on the Chaparral
2) Would like to see Delicas in S35VN, Elmax, XHP, M4, 3V, and LC200N
3) Have had BD1N UK in pocket for 6 months, good but seems on the soft side with tall bevel so maybe kick up the HRC???

Thanks for asking,

CG