Steels you won't buy...and why

[aicolainen]

You’re on a roll with hot new topics, Bolster!

Generally I won’t dismiss any knife steel up front.
When you enter the knife world and see all this talk about knife steels, it’s easy to get pulled in and believe that this is important. It is to some extent, sure, but I got by most of my life thinking there was two types of knife steel; stainless and non-stainless :-)
So after that initial phase of being carried away and accumulating a variety of steels based more on their “hotness” rating than my own insight and requirements, I’m now back to a more pragmatic approach.

Any (well, most) knife acquisition these days are based on an identified use case that has to be somewhat realistic. Preferably it starts off with a situation where my current knives fall short in some way, so I know there is an actual use case, but it could also be the reverse situation; where I become aware of a knife model and imagine how and in what situations it could add value to my collection.
At that point, my only requirement for the steel is that I find it suitable for the use case and frequency of use I have planned for it.

[SG89]

H1. The only steel I've tried that I can't get a good level of sharpening no matter what I try. I don't need corrosion resistance anyway so no big loss for me.

[tonijedi]

H1. The only steel I've tried that I can't get a good level of sharpening no matter what I try. I don't need corrosion resistance anyway so no big loss for me.

Sorry to ask, I don't want to sound argumentative or a missionary for H1, but was that a PE or SE?
Sure H1 lacks edge retention and edge strength, but it can take a very sharp edge quite easily (not only parroting what's commonly said, I have used a lot of H1).
Or was the edge so blunt that you couldn't get it sharp again? And what is a "good level of sharpening"? Shaving sharp? Hair splitting sharp? Paper sharp?

[GarageBoy]

My most recent example is the satin N5LW in M4. The native is my absolute favorite Spyder, but I’m sorry BHQ I just can’t justify any more M4 in my collection. But that’s just me, and I get irritated with myself if there isn’t enough “variety”/too much redundancy.

Yeah I'm having a tough time with that one because I gravitate towards brighter less "tactical" colors, but I feel so jaded that it's "only" M4 (which I feel like is the most common "upgrade" steel up there with everything being in M390/20CV/204)

If it's a good design, I'll deal with the steel (I'll take a bow river as it is, if it doesn't get an "upgrade") - as long as it's not 3cr/5cr (I can't deal with steel that is hard to deburr and doesn't hold an edge)

[SG89]

H1. The only steel I've tried that I can't get a good level of sharpening no matter what I try. I don't need corrosion resistance anyway so no big loss for me.

Sorry to ask, I don't want to sound argumentative or a missionary for H1, but was that a PE or SE?
Sure H1 lacks edge retention and edge strength, but it can take a very sharp edge quite easily (not only parroting what's commonly said, I have used a lot of H1).
Or was the edge so blunt that you couldn't get it sharp again? And what is a "good level of sharpening"? Shaving sharp? Hair splitting sharp? Paper sharp?

PE. Couldn't get it to cut through paper as "fast" as I wanted. Thinking back, could be the saber grind adding to that. Either way, I wasn't impressed. And spyderco makes plenty of knives with steel I am impressed with.

[steelcity16]

Laminated steels and damascus steels are on my do not buy list. I'm also not really interested in Maxamet or S110V, but if they found their way into an Endela I'd probably be forced to buy them.

[DansGearAddiction]

In general, the entire package is more important to me than just the steel, so I'd be willing to at least consider buying a knife in most steels (obviously excluding things like "Surgical Stainless", 3Cr, etc.) provided the knife was able to overcome the steel choice.

I tend to prefer steels with good corrosion resistance; steels like CPM-M4, 52100, O1, etc. aren't my first choices on a knife -- with that being said, I still own a Dragonfly in K390 which I'm enjoying, but I can get that knife in a multitude of steels and might be a bit more disappointed if it was the only steel some models were available in.

Other things I'm not looking for are steels that are focused primarily on toughness (3V/4V, etc); this just isn't a property that concerns me with my everyday cutting tasks. I have a fixed blade in 1095 that could handle every "tough" task I'd ever have.

[JRinFL]

There is no steel, that I would not buy. But there are a lot of steels, I would not buy above a certain price point. Depends completley on the knife and price.

I was going to post almost the same thing.

[bearfacedkiller]

There is too much focus on steel. This is coming from an admitted steel junky. I buy knives just to try the steel. I am not denying that they all have their strengths and weaknesses. The design of the knife is what matters. I have my steel preferences but ergonomics, blade profile and edge geometry matter way more. I just want the steel choice to match the application.

From VG10 to Maxamet, I appreciate them all.

[The Mastiff]

440C It's one of the few steels I don't like. For that level of corrosion resistance and wear resistance there are better edge taking / higher stability, tougher steels.

8C, 9C, Aus6, Aus8, 420j, 420hc, etc. Just don't need them and I can find much better fits for me.

VG10/S30V I have boxes of unused knives enough for several lifetimes. I do like these steels and still carry the ones I use.

[Freediver]

I prefer any stainless over carbon/tool steels since I live near the ocean. I love the salt series (H1/LC200N) and am very excited for Magnacut. I have passed on many sprints/exclusives due to them being non-stainless.

[kennethsime]

My favorites are the high-end tool steels, but I'm pretty ok with anything that Spyderco uses. H1 is fine if it's serrated. I'm not that stoked on LC200N, but then I also haven't used it. S30V is good stuff.

I think we're spoiled these days. I've been carrying a little A2 Tool Steel fixed blade for the past 6 months or so and love it - yes, I've got to touch up the edge more often, but it's pretty easy to do that.

[Wartstein]

Maxamet
No need for off the chart edge retention and off the chart sharpening effort.
.....

Perhaps the only Spyderco-steel I too would most certainly not buy for the money they ask for it (and that it's certainly worth, don't get me wrong!)
Really cool that Spyderco offers such a steel in regular production, but I just don't need that extreme level of edge holding, presumably reduced toughness, the time consuming sharpening and also don't need a high level of corrosion resistance. So as said, not worth the money for me personally (!), I'd go K390 if I wanted really high edge retention.

[Spook410]

There was a time when I had to have M390, S110V, and Maxamet. Now I find that S30V is fine. All the while using VG10 daily in the kitchen. I would say I would avoid older stuff. AUS-8, 420H, even 14c28n. Don't care if the steel is tough if the edge holding sucks.

The more experience I have, the more I'm fascinated with how steel keeps evolving while realizing that anything recent is going to work just fine. However, if the maker want's $150 or more, I'll be wanting a steel appropriate to that price point.

[Menipo]

I’m probably the minority but I don’t like tool steals. Corrosion resistance is extremely important to me so they are out.

I'm with you on that. But yes, I believe we are in the minority on this forum.

Jim

+1

We may be the minority but we are many. I even believe that there is a "silent majority" out there because tool steels are in fashion lately and almost every knife opinion maker declares to be in love withe them. Consequently, many people do not dare to go against what seems to be the majority opinion (the not-to-dare-not-to-be-cool-enough factor )

In my case, I don't live in a humid environment and I don't need a stainless steel due to corrosion problems but personally I don't like cutting food that I'm going to put in my mouth later with a blade with spots / patina / coloration (you name it) even if it's minimal. Thus, I have no interest in having to worry about a problem (corrosion) that metallurgists solved long ago after spending many years on it because Cedric & Ada shows that any given steel makes 334 manila rope cuts (instead of 258).

The levels of edge retention v. ease of sharpening offered by most modern stainless steel are more than enough for my needs (and 99.99% of other humans).

That said with all due respect to anyone who has a different opinion and loves tool steels, of course.

[ChrisinHove]

It WAS any non stainless tool steel, until I picked up a user dlc M4 Native 5 and used it in a big yard project. I now see the error of my ways.

[wrdwrght]

I’ve come to let the knife (that is, the design and execution), not its blade-steel, determine what steel I will and won’t buy, with a few exceptions. I won’t buy coated or cladded blades; they are simply complications I don’t want. And I now won’t buy Chinese blades—for reasons partly political, partly conceit—even though a Tenacious is what put me here years ago.

[99Dirk]

BD1 - tried it in a Manix2 it's my only Spydie that I regret buying. Don't know if it's a bad heat treatment or what. Just dosent take an edge (have tried sharpening on multiple platforms with angles from 15-22 degrees per side).

Also won't buy handmade Damascus knives from the ever increasing number of ,"smiths" that are cropping up at shows.

D.

[Ramonade]

VG-10, because everytime I try I end up buying another knife (in another steel)!

But, one day, I'll succeed !


edit : adding some meaning to a meaningless sentence.

[BornIn1500]

The Pakistan mystery pot metal knives and the awful $10 MTech steel that clogs a stone after a few passes and gets dull after slicing a few sheets of paper.

Here's a good video on that cheap MTech steel.