Knife Steel EDC Performance Rankings

[The Meat man]

I'm guessing the mods must have pulled the post for some reason? :confused:

No reason I could think of. I could read that post before it disappeared, it was well crafted and not even remotely offensive whatsoever.
Maybe if one is brand new here and edits a post it gets reviewed and there is some approval time again?

That could be. I've seen that happen here before where someone edits their old posts to fill it up with spam.

I don't think that's the case here but I guess all we can do is wait and see. I thought the post was fine.

[JD Spydo]

I'm guessing the mods must have pulled the post for some reason? :confused:

That's most interesting. Because I thought for a moment the other day that I was in need of Alzheimer's meds :D Now I do indeed know that at least two of my posts have disappeared in similar fashion for some strange reason recently.

I always go back to see if there are any replies to my posts. Same result here too :confused:

[JohnDoe99]

Listed below are several types of steel and their performance in knives. I tend to approach my rankings from an EDC perspective and how versatile a steel can be. Some steels are best in one category but fall short in others, so if you need a knife for a very specific purpose, do not overlook some of the “lesser” performers if they scored high in a certain category you need. For example, some steels in the very good ranking are there because of their excellent edge retention, but their low corrosion resistance would keep me from carrying them unless they were DLC coated (but even then, the edge can rust and dull the knife). Some steels have nuanced characteristics, but there's not a big enough difference to change the category rating. If this is useful to the community, I will keep the list updated and add more as I can. Suggestions for new steels and rankings are always appreciated.

Categories for rankings: Edge Retention | Toughness | Corrosion Resistance | Ease of Sharpening

Poor

• AUS-8 - 3|4|4|8

• AUS-10 - 4|5|4|6

• 440C, 420HC, 420C, etc - 4|5|4|6 - There are some differences between each, but combined to save space.

• Sandvik 12C27, 13C26/AEB-L, 14C28N, Etc - 4|6|4|6 - There are some differences between each, but combined to save space.

Fair

• ZDP-189 - 8|3|4|1 - Holds a better edge than S30V, but it's outclassed in every other category.

• H1 - 2|7|10|8 - Best corrosion resistance, but bad edge retention.

• O1 - 6|8|3|5 - Outclassed by A2.

• D2 - 7|6|4|3

• 154CM - 5|4|5|5

• VG-10/N690 - 5|4|7|6 - Similar performance between these 2.

• CTS-BD1 - 5|5|7|7

Good

• Maxamet - 10|1|3|1 - Outclassed by S110V. Amazing edge retention, but it's brittle.

• CPM-154 - 6|4|5|5 - Well rounded. Outclassed by S30V.

• A2 - 6|8|5|4 - Performs better than O1.

• CPM-S30V - 8|5|7|5 - Performs better than CPM-154 in almost every way. It is more corrosion resistant , tougher, and has better edge retention.

Very Good

• LC200N - 6|5|9|6 - Much better edge retention than H1 and 90% of the corrosion resistance.

• CPM-S90V - 9|4|6|1

• CPM-S110V - 10|2|6|1 - Performs better than Maxamet.

• CPM-M4/K390/Rex45/Hap40 - 9|7|2|3 - All 4 are very similar in production heat treatments and geometries. M4 is often the standard others are held to for edge retention. I would consider DLC coating for these steels because of their low corrosion resistance. Rex45 is a bit tougher than M4 (better for extreme geometry) and may have slightly more corrosion resistance. Hap40 has slightly less edge retention than M4, but it's a bit tougher and slightly more corrosion resistant.

• CruWear - 8|8|4|3

Excellent

• CTS-XHP - 8|6|6|5

• CPM-S35VN - 8|6|7|5 - Same corrosion resistance as S30V, a bit tougher (less likely to chip), and slightly easier to sharpen than S30V.

• ELMAX - 9|6|7|4

• CPM-20CV/M390/CTS-204P - 9|6|7|2 - All 3 have same chemical composition, made by 3 different companies. They hold an edge slightly longer than ELMAX, but they are more difficult to sharpen.

Seems arbitrary. The main difference between these steels is carbide amount and type. Generally speaking, the more carbide, and the harder the carbide, the harder it is to sharpen the blade and the more fickle the edge. The less carbide, the keener the edge but lower wear resistance.

[kennethsime]

Hey Trinity,

Welcome to the forum! I hope you enjoy your stay. You can't find a better bunch of knife nerds.

I think you'll find us to be a relatively well-educated bunch. Most of the users here are aficionados, savvy enough to understand the different properties that make a good knife steel. We even have our own opinions on what we like best; for example, corrosion resistance doesn't matter much to me since I live in a low-humidity environment and take care of my knives pretty well. Others have decided they don't need to buy a knife that isn't LC200N. To each their own, as they say.

As others have pointed out, Larrin is our resident knife steel geek, and contributes regularly to Knife Steel Nerds. What I appreciate about KSN is that they give you not only the summary of results, but access to the data and the testing methods & criteria. With so much information, we're free to draw our own conclusions.

You clearly have a ton of experience with different knife steels, which is awesome. I myself have only tried a handful in every day carry, but still have managed to form some of my own opinions, which may differ from yours a bit. For example, the claim that "S110V perfumes better than Maxamet" seems rather outlandish as an unqualified statement: Maxamet clearly has more wear resistance than S110V. For this reason, it might be worthwhile for you to tell us a little more about your methods, and how you came to your findings. Were you using factory edges? Were you cutting the same medium? Did you perform tests in a controlled setting?

For another example, I think K390 is the best steel on the planet right now, partially because it holds a great edge for a long time plus it's relatively easy to sharpen, and partially because it starts with a K. Of course, I don't expect you to agree with me, especially on the last point, but at least you have one more data point on why I love K390 so much, and how I came to my findings. :-)

[marshmallow]

Don’t forget SPY27

[Bill1170]

That list would shuffle a bit when applied to serrated blades.

[Baron Mind]

Edc attribute ranking:

1 Edge Stability/Strength- Resistance to chipping AND rolling
2 Wear Resistance
3 Toughness
4 Corrosion Resistance

That is how i weight my EDC steels. That is why steels like Cruwear/REX45/K390 come out on top for me.

[Trinity300]

Don’t forget SPY27

Added SPY27 as well as a few others. I had to estimate the edge retention for SPY27, but I think it is safe to say 6 or 7. I also read that article posted by Naperville and adjusted some ratings.

That list would shuffle a bit when applied to serrated blades.

I don't have any serrated blades aside from a Japanese bread knife which I think is some kind of molybdenum vanadium steel. I guess I need to get some for sawing tree branches :)

[Wartstein]

I don't have any serrated blades aside from a Japanese bread knife which I think is some kind of molybdenum vanadium steel. I guess I need to get some for sawing tree branches :)

I guess you need to get some Spyderco SE knives cause imho they perform better than PE in almost every task...

[Pancake]

Not going to comment on everything, but values for O1 and most likely for 1095, at least for corrosion resistance are IMO wrong. I have made some knives out of O2 steel, and it will rust before you finish the second bevel. These steels should be at 0, or 1 for corrosion resistance.
And 12c27 should be higher. 12c27 is like dishwasher safe....I had knife out of 14c27n sitting wet in plastic sheath for 2 days without any rust.

[standy99]

As a butcher we used to have 1/20th of the steels we have the pleasure of now compared to the 80s
Anything better than 440 will do me. (Wouldn’t stop me buying a 440 camp knife)

I will say I have sharpened thousands of knives over the years and used hundreds. Learn the art of sharpening knives and there aren’t any bad steels

S30V had been copping a bit of flak over the years and it’s funny how a recent comparison it was found to be better than several new steels touted at better.

Steels are personal and just because some list says this is the best you have to use them to find your favourite.

I personally love M4

[Trinity300]

As a butcher we used to have 1/20th of the steels we have the pleasure of now compared to the 80s
Anything better than 440 will do me. (Wouldn’t stop me buying a 440 camp knife)

I will say I have sharpened thousands of knives over the years and used hundreds. Learn the art of sharpening knives and there aren’t any bad steels

S30V had been copping a bit of flak over the years and it’s funny how a recent comparison it was found to be better than several new steels touted at better.

Steels are personal and just because some list says this is the best you have to use them to find your favourite.

I personally love M4

Well, companies need to keep it fresh to keep the money flowing :D

[Xplorer]

Hi Trinity. Was your rankings list created from your experience using knives you own or have you reached your conclusions some other way?

[wrdwrght]

This list is an approximation lacking insight on how its weightings were derived. As such, the list is one man’s opinion, and hardly a bad way to introduce himself.

Such a list always intrigues me. But lacking test equipment and protocols, I don’t get much beyond judging the various steels of my Spydies by the three main steel-resistances (wear, corrosion, and fracture). Then I begin to wonder how any two of these resistances increase or decrease the third, such that edge-holding, edge-stability, or sharpening-response are improved; or how each resistance can be intensified, such that one steel can be like another only better, say like S30V vs. VG10.

All I can confidently conclude is I’ll give up corrosion-resistance if I can get better wear- and fracture-resistance edge-holding, edge-stability, or sharpening-response, unless I’m working in wet environments, then I go with H1.

EDIT: In bold and overstrike.

[sal]

I have seen many such lists, and we certainly have our own as we've been testing blade steels for decades. You'd think that so many people testing blade steels that the conclusions would be more in line, but, they always differ. "The edge is a Ghost". And there are many variables to how it affects performance. Great to study, learn and develop, but I don't think it's a good idea for any one test to claim greater accuracy. From God's lips to your ears would be great, but I believe the edge-u-cation of leading edges parallels our evolution.

sal

[TomAiello]

13 edits to the original post is going to make for some interesting reading when someone opens this thread and reads it from the top.

FWIW, if anyone gets this far, my "outclassed" ? comments were drawn from the original (now edited out) comments in the original list posted at the beginning of the thread.

[The Meat man]

Trinity300, how did you come up with these ratings? Did you test the knives yourself?

[Trinity300]

This list is an approximation lacking insight on how its weightings were derived. As such, the list is one man’s opinion, and hardly a bad way to introduce himself.

Such a list always intrigues me. But lacking test equipment and protocols, I don’t get much beyond judging the various steels of my Spydies by the three main steel-resistances (wear, corrosion, and fracture). Then I begin to wonder how any two of these resistances increase or decrease the third, or how each resistance can be intensified, such that one steel can be like another only better, say like S30V vs. VG10.

All I can confidently conclude is I’ll give up corrosion-resistance if I can get better wear- and fracture-resistance, unless I’m working in wet environments, then I go with H1.

Do you prefer H1 in wet environments over LC200N because it is tougher or you need that extra 10% corrosion protection?

Most of these ratings are a compilation of notes from the notes app from my phone that added up over the last couple years from personal usage, reading articles, websites, forums, etc. It's mostly qualitative. There's some quantitative info out there which is nice (like that article linked earlier), but one study is also just one data point and sometimes two quantitative studies conflict each other. It could be due to a difference in manufacturing or some other variable. I'm not a steel expert by any means. Some people may favor different characteristics than I do, and that's fine. It's my opinion, and it could very well change over time :)

[Trinity300]

13 edits to the original post is going to make for some interesting reading when someone opens this thread and reads it from the top.

FWIW, if anyone gets this far, my "outclassed" ? comments were drawn from the original (now edited out) comments in the original list posted at the beginning of the thread.

I guess I'm OCD about formatting. I also made quantitative minimums for the rankings and had to move some steels around.

Yeah, I removed those "outclassed" comments to let people make up their own minds. Those notes were mainly just for me because I feel I don't need two steels if one performs better in every category, except maybe just for collection purposes, which is fine as well.

[jpm2]

Seems everyone judges their knife steel differently.
I think the most common judgement is corrosion resistance, which can be determined without ever using the knife.

My judgement comes from what happens to the edge with use, mainly when contacting other metals, which I do a lot of at work, and find to be the most damaging.

What I carry at work has been determined over the last several decades, and really hasn't changed much since the mid 80's.
What I carry away from work is a lot more flexible.

EDIT: Out of the 38 steels listed, I've used 25 of them.

My order of same steels would be different than op, and probably most others.