What's your favorite blade steel?

[Adriaan]

I have experience with following steels. I rank them as follows:

1) damascus forged blade of leo damast from böker (Böker Special Run Leopard III Damast DLC). It's the steel from the barrel of a German leopard tank forged into an awesome knife!
2) Böker damast on my 5.5 special run.
3) laminated VG10
4) normal VG10 or N690BO. It's difficult to say witch one is better, so i ranked them both fourth.
5) laminated VG1
6) 440c
7) AUS8
8) AUS4
9) 1182 steel

[DCDesigns]

To the OP, What is the characteristic you used to order your steels?

for me, with my limited experience my order would look like this: (based on cutting performance and edge retention)

#1-M390
#2-CPM -M4
#3-Super Blue
#4-CPM -S30v
#5-Vg10
#6-H1

[Adriaan]

To the OP, What is the characteristic you used to order your steels?

Strenght, cutting performance and edge retention.

Rust resistance is not that important to me.

Some of the steels you mentioned i'm curious about.

Ow and i forgot one in my post. I have also a knife made of X15 T.N. (French steel) I don't use it that much. X15 T.N. is insane rust resistant like H1.

I can't say how well it performs because i allmost never use it. I think it will be on the same level as VG10???? I guess...

[Dr. Snubnose]

I like the following not in any order. 154cm, S30V, VG-10, 440c, D2, ...Doc :D

[Popsickle]

S90v, M390, XHP, 3v, m4

[SQSAR]

Not quite sure about the order, but these are the 1st few to come to my mind:1095, D2, M4, CMP154, 154CM, S90v/CTS-20CP, XHP, oh, and O-1, , how could I have forgotten O-1.

[razorsharp]

i have very few steels, but my favorites:

1, Superblue, gets hair splitting sharp, holds edge, gets nice patina, polishes fast, gets aggressive with use.
2, VG10, sharpens up fast and gets hairsplitting easily, can take a very sharp semipolish which i like.
3, 13c26, Just for the edge it takes, the edge it takes is pheniminal, i can get taht better than hairsplitting, it pops the hair in half. Fun steel for a sharpening nut.
4, M2, Holds a good edge, i can get an edge almost like 13c26. The knife i have made from it is a kiridashi I made. It holds a pretty good edge. It doesn get much use. If i made another knife in it, id probably love it.
5, H1, just cause its care free, holds ok edge, gets better with use, gets CRAZY sharp too.

i guess that listed the steels i have, (except SAK steel, 8cr and 3cr and some otehrs i dont know)

I guarantee m390 will be top of the list next month when i get a para m390 :D

[The Deacon]

Of the ones I've used, Devin Thomas Raindrop Damascus would top my list. Beautiful to look at and performs about the same as my second choice, VG-10. Not much to look at, but it's easy to sharpen, reasonably rust resistant, takes a really good edge, and retains it for a reasonable time. The one I want most to try, preferably in a Spyderco, is Odin's Eye Damasteel.

[Adriaan]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TznTDdpyH0Q/S ... C_0001.JPG

This one is beautiful. I like the dragonskin bolsters and the patern of the damascus blade.

Damast steel performs great. If you are willing to use it...

[jackknifeh]

My main concern has always been edge retention. The steels I've used are 440A, AUS-8, AUS-8A, 8Cr13MoV, VG-10, ZDP-189, S30V and M4. Every steel I've tried will get VERY sharp. I don't use my knives for hard use on a regular basis cutting edge damaging material like rope or cardboard. So, with my limited experience my favorites are M4 and S30V. Both take a wicked edge and stay sharp long enough for me. All of the steels Spyderco uses hold an edge better than the knives I used all of my life. But I never used to pay more than $20 for a knife.

I'm sure if/when I use some of the other steels I'll really like them. For my use and most EDC use all of the steels Spyderco uses are good. I believe they do whatever they can to make sure a steel is better than average AND holds up to how they describe it. So, if you buy a Spyderco you can be assured you will have a good or great blade steel. Ergonomics, color, etc. will be a matter of personal likes and dislikes but the steel will be acceptable. Just my opinion.

Jack

[Slash]

Not sure what's in it. But it comes from Sweden.

Here's an interesting read http://zknives.com/knives/articles/knifesteelfaq.shtml

[spydutch]

Not much of a steel junky but:

Victorinox steel
Opinel carbon
Case CV
VG10
Gin1
Byrd steel(always seem to forget the code :o :D )

[chuck_roxas45]

If it's aesthetics, then yeh, Odin's eye or raindrop Damascus. If it's edge holding, 20CP among what I have.

[.357 mag]

Right now VG-10

[jackknifeh]

Right now VG-10

Your post was at 7:44am. If you are like me your favorite steel will be something else around noon. :D You could say my favorite steel changes as often as I change my underwear, but, I don't change my underwear that often. :o

Jack

[224477]

In no particular order:

VG10
ZDP189
S30V
AUS8
440C
8cr13mov

I still gotta get somethin in H1 and S90V :)

[Ken44]

I like alot of steels, but think BG42 is my favorite.

I carry my BG42 CF Military, and BG42 small reg. sebenza more than any other knives.

[Sequimite]

Custom damascus aside:

1) Superblue - benefits of good carbon steel with no rust or pitting so far
2) BG-42
3) S90V / 20CP

[DedRok]

VG10, hands down.

[The Mastiff]

Super Blue
52100
O-1
3V
M2
M4
Cruware/vascowear
13C/14C
BG42
S110V