Which Spyderco stainless is least prone to accidental edge damage?

[Albatross]

So, edge retention is not the same as edge stability? Would it be correct to say material (steel chemistry + HT) is the primary contributor to edge retention while sharpening and geometry are the primary contributors to edge stability?

Edge retention is how long the blade will stay sharp. Edge stability is the ability to resist chips or rolls. You can sharpen at a higher angle to prevent damage, but then you're losing some edge retention. Switching to a steel with higher edge stability, should solve the issue. Edge stability can increase edge retention if your edge is dulling prematurely, due to edge damage, or if you drop the angle significantly, which the edge stability should support. Higher edge stability means you can safely use lower edge angles. Rex 45 is a good example of this. If you tried to match the angles it's capable of, on something like VG10, you would have to sharpen out a lot of chips.

Composition and HT are key for both edge retention and edge stability. Sharpening and geometry are very important as well. If you mess with any one of those 4 things, edge retention and/or edge stability will suffer.

[JRinFL]

I'm basing may comment on this comment from Ankerson: "Edge stability is not what people seem to think it is and nor are the reasons for it or what has the real effect on it. Edge geometry and hardness have the most effect on this far beyond what type of steel it is."

[Karl_H]

Larrin Thomas (Knife Steel Nerds) has a lot of good articles on edge retention and stability.

TLDR: Edge stability, as the term is normally used is a function of applied stress, geometry, strength (hardness), and fracture toughness. Edge retention, as the term is normally used, is a function of geometry and abrasion resistance.