How many different blade steels do you own?

[Josh Crutchley]

I'm a little curious of the numbers so here's mine.
Spyderco total knives-13(2 are Byrd) Other brands-12
Amount of different steels -18
Spyderco-11
Others-7

I will say I did go out of my way to buy a different steel with every new knife but some doubled up like 8cr13 and most of my older stuff is 7cr17. I also counted PD#1 and CPM Cruwear as one type. I also have a few cheaper knives but I'm not sure how honest these companies were when the marked the steel type. I would say the biggest difference in use for me is how long some of the higher vanadium carbide steels take to sharpen. There's a few steels that did subpar but the 5cr15 was the worst and it wasn't even the cutting that was bad. I mean if I could get it sharp it would cut but it always develops a very stubborn burr possibly from too much retained austenite.


How many different blade steels do you own? I know most people that frequent the forum have quite a few Spyderco's, some have way more. I'm sure everyone has different preference's like some might only buy low carbide while other's think if it's not Rex-121 it's obsolete or maybe the old high carbon is life and stainless is trash mentality. You can also never rule out that some people just don't care and as long as it cuts and stabs like a knife their happy. There might be a few people in between those extremes, so which are you?

[Sharp Guy]

I'm at 27 31 different steels. There may be a couple I missed too

EDIT: BFK's post reminded me of a few I didn't count

[Kevinim82]

At this moment in time I own 8 Spyderco knives and 7 different steel types (I have made a habit of giving a good knife to a knife-less family member about every 4-6 months. All siblings and in laws all have 1 Spyderco knife. Dad is the proud owner of 2.

The redundancy is in LC200N, very fun to sharpen!

As a trend I own 6 easy to sharpen steels, 1 super super steel (maxamet.)

[Pokey]

Between Spyderco and a few other brands, 20 different types. (+/- a few I may have missed)

Edited to add: I forgot about all of the old school steel blades, so the number is probably closer to 30. :o

Does San Mai count as one or two if you already have both kinds of steel on other blades? (my brain hurts) :D

[bearfacedkiller]

Off the top of my head, 45. I included a few that are basically the same (m390/204p/20cv) and left out cladding like 420j2. I also left out mystery steels. I don’t know what F. Dick or Dexter Russell actually use. I probably missed a few.

80crV2
O1
52100
1095
A2
Super Blue
Vtoku2
S30V
S35VN
S90V
S110V
Vg10
N690co
Aeb-l
M390
Cpm20cv
Cts204p
CPM 10v
K390
Maxamet
Rex45
Hap40
CPM M4
CPM 3V
CPM 4V
CPM Cruwear
Vg10/Damascus
R2
ZDP189
D2
CPM D2
8cr13mov
3cr13
420HC
CPM154
154CM
Psf27
Mbs26
13c26
Aus6
Elmax
CTS-XHP
H1
12c27
X50CrMo

[SG89]

I guess the majority of what spyderco has offered....not even sure what that number would be

[zuludelta]

I currently have 26 different blade steels across my modest collection of knives, axes/hatchets, multi-tools, and folding saws (listed in no particular order):

1. SK-4
2. SK-5
3. 1045
4. 1095 Cro-Van
5. 3Cr13
6. X50CrMoV15, a.k.a. 420MoV
7. 8Cr13MoV
8. AUS-6
9. AUS-8
10. V-TOKU2
11. 420J2
12. 420C/420HC
13. 440C
14. N690Co
15. VG-1
16. VG-10
17. 154CM
18. H-1
19. LC200N
20. CTS BD1
21. CTS BD1N
22. CTS XHP
23. CPM S30V
24. CPM S35VN
25. CPM S110V
26. ZDP-189

I used to have more, but have been trimming my collection over the past year. Also, I know a bunch of these are quite similar chemically (such as 420J2 and 3Cr13) but I opted to list them separately as I've found my respective specimens of each steel to perform different enough from each other to be noticeable (although this is probably just as much a function of heat treat/geometry/tool design as it is chemistry).

[kobold]

11 in Spydercos + about the same number in other knives.

[ykspydiefan]

I have Spyderco in 8cr13mov, LC200N, Spy27, S45vn, Pd#1 and H1 on the way(thanks freediver)
Other steel, S35vn, 14c28n, 420, M390,
10 different steels plus some no name Stainless and Carbon
M390 sees the most pocket time currently.
S45vn and Pd#1 the most project time, whittling wood to make Mule handles.

[Josh Crutchley]

Off the top of my head, 45. I included a few that are basically the same (m390/204p/20cv) and left out cladding like 420j2. I also left out mystery steels. I don’t know what F. Dick or Dexter Russell actually use. I probably missed a few.

(big a** list shortened for quote)

That's impressive, I hope to try them all at some point.

I'm sure I've owned many more types over the year's like some of the simpler high carbon steels. When I got into actually learning about steels and sharpening over the past year I started looking at blade steels differently. I didn't know about the higher end brands growing up, **** I thought Buck knives only came in one steel. What that steel was didn't occur to me, they were all the same so it didn't matter(of course now I know they had several higher wear resistant steels at the time). I don't remember where I heard it from but I was told that stainless is horrible for knives and hard to sharpen compared to high carbon steel. I was also told stainless is non-magnetic and that's what I thought, until a few years ago I was helping friends haul scrap and learned that wasn't the case. It was shortly after that I learned about 440c and that it was decent blade steel. That summed up my steel knowledge up to the point I learned about Spyderco on Youtube last year. From that point on I wanted to try all the different kinds of steel to see which was the best for me.

[kerrcobra]

I reckon somewhere around ~50-60 steels. Darby has a good list going. I have all but ~4 steels on his list (aebl, 10v, R2, X50CrMo) that I can think of concrete examples in my collection, and I have a few more that he doesn't have listed that I know are in my collection:

Aus8/Aus8a
Aus10a
440C
M2
5160
Vanadis 4E
Hap40
SG2
3G
INFI
SR101
420J2
440A
65Mn
1075
1080
1060
1055


There are probably more that I can't think of at the moment. I might have something in aebl, but I can't think of it off the top of my head.

[mb1]

I’m right at 50 now. I’ve had as many as 52.

[archangel]

38 different steels, all Spyderco treatment. #39 incoming. I plan to buy a Swick (if they ever come - sorry for sarcasm), that will get me to 40.

Full list here viewtopic.php?f=2&t=68483&p=1537761#p1537133

[Wandering_About]

A lot.

[dsvirsky]

Not including kitchen knives, 50+, since I'm probably forgetting something:

1075
1080
1084
1095
0170-6/1095CV/50100B
5160
52100
A2
D2/CPM D2
O1
W1
15N20
AUS 6
AUS 8
420HC
425M
440A
440B
440C
Acuto 440
8Cr13MoV
12C27
13C26
14C28N
Nitro V
ATS34/154CM/CPM 154
RWL34
BG42
GIN 1
H1
LC200N
VG 10
CPM 3V
CPM Cruwear
CPM S30V
CPM S35VN
CPM S45VN
CPM S90V
CPM S110V
CPM 440V (S60V)
Cowry Y
HAP 40
CTS-XHP
ZDP 189
Maxamet
Elmax
CTS-BD1
CTS-BDN1
K390
Niolox

[cody6268]

Off the top of my head:

420 (on a lot of my Italian-made Antonini and Czech Mikov)
420J2 (China-made Buck 37X series knives)
425 (Mikov uses this on some of their fixed blades)
425M (most Bucks from the '80s-mid '90s)
440A (several of my American-made traditional folders; and some lower end, American-made tactical; most Rough Ryder knives)
440C (My OLD Bucks, several Italian knives)
420HC (among the more common steels I own)
O1 (custom-made knife)
"Old Saw Blade" (so probably O1? 65Mn?); which my great-Grandfather used to make various fixed blades.
12071 (a steel only found in the Czech Republic Mikov uses on some models; and I have no idea what in the heck it is, as I don't use that knife)
1065 (Okapi and at least one machete)
1075 (Condor choppers, old Colonial USA knives)
1085 (USA made Bokers from the '50s-early '80s)
1095 (a steel that is very common in what I own--close to half my knives I have it)
1.4110/X55CrMo14 (SAKs)
1.4116
1.4034 (both 1.4116 and 1.4034 are found in my kitchen knives, and are pretty decent--I also have a couple of folders in it)
15N20 (Svord, one of my favorite steels)
3Cr13MOV
5Cr15MOV
7Cr17MOV
8Cr13MOV (a really common steel; found on about 20 knives of varying brands and quality--but nothing is done better than a CRKT or Byrd)
9Cr18MOV (Lansky World Legal and Madrock; I hear 9Cr18MOV is a great steel, but the two knives are designed very poorly; having horrible ergonomics and springs too strong even for me, who prefers knives with stout springs; thus they rarely get carried)
AUS6 (older Japan Kershaw)
AUS8 (a lot of my Japanese knives)
AUS10 (AG Russell Pocket Scalpel)
154CM (Emerson)
Case "CV" (I think it's just 1095, but I've heard the recipe Case uses has been tinkered with)
CPM-154 (Silver Knights SFO Bucks)
C75 (german carbon steel knives)
D2 (really increasing in quantity--tough as nails, but a bit cheaper--though I'm really interested in M4) .
N690Co (just my Roadie)
S30V (Leatherman Charge TTi, Spyderco Para 3)
CPM-S35VN (Native 5)
G-2/GIN1 (most of my OLD Spydercos)
H1 (Spyderco Salts, but I'm looking at some Sakai fishing knives in it)
VG-10
Sandvik 12C27N (kitchen knives)
Sandvik 14C28N (Kershaw, REALLY good steel)
T-10 (Chinese steel said to be close to 1095 ,used in Rough Ryder/SMKW's carbon steel folders)


A fixed blade in Maxamet might be coming soon.

[Lucabrasi]

1. Aus8a
2. Cts xhp
3. Zdp 189
3. 20cv
4. 204p
5. 14c28n
6. Sg2
7. Elmax
8. Lc200n
9. S30v
10. S35vn
11. 1095
12. 1095 cro van
13. D2
14. 3v
15. 440c
16. 12c27
17. Aebl
18. Blue super
19. Blue 2
20. White 1
21. White 2.
22. Sld
23. Ginsanko
24. 1k6
25. Vanax
26. Victorinox stainless
Probably others I’m forgetting. Haven’t gotten into non stainless in pocket knives but likely getting k390 soon.

[kennethsime]

Great question. I'm not sure I can answer other than saying "check my signature." Steels other than Spyderco would be a challenge to verify and count.

[Steeltoez83]

By my count I have 42 steels. 16 exclusive to spyderco products. I can only think of 1 steel I haven't sharpened yet and that's m398.

[mikey177]

17 from Spyderco and 21 from other manufacturers.

I also counted M390/20CV and CTS-204P once, as well as PD1 and CPM Cru-wear. Apart from those though, I don't pay much attention to which steels are analogous.