Best steel for your EDC

[Speed3]

Any advise on how to get one on the cheap?

Try here

Microtech Knives

We are a small family business that specializes in customer service. We have higher quality folders, automatics & fixed blades & are authorized dealers for Microtech Knives, Marfione Custom Knives, Hinderer Knives, Dwyer Custom Goods, Protech, Chris Reeve, Spyderco, Benchmade, RMJ Tactical &...

southernedges.com

 

[Baldheaded]

Try here

Microtech Knives

We are a small family business that specializes in customer service. We have higher quality folders, automatics & fixed blades & are authorized dealers for Microtech Knives, Marfione Custom Knives, Hinderer Knives, Dwyer Custom Goods, Protech, Chris Reeve, Spyderco, Benchmade, RMJ Tactical &...

southernedges.com

The orange UTX-70 looks nice and the price seems pretty good but I am not up to date with pricing. Can you change the clips around on these knives for lefties?

 

[Bob A]

Any advise on how to get one on the cheap?

Join Bladeforums.com, and check out the Knife Exchange, For Sale by Individuals, For Sale Automatic Knives (Individuals) sub-forum.

You can join for free, but if you want to sell stuff, you have to up your membership (10 bucks a year, IIRC).

The forum is full of guys who are automatic knife fans, and most of them seem to sell off the ones they tire of playing with, to fund their next toy. Many of the knives sold are never used to cut anything, The prices are usually under market, except for the Hot Items of the Day, when someone scores a tough to find example and scalps it to Those In Desperate Need.

But be careful; these things are addictive, like really expensive potato chips. Even at half price, they tend to accumulate to a frightening degree.

​

 

[alucard0822]

All blade steels have a tradeoff of some sort. Most are taken from other industries, tool steels, injection molding, bearings etc.

Toughness, the ability to resist chipping/permanent deformation aka rolling. IMO this is one of the top things to be aware of, some really high wear resistant steels like S110V are not tough, and while it takes forever to actually wear the blade, they can chip and roll somewhat easily, making it feel "dull" far more quickly than the numbers would indicate

Hardness, which is directly related to strength, differs from toughness as a tough knife will bend, but not break, a strong knife won't bend, and resists temporary deformation, also plays a part in resisting wear, but high hardness can be tough to sharpen without diamond or silicon carbide stones.

Wear resistance, usually advertised as the most important attribute, but it's really not, being blades get chipped, rolled or damaged in many other ways, and are dulled by things other than abrasive wear. If you cut a lot of soft materials like cardboard wear resistance is more important than an EDC that will be used to cut a lot of different things.

Corrosion resistance. One of those things that tends to be overlooked, till you find rust on your knife. For most users, most stainless is OK for EDC use, but many non-stainless steels, or steels with some chrome, but not enough to be "stainless" like M4 and D2 can be great, and offers some advantages in toughness over stainless. Even stainless steels have a wide range of corrosion resistance, something like 154CM is OK, but will rust pit from sweat, H1 is practically rustproof even in saltwater.

Other attributes, there are a lot of details, and steels can have a unique "personality". Some are really hard to sharpen, S90V being one of the worst. Some will take a really really fine edge like M390, some don't keep that razor edge long, but hold a useful edge for a long time, like D2. You also have the color of the steel, the price of the steel, which usually doesn't vary much. There is the price of the blades, as some are really hard to work with, and manufacturers add cost to offset the added work and things like grinding belts that wear faster in production.

All of this is dependent on the blade itself. It is pointless to have a really tough and hard steel, and run a thick edge, or a steel with high wear resistance, but poor toughness and corrosion resistance in a bushcraft knife. There are a variety of heat treatments, some run softer/tougher, some run harder/less tough, and lots of edge shapes and designs that can work with, or against the steel.

I have a decent collection, have carried knives in dozens of steels, some simple, some exotic, but there are a few that stand out.

S30V, the modern standard, does everything well, the gateway to good steel, and most manufacturers use it, and heat treat it decently well. It is a good balance of all the attributes, and will outperform cheap knives by a wide margin, and can hold it's own against some "better" steels in actual use.

M390/20CV/204P, a really good steel that till recently was arguable the best. Better edge retention than S30V, similar toughness, better corrosion resistance, but takes a fantastic edge that is razor sharp for a long time.

CPM M4, non stainless, but not an issue if coated and maintained. It holds a sharp edge for a long time, very tough, takes a very fine edge, and makes an excellent hard use knife.

CPM Magnacut, IMO flat out the new king. given the choice, I would take a knife in Magnacut over most any other steel. It's extremely tough, very hard, and extremely corrosion resistant, three things seldom seen together. It takes a razor sharp edge that lasts forever, easier to sharpen than steel with similar attributes. It holds a sharp edge for me far better than steels that "should" outperform it, primarily S90V, S110V, and M390, being it is so resistant to micro chipping and rolling, despite a mediocre ranking of edge retension "on paper".

Blade HQ has detailed rankings for many steels, overall it's a decent resource, provided you understand the numbers are kind of subjective, not really linear, and open to interpretation. Most users won't see a difference between 2 steels with a "6" and "8" in edge retention by their chart, but might notice a difference in 2 blades of identical steel, but run with different heat treatment/hardness. All in all find knives you like, try different steels and different designs, and enjoy.

https://www.bladehq.com/blog/knife-steel-guide/

 

[Finn]

with all these steels and super steels that are out there it really comes down to one thing....
The best steel is the one you have on you when you need it!

 

[S.Gossman]

I work with many of the CPM steels. I like CPM CruWear and MagnaCut currently. I've used CPM M4, CPM S45VN, CPM 154 and many others. A really good steel that is becoming popular is 14c28n. Takes a high hardness, great edge holding and edge stability. Most of the knives I make are in the 61 to 64 rc range.

 

[calicojack]

I don't see anything wrong with VG10 or S30V

 

[Cold Steel]

I have tubs of knives of varying types and steels and after carrying all sorts of them, my favorite knife steel is AUS8A. I know it's behind the times to make such a statement, but I've never had any problems sharpening it, maintain it or using it on a day-to-day basis.

Years ago, in my early days of knife buying, I bought a Cold Steel Night Force and Recon 1, both of which (back then) had blades of 440A, a steel known today as being total and complete junk! But here's the thing. It all depends on who does the heat treat. All 440A is the same steel, but it's not all prepped the same. All the el cheapo knives I've owned with the exception of Cold Steel have been garbage.

When I got the CS knives, they were viciously sharp. Two reviewers actually said they nicked themselves with Night Force knives! I found this to be hard to believe until I got the Night Force and Recon 1 knives. I use both knives today and both are extremely sharp! But I have a bunch of other 440A knives that I cannot get sharp no matter how long I work on them. The black finish on the CS knives has large areas all worn away. The Recon 1 has an interesting locking feature that is solid. It's slick as glass and I've been expecting it to fail for some time, but it's solid. If I needed a new knife and had the chance to buy another Recon 1 w/440A, I'd buy it in a heartbeat! I carry a BROKEN SKULL knife with a CTS XHP blade today because of weight considerations (also because XHP has great reviews), but it takes me a long time to sharpen. And just small, mundane uses like opening medicine bottles sealed on the top is much easier using my 440A/AUS8A.

 

[live2hunt72]

Got a Spyderco endela in cruwear that I love. Holds an edge way better than my sons delica in vg10.

 

[Cold Steel]

Got a Spyderco endela in cruwear that I love. Holds an edge way better than my sons delica in vg10.

VG10 and AUS10A are good knife steels.

Cold Steel has some great knives with serrated blades, but there's no point in buying super steels (S35VN, CTS-XHP) if you're going to buy a CS serrated blade.

Years ago I bought a used Voyager (early, early model) on eBay. Back then I didn't know what I was doing and got exactly what I paid for --- a Voyager that had the serrations worn down and the teeth were like an old dog's. The pocket pouch was like new and I'm still using it, so it was worth it.

But my point is, even with the teeth and the middle portions worn, they continued to cut like a fiend! I now carry the knife in my back pocket and it still slices open my packages and the 5-inch blade (AUS8A) is great for self defense. It's an old knife, the serrations are worn, but if you ran your hand across the blade, you'd see that the serrations still feel exceedingly sharp. I use the knife often for just about everything, but I'd hate to be cut with the thing!

Bottom line: better knife steel may give you a better edge retention for your serrated blades, but whether you use S35VN or CTS-XHP, I don't think you'd see the difference for a long time. In fact, the better steels may chip off their teeth quicker than the AUS8A steel. I have two extra-large Talwars with serrated blades, one with 8A and one with XHP. I carry the 8A when I feel the need for more protection, and I save the XHP because it's more a collector's piece, and because the 8A is a steel I trust.

If any of you have and use the XHP serrated version, please let me know how it is standing up.

 

[BurkeM]

Really..... I didn't know that. I do have my carry permit. Are we sure about this?

Yes.

 

[hobiecat590]

VG10 and AUS10A are good knife steels.

Cold Steel has some great knives with serrated blades, but there's no point in buying super steels (S35VN, CTS-XHP) if you're going to buy a CS serrated blade.

Years ago I bought a used Voyager (early, early model) on eBay. Back then I didn't know what I was doing and got exactly what I paid for --- a Voyager that had the serrations worn down and the teeth were like an old dog's. The pocket pouch was like new and I'm still using it, so it was worth it.

But my point is, even with the teeth and the middle portions worn, they continued to cut like a fiend! I now carry the knife in my back pocket and it still slices open my packages and the 5-inch blade (AUS8A) is great for self defense. It's an old knife, the serrations are worn, but if you ran your hand across the blade, you'd see that the serrations still feel exceedingly sharp. I use the knife often for just about everything, but I'd hate to be cut with the thing!

Bottom line: better knife steel may give you a better edge retention for your serrated blades, but whether you use S35VN or CTS-XHP, I don't think you'd see the difference for a long time. In fact, the better steels may chip off their teeth quicker than the AUS8A steel. I have two extra-large Talwars with serrated blades, one with 8A and one with XHP. I carry the 8A when I feel the need for more protection, and I save the XHP because it's more a collector's piece, and because the 8A is a steel I trust.

If any of you have and use the XHP serrated version, please let me know how it is standing up.

Finally some love for AUS8A that does not rate so hot. I have a 15 year old SOG Flashback that is only 3..6 ounces and has served me well. Before that a Spyderco Tenacious in 8Cr13MoV that bit me once when it opened slightly my pocket. Both are sharp. I guess I'll have to try a super steel knife if the SOG ever dies. YMMV

 

[Bafflingbs]

I don’t use my knives to pry or chop, so my main purpose is cutting. I also want my blades to remain sharp, for a long, long time. For that, I want the edge-keeping qualities of s90v, s110v and m390. M390 may not be the best of the 3, for edge keeping. But, it gets razor sharp, very easy, and it keeps that edge better than 90% of the other knife steels out there. A quick stropping, with a leather belt, and it’s back to being a razor. This was my favorite.
Now, enter the new Magnacut! I am very interested and impressed by this steel. It’s supposed to be superior to m390, in every way. If that’s true, then it’s my new favorite.
That being said, my favorite knife is my Benchmade 940-1 with s90v. I’d love to see a Magnacut version of this. I’d be all over that

 

[4g64loser]

I don’t use my knives to pry or chop, so my main purpose is cutting. I also want my blades to remain sharp, for a long, long time. For that, I want the edge-keeping qualities of s90v, s110v and m390. M390 may not be the best of the 3, for edge keeping. But, it gets razor sharp, very easy, and it keeps that edge better than 90% of the other knife steels out there. A quick stropping, with a leather belt, and it’s back to being a razor. This was my favorite.
Now, enter the new Magnacut! I am very interested and impressed by this steel. It’s supposed to be superior to m390, in every way. If that’s true, then it’s my new favorite.
That being said, my favorite knife is my Benchmade 940-1 with s90v. I’d love to see a Magnacut version of this. I’d be all over that

For over a decade I've had a Benchmade barrage in m390 in my pocket. Best pocket knife I have owned. Bar none. I can get a shaving edge on it and it takes a lot of punishment.

Our own Justiw here on the boards made me an unusual kitchen knife in magnacut. I love it. The jap style AEB-L blade.he made me is excellent but the magnacut blade (very difficult styles) almost never needs a strop. It hits bones sometimes and hasn't suffered any ill effects. I will be on the lookout for a fixed blade belt knife in magnacut in the future.