What's the lowest edge retention steel you'd carry?

[ferider]

A cork screw comes in handy, when out on a date with my better half, so i carry Viktor Inox or La Guignole sometimes.

I have a couple of great D2 (American) flippers and a 154CM Manix 2. Just great geometries, all of them, not “low” by any means.

[rgrad80]

These threads are hilarious. I only carry Valyrian Steel.

[vilePossum]

The stainless on my SAK. Spyderco wise I am perfectly fine with vg10 or n690.

[The Deacon]

Rust resistance is far more important to me than edge retention.

[anagarika]

8Cr on byrds.

Some SAKs too but mostly for the tools.

[Surfingringo]

Rust resistance is far more important to me than edge retention.

Paul, I don’t think you own any lc200n yet do you? I think you are really going to enjoy that steel. Seems about perfect for you given everything I’ve seen you post about the kind of steels you like.

[The Deacon]

Rust resistance is far more important to me than edge retention.

Paul, I don’t think you own any lc200n yet do you? I think you are really going to enjoy that steel. Seems about perfect for you given everything I’ve seen you post about the kind of steels you like.

Lance, I do own a Native Salt but will admit I have no plans to carry it as the lock spring is so strong it makes opening and closing the knife a chore. Plan to get an Autonomy 2 eventually and, if Spyderco ever decides to offer a Stretch 2 in LC200N I will definitely purchase and carry one of those.

[ChrisinHove]

I was tempted to say “Surgical Stainless Steel” but in reality it’s Victorinox’s offering and then only for very light edc use. It lets SAKs down, really.

[Sharp Guy]

Lowest edge retention steel(s) I regularly carry would be BD1 & VG10. I have lots of steels that hold an edge longer but I'd be perfectly happy if I only had BD1 or VG10.

[bearfacedkiller]

I carry 1095, 52100, VG10, 12c27, 420HC, 8cr13mov and whatever SAK uses. The SAK steel is probably the softest and least wear resistant steel I carry.

Today is N690Co on the Pattada. :)

[TomAiello]

I carried an 8cr13mov Kershaw for a couple days this fall. Does that count?

I think I'd say my "normal" answer to this is probably s35vn.

[jasonstone20]

I don't mind 420J2/3Cr13. If you learn to sharpen a knife, it changes how you look at steels and knives. The better your sharpening abilities, the more you can get out of a knife and a steel. All steels have their use. I remember I had a knife, a Pakistani Buck 110 clone that my father had gotten my as a gift from SMKW. I couldn't get that knife to stay sharp for anything. Exactly the problem you have with Pakistani steel, it would shave once and then be butter knife dull. Now, however, I can get the knife to stay sharp for quite a while, as my sharpening skills got better.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

David, Lance, Tom, and others: I read on the official Victorinox website that their blade steel (the stainless they presently use) is in the 56 RC hardness range. That is very low in comparison to some other steel we are familiar with such as VG10. I have Victorinox Swiss Army knives and they have that steel. They seem to function pretty well. Do you think the reason for that low level of hardness is to sharpen them easilly?

Here is their chart:

http://www.sakhome.com/304372168?

fbclid=IwAR1qglcuNxtVWc5rcuItkooIWzw8Dp5Ro1ipQZEHopx49P6BhFf0zXnld5Y


From the chart:

"1.4110


x55CrMo14


blades


56HRC"


56 HRC? That is very low for knife steel. With Spyderco and some other brands I am used to the 58/59-62 or higher range. But the trade-off is that lower HRC is easier to sharpen and more elastic?

[BobABQ]

I have carried slipjoints with 1095 steel and they were fine. I just had to sharpen them more often. As far as Spyderco knives I guess my cutoff steel would be ATS-34. I am not the steel snob that I was. A decent steel with a good heat treat works well for me. I can always touch up the edge when I get home.

Just for the record I have been using VG-10 bladed Spydercos and they have performed extremely well. The new high tech steels are neat and all but for me, my knife sees light duty, a moderately good steel with a good heat treat works wonderfully.

[bearfacedkiller]

SAKs don’t hold an edge well but they are ground thin and that soft steel has some durability. It will definitely bend or roll before it breaks or chips.

For what they are the steel choice is fine in my opinion. Affordable multipurpose beaters. Sometimes that is exactly what I need. I love SAKs.

I am a steel geek but not a steel snob.

[ZrowsN1s]

Plain edge H1

[The Mastiff]

1075 and 1095/O1 and VG 10 for stainless. I try not to judge steels by their abrasion resistance as that is only one part of the performance. I look at them more by what job do I need to get done. Sometime that job is to just relax and clean and sharpen and other times I may need pure abrasion resistance to cut up old carpet with silica and quartz ( what is on the ground in my neighborhood) particles waiting to dull and scratch any steel I have. For wood ( carving and whittling) 1095 and O1 is exactly what I need and low abrasion resistance affects me not at all. I still carry Vg 10 as much or more than any other steel I have. A VG 10 Endura is usually in my pocket around the house.

Joe

[SpyderEdgeForever]

SAKs don’t hold an edge well but they are ground thin and that soft steel has some durability. It will definitely bend or roll before it breaks or chips.

For what they are the steel choice is fine in my opinion. Affordable multipurpose beaters. Sometimes that is exactly what I need. I love SAKs.

I am a steel geek but not a steel snob.

This is very comforting, Thank you Darby and Happy New Year to you my friend.

I have a Swiss Army locking blade knife and I was using it to cut up some cardboard boxes and I cleaned it off with soap and water and then used to cut some bread and cheese for a sandwich and it worked very well.

[lonerider1013]

Usually, vg-10.
I have some 8cr13mov knives by Spyderco and sometimes carry them but not so much anymore.
Though part of that is that I just have other knives I prefer not just for blade steel but for how they carry etc.
For a fixed blade, not sure as I don't really own any I can think of. But I have had machete's made of 1095.

[Raymond3]

I haven't been able to carry a 154CM, VG10 or S30v for a long time, and certainly nothing lesser than that. My carries are currently limited to M4 on the low end, 204p, M390, 20cv, K390, Hap 40, Rex45, ZDP 189 or S110v. I keep them sharp, and at a pre-set bevel so quick touch-ups with high quality stones, and often with a great sharpener like the HapStone or Edge Pro make these easy to touch up. With so many top quality folders in these steel so readily available, (Especially from our fantastic Spyderco) why bother with the rest? Once Spyderco comes out with a Manix2 XL in one of those better steels, even that S30v will get sold. There are bunch of knives in my collectors drawer that I occasionally use for fun, testing, bragging, or just because it has sentimental value ( in XHP, 52100, 1095, Carbon 5 even the old Buck HC) but they just don't get pocket time any more.