[tomh1426]

Ive been serching the last few weeks for a new EDC knife but I dont know which blade steel to go with.
Im gettin in over my head so I figured Id ask hear.
I want somthing that can hold a scary sharp edge for a while, Im mostly cutting paper, light card board, plastic wrap and zip ties.
I dunno if it matters but as of now I use the Lansky sharpening system.
How do I choose from VG-10 or S30V or D2 or 154CM Etc?
Thanks, Tom

[rcmodel]

cutting paper, light card board,Then, IMO, you need a dollar two ninety eight plastic box cutter with snap-off blades!

There is no knife steel that will withstand a steady diet of cardboard & paper.

It burns the edge right off in no time atall.
You can use cardboard to finish sharpen a knife because it's so abrasive!

rcmodel

[tomh1426]

:uhoh: Thats no fun.
Im not cuttin up boxes and slashin paper all day, just every day average knife stuff.
I had one of those folding razor knives but I kept breaking blades, it made a good box opener but a bad knife.
I need (AKA want) a knife!

[zxcvbob]

Nah, Go ahead and get the metal boxcutter that takes single-edged razor blades.

I bought an Opinal OP8 recently and I've been using it this weekend to cut articles out of a stack of newspapers. It's scary sharp, easy to resharpen, and holds an edge pretty good. I seriously avoid cutting cardboard with it.

[JShirley]

Why don't you just get a new Spyderco Tenacious P(lain)E(dge)? Should be able to find one for ~$40, shipped.

[tomh1426]

Whatever I get must be a plain edge, forgot to mention that.
I was gunna get a Spyderco Delica (VG-10) then I saw a few knives in S30V that I liked then I saw a Benchmade Griptilian in D2 and thats about when I started getting confused.
I tried finding out as much as I could about each steel but it got pretty deep and Im just not that smart.
I was looking at Opinal's a few weeks ago, the blade steel might be good but the rest of it looked kinda weak, althow I could be wrong.

[tomh1426]

I just looked up the Spyderco tenacious and it uses 8Cr13MoV steel, how does this compair to the others?
Ones gotta hold a better edge than the others, right?
I dont mind spending more to get a better knife, Im only gunna buy it once.

[MadMercS55]

I have a Benchmade Vex with that blade steel and it holds up pretty nice under normal use. I've cut some cardboard and such, and while it dulled slightly, it was easy to sharpen and holds a working edge for a long time. I prefer D2 mostly these days and good 'ol 154CM for most folders. The Griptilian would be a nice shoice considering the blade steel and locking mechanism.

[JTW Jr.]

try something made of S125V , cardboard aint no match for it.

[Todd A]

I have no problem making it through a 9 hour shift in a corrugated container plant with a simple 1095 carbon stockman. Razor knives are not allowed so my EDC is all I use to slice sheets with when certain bosses are not looking.
Bringing it back to hair popping sharp after work takes less than five minutes.

I fail to see what the big deal is with blade steel vs cardboard.

[greyling22]

anything higher quality than 440a should be is pretty good.

[JShirley]

Yes.

In a nutshell, any of the steels mentioned will work great. Good working knives:

Spyderco Dragonfly
Spyderco Native
Spyderco Delica
Spyderco Tenacious (bargain!)
Here (http://www.spyderco.com/edge-u-cation/SpydercoSteelChart08.pdf)is a steel chart from Spyderco.

Knives with 420 and 440A are probably not the best choices.

[JohnKSa]

Here's an interesting option.
http://www.tigersharp.com/
http://www.tigersharp.com/knives/TS150-ACTION1.jpg
http://www.tigersharp.com/knives/TS150-ACTION2.jpg
http://www.tigersharp.com/knives/TS150-ACTION3.jpg
Folders also available.
http://www.tigersharp.com/files/ampIMAGE_ampPRODUCT_images/TS-500M._original1.jpg

Replacement blade inserts are pretty reasonably priced--$6.50 or less.

[Rupestris]

In a nutshell, any of the steels mentioned will work great. Good working knives:

Spyderco Dragonfly
Spyderco Native
Spyderco Delica
Spyderco Tenacious (bargain!)


Don't forget the Centofante III. Its another great performer from Spyderco.

[tomh1426]

I went to Scottsdale gun club today, they have a pretty big assortment of Benchmade knives (Apparently the only brand they carry)
I was was their for a while, I handled alot of knives and I liked them all,alot!
Guy behind the counter suggested the Dèjávoo which was cool but not my favorite.
I want to at least handle a few Spyderco's befor I make my choice for EDC.


On a side note I did leave with a model 42 (154CM)
It is an awsome knife, very light and tight (in a good way)

[Pilot]

Benchmade 550 Griptilian or mini Grip. I think the new ones are coming with 154CM steel. I have an older one with 440C and its been great.

[JShirley]

I used to have a Griptillian, and liked it pretty well.

[Capitaine Nemo]

There is no knife steel that will withstand a steady diet of cardboard & paper.

It burns the edge right off in no time atall.
You can use cardboard to finish sharpen a knife because it's so abrasive!

rcmodel

Is that true? I heard about stropping a blade against cardboard to polish it but how come such soft material can dull an edge?

[sixgunner455]

It's abrasive. That's why it works in a pinch for stropping. I don't know exactly what besides coarse wood pulp is in corrugated, but there has to be some kind of adhesive/fixative agent, and I hear that there's clay in it, too.

Any kind of steel, sharp, will just shred cardboard. They will all eventually get dull doing it. That's life. How quickly they dull, and how easy they are to sharpen after, depends most on the blade geometry and heat treat.

I did a little test last year after assembling a bunch of cabinets for my SO. I took a handful of pocketknives and all the boxes out to the big trash can in my driveway, and just switched up which knife I was cutting with whenever I got bored of the one in my hand.

None really got dull. Some were easier to cut with due to blade geometry. Basically, any 3.5-4.25" handle is about the right size. Thin, traditional blades work better than sabre or hollow ground tacticals -- the tacticals don't slice well due to geometry of the blade, not because they aren't sharp.

Victorinox SAKs work very, very well, even though they dull just a bit more quickly than some of the others.

[Zeke/PA]

Cardboard like other papers,is made from mostly recycled product.
Consecuently, everything imagable winds up in the pulp stock including glass bottles ,jars, etc.
Glass is crushed and pulped and becomes part of the paper which makes the paper very abrasive.
In my toolmaking days, I fabricated tons of stuff to cut ,pierce, guide, stack, roll and fold paper products.
An array of tool steels was available.
Good ole' D-2 out performed them all.
Zeke

[Blofeld]

I used a Buck for a couple of years cutting boxes and stuff at work. The greatest value it had was helping me master the art of sharpening. :)

[tomh1426]

I ended up getting a OD Benchmade griptilian with a D2 plain blade, actually I had to order it so I dont have it yet.

[Burt Blade]

I have used O-1, L-6, and 1095 steels for my knives. (and some others in Damascus)

Blade geometry, the heat treatment process, and the proper initial sharpening are far more important than the exact steel, assuming that the steel is a genrally decent tool metal. I have a plain-old L-6 knife I made as a learning project that cuts like nothing I have ever seen. I just happened to get that one right through a good instructor and beginners luck.

[tomh1426]

Im finding out that knives are alot more than just a piece of sharp steel.
Wont be long befor Im puttin together a blast furnace in the yard :uhoh:
Who knew knives were so addictive :cool:

[Todd A]

Who knew knives were so addictive

We do. But its alot more fun to let someone figure it out for themselves.:)

[Mongrel]

I fail to see what the big deal is with blade steel vs cardboard

Have to say I agree with Todd on this.

It's A KNIFE it's PAPER. Yes it gets dull-sharpen it.

Someone mentioned blade geometry-that is the most important aspect to dealing with corrugated i.m.o. As mentioned-a thin blade like on a SAK will glide through it like it was butter. A thicker 'chopper' profiled blade will hang up and it's 'perceived' sharpness won't matter much.

Any decent folder with a thin profiled blade and the right grind will be fine.

Like Todd said, spend 5 minutes on a stone or a strop while having your morning coffee and you'll be good to go another shift.

The idea of NOT using an EDC blade for cardboard chores and similar tasks totally negates the benefit of even carrying it. What the heck is it even in your pocket for, a zombie attack?

[bikerdoc]

Todd and mongel beat me to it, a few minutes with a stone or emory paper, a little stropping, back to scary sharp. Part of my after supper routine for whatever the EDC of the day was.

[Zeke/PA]

For an easily made strop,glue a section of an old belt to a piece of wood.
Glue a piece of cardboard to the opposite side
Awesome!
Agreed, a daily touchup is easily done.
Zeke

[bikerdoc]

zeke
we are on the wave lenth

put a little mothers paste on the cardboard and be amazed!!

[tomh1426]

I just put a little MAAS (all I had) on a pice of cardboard and tried to strop one of my cheap knives.
It made it shinny and smooth and it felt alot sharper :)
I like that

[relentlessknives.com]

Here is a link to sharpening experiments (http://www.relentlessknives.com/newsletter_files/KnifeShExps.pdf ), and past that and a bit more practical, you can sharpen a knives in different ways to get different effects on different materials.
Example....and try it before you dissent.
If your planning on cutting lots of rope or card board, sharpen your knife with a rough file.....Yep a course file.
This turns the knife edge into a microscopic saw blade, and will cut longer and faster through this type of material.
Of course, it's not really dual purpose, and so finer cutting will suffer.
The knife can however be resharpened to it's previous edge with no lasting effect.
Also serrated edges have approx 23% more cutting ability and edge holding ability on certain materials.

As for steel....s30V heat treated correctly is just all that.
It out cuts almost every other high carbon and stainless steel normally found in knives.
Of course there are variables, and those are if the steel is tempered to hard, it will almost never need sharpening, but, when it does, have a few hours to do it. when tempered a bit softer....almost never found in factory s30V knives,
it has both enhanced edge holding ability, and, simple resharpening.

L6 is also a great steel, as it holds an edge well, and is very resilient.

[Hans Esker]

Have you tried some of the better, thicker disposable blades? Not all of the blades are the same thickness or grade of steel/heat treatment. I haven't had a chance to put them to the test, but I have high hopes for the laminated Irwin Bi-Metal Blue Blades.