Blade steel

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CopperFouling

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What's your favorite steel for a fixed blade knife? Why? I am not looking for advice on a purchase or anything; I am simply curious.
 
depends on what i want the knife for....

most of mine are 440c....most of my fixed blade knives are either HARD use or for self defense....so edge retention is not critical
 
For me it's VG10 / 420j2 laminate . My Fallkniven F1 has been going strong as my outdoors knife for about 7 years now.

The VG10 core takes a hair splitting edge , holds it for a decent time, touches up easily. The 420j2 outer layers resist rust well, and add strength making the blade very stout.
 
Real old school carbon steel.

Or modern AST-34.

Both are easy to bring to a razor edge and both stay sharp a long time..

I am on the bus with the 'It can be too good!' School.

Some of it is very hard to sharpen without diamond hones.

rc
 
Favorite would probably be S30V, but I have to admit I also really like VG-10, it seems to take a nice polished edge with minimal convincing. D2 is also high on my list, but loses a couple points for its slightly lower corrosion resistance. I only have two knives in S35VN, but it's shaping up to be a real winner too.

Edit: Somehow I missed the part of the op that specified fixed blades. My list was mainly for folders, I'd use any one of those steels in a fixed blade, but in practice most of my fixed blade use is with 440c and D2. Both strong performers in my opinion.
 
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Hard industrial chrome plate over properly hardened 01 is my favorite. ATS 34 and 154 CM properly hardened are good. Forged W2 and W4 and 5160 are very good properly hardened. 440c is my preferred stainless and it is good for things that touch food ect.
 
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Depends on how big the fixed blade is. I would be fine with my three favorite folder steels, S35VN, CTS XHP, and Elmax, up to about 4" in blade length. To be honest I suppose those are just my favorites, there are a lot of what used to be 'high-end' steels that are just fine as well. S30V and 154CM didn't get less good just because they're not the new hotness anymore.

Fine with the above plus M390/CTS204P for fixed blades smaller than that.

For small tomahawks, axes, or hatchets, I like 80CRV2, 4140, and S7.

For longer regular knives, I like 80CRV2, 5160, 52100, and the gamut of air-, water-, or oil-hardened tool steels.

For full-on swords i think 5160, L6, and 1084 are good, although most 10XX steels would be OK, and 80CRV2, being basically a super 5160, should also be fine, although I don't know of anyone who makes swords out of it yet.

gtscotty said:
D2 is also high on my list, but loses a couple points for its slightly lower corrosion resistance.

Carpenter's XHP is The Answer!
 
52100 is my favorite steel for knives even though it is more tricky to work with and time consuming to heat treat but it is well worth it.
 
1095 -> 5160 -> l6

Like Madcap Magician my progression goes follows length and use requirements (there simply is no one "perfect" blade material for all applications).
 
As someone who worked in a meat room (you know, using knives) for two years, 420HC and 440C both worked and held up very well. You can get any blade razor sharp, the difference is how long it will hold it's edge. I miss the knife sharpening machine; my whetstones work fine but take a lot longer
 
Much like hso and MM, depends on length. I actually like BD-1 just fine for short blades, and it's hard to go wrong in compact blades with 440C.

5160 is a good all-around tough steel for big blades. It can take a good edge, resharpen easily, and doesn't break easily. It also doesn't rust as easily as the low chrome content would seem to indicate (unlike 52100, which is a great steel properly treated, but which will rust if you look at it). 5160 is also silly cheap compared to most other good knife steels.

My next big knife (it's a version of the Camp Defender) is in 3V. I have a small knife in 3V, and I'm eager to test a big knife with that steel.
 
My favorite? That flavor isn't likely to be found very many places anymore. My little knife started out as pig iron. Freshly smelted from "bog iron" my OMB uncle found in various places. Once safely cast in an ingot it was placed in a covered brick "box" full of hard coal that was set fire and it was soaked in that heat for over a week. The whole time the iron was absorbing carbon so when the ingot was removed it was "blister" steel. The old man then forged and folded the steel until he felt the time was right to shape it into the knives that have a special place in my butchering set and in my heart. Once honed to razor sharpness just a touch from the steel will straighten the edge and repair the sharpness. The set will no doubt outlive me.
 
Hi JShirley, if you have a knife that is made out of 52100 steel and (it rust if you look at it) it’s not 52100. The more chromium a steel has in it the more rust resistant it is. 5160 has .70% to .90% chromium, 52100 has 1.30% to 1.65% chromium which makes it more rust resistant then 5160.
 
In practice, it isn't...which is why I specifically mentioned 5160 doesn't rust as easily as the low chrome content would indicate.

I have owned dozens of 5160 knives.
 
I'm a huge fan of BUCK knives for their superior edge retention and overall high quality. 420HC is the steel they use. This model 119 has served me well for over 30 years.

TR

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For fixed blades I like high carbon steel like A2, 1095, and 1095 Cro-Van. If I need more stainless properties, I like Fallkniven's VG-10, or BRKT's CPM 3V.
 
AUS8A and 14C28N do everything I need well..........there are lots of good steels and plenty of special purpose advantages etc. but the common good grade bulk production steels are very good and well ahead of common steels of my youth.
 
For fixed blades I like high carbon steel like A2, 1095, and 1095 Cro-Van. If I need more stainless properties, I like Fallkniven's VG-10, or BRKT's CPM 3V.

Do you prefer coated or uncoated high-carbon blades? And how's the A2 in terms of corrosion resistance?
 
Top two favorites are 1095 and D2 steel. With D2 taking a slight edge based on more companies toying with the idea lately. My least favorite steel is anything 440. I think I only have one 440 knife in my collection and it is 440C. It is an inexpensive jump knife with moderate sentimental value with at most 3 purposes.
 
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