Blade Steel. What to use? Expert opinions needed.

H

horizonod

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This forum has more "knife experts" than any other I know. I'm talking experts that KNOW from experience as knife users, designers and makers.

Where better to come for some expert advice on BLADE STEEL.

Personally I'm not impressed with S30V and some of the new "super steels" just don't seem that "super".

I would like your expert opinions on what blade steels you consider best in two different respects in two catagories.

Catagory #1. The absolute best blade steel for an EDC blade with cost and workability being no object. The BEST!

A. Stainless steels.
B. High Carbon Steels.

#2. The best "bang for the buck". What blade steel would be the best all around for an EDC that would serve most peoples needs and not put the price of the blade out of the average guys reach?

A. Stainless Steels.
B. High Carbon Steels.

It might make things more interesting if you listed your choice for best and a "runner up" with a short explaination of why you chose what you chose.

Thanks for sharing in advance.:biggrin:
 
You do know you're really going to get the pot stirred with this thread, don't you?

#1 Best steel:
a. Probably Elmax or s30v, with CPM154 as the runner up.
b. O-1 There is no runner up!

#2 Best bang
a. 154cm, with 440c as the runner up.
b. W1 (1095), 1084 work well.

I've only used Elmax a couple of times and I think it's too early to have many objective tests on its performance, but it is supposed to perform about like s30v. I know I prefer working Elmax a whole lot more! The will undoubtedly make a blade perform better than the other stainless varieties that have been around for years.

O-1 is just good steel! Tough, hard, holds an edge, pretty easy to work with. It does require an oven for some precise soaking at temp, but it's worth it.

For best bang I put 154cm. It's not expensive and will make a good knife for everyday carry. It's easily worked and heat treated (with a good oven), and finishing is not overly labor intensive, so you don't have a price associated with lots of labor, supply, and material expense. Maintenance isn't difficult. 440c is a little less expensive and more rest free, but won't make quite as many cuts in a rope cutting test as 154cm.

For carbon, all those I mentioned are not particularly expensive, easy to work, and perform well.

YMMV

David
 
I'm not sure there is any such thing as a "expert", but I'll give you my opinions, I have less experience with stainless steels than carbon/alloy steels, and for me the only advantage I have ever found in a stainless steel is just that....it's stainless and folks do not have to care for it the way they would with carbon/alloy steels.

Catagory #1. The absolute best blade steel for an EDC blade with cost and workability being no object. The BEST!

A. Stainless steels.
B. High Carbon Steels
.

Keep in mind that what your going to get here is OPINIONS....there are so many variables involved in the equation that one person's "best" will not be another's.

A. CPM154
B. 52100 (Provided it is forged and heat treated correctly)

#2. The best "bang for the buck". What blade steel would be the best all around for an EDC that would serve most peoples needs and not put the price of the blade out of the average guys reach?

A. Stainless Steels.
B. High Carbon Steels.

A. 19C27
B: 1084

I'm curious to see what others think.
 
Well at least I didn't ask "what's your favorite color". L.O.L!!

Getting different opinions from people who actually work with as well as USE the steel is what I'm looking for. I understand they are only opinions but they are educated opinions based on an intimate knowledge of many different steels as well as knowledge gleaned from an association with a brotherhood of people with the same interests.

Here's the basis for my question. My partner and I are attempting to resurect the Paragon knife line from the ashes and so far we've made a fair stab at it, especially considering the economy. Our goal is to make the best production knives we can make. There are TWO particular catagories that I personally am interested in:

#1. Making a damn fine line of production knives that are within the reach of most serious knife users that will serve the user well for a good long time.

#2. Making a line of extreme use knives for those that demand the best, don't mind paying for the highest quality and expect to get the performance they are paying for.

I've had a personal issue or two with S30V and, if I had my way and main stream knife users didn't pretty much demand stainless, I would like to do a line of forged carbon blades, and might anyway just for the purists.

The extreme use folders might also get stainless or titanium frames and we are already experimenting with WAY different chassis configurations that I believe might well be the strongest available in ANY folding knife and may come close to fixed blade strength.

With these two goals in mind, what steels would you choose? I can't think of a better group to come up with quality answers even if they are "opinions"

Opine away!!

Here is a look at what we have done so far: http://ashevillesteel.com/
 
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Well at least I didn't ask "what's your favorite color". L.O.L!!

My partner and I are attempting to resurect the Paragon knife line from the ashes and so far we've made a fair stab at it, especially considering the economy. Our goal is to make the best production knives we can make. There are TWO particular catagories that I personally am interested in:

#1. Making a damn fine line of production knives that are within the reach of most serious knife users that will serve the user well for a good long time.

#2. Making a line of extreme use knives for those that demand the best, don't mind paying for the highest quality and expect to get the performance they are paying for.

I've had a personal issue or two with S30V and, if I had my way and main stream knife users didn't pretty much demand stainless, I would like to do a line of forged carbon blades, and might anyway just for the purists.

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Blue.

Paragon Knives? If we help do we get our pictures taken with Miss Paragon? THat may not go over well with Ed since he's married, but I'm single.

I think you may have to look at this a little differently because you're a production company. I wouldn't argue with Ed on the steels, especially in the area of carbon steels, because they are as he said opinions. From a production perspective you would need to be sure you can get consistent sizes in whatever steels you choose. You can with O-1 because it's used a lot in industry. I don't know that 52100 can be obtained in standard thicknesses. Maybe you can. I just don't know.

For stainless steels, just about any that we individual makers use are going to be good as long as the heat treatment is properly done for that given alloy. That includes 440c, the old standby. You certainly don't want 440a or 420. ATS34, 154cm, CPM154 are all good steels and have a proven track record. I know that the Sandvick steel Ed mentions, along with the steels from Bohler Uddeholm, are also great. The heat treat is going to be very important, so pay close attention to that. Good steel with crappy HT makes a lousy knife!

A big consideration is availability. Crucible went belly up, and those of us who use their steels were wondering if we could get any. I don't know if you can get it in quantities needed for production right now. Probably can. I have used steels from Bohler and really like them. Now that's from a maker's perspective. I've used my own knives with ATS, CPM154, and 440c blades and was happy with them. The only Bohler steel I've used myself is Vanax 35, and I haven't used it all that much. However, I've heard from people who have tested knives with Bohler's steels and they are impressed.

Good luck!

David
 
Your questions are broad enough that you are going to get several different answers from proven steel experts like Ed and David above and they are both going to be right.

What kind of knives will these go on? Lookers, cutters or choppers? An EDC to me means something different than to the next guy. I cut open a lot of packages every week. Cardboard kills an edge pretty quick. Have it a blade bang into a hidden metal staple on a box and it goes dull even faster. I have to sharpen my knives every few weeks. Edge retention means a lot to me. I know to not twist or pry with a knife. I won't turn screws with a knife or cut electric wire like an electrician would so I put edge retention before toughness. I'm pretty bad about keeping a blade dry so I tend to stick to stainless.

Still, I'll throw my opinion in the ring.
Category 1
1. I flat love CPM154. It takes a crazy nice polish and will go very thin on the edge for wicked sharpness and good edge retention overall. I've had good and bad S30V blades. I suspect the heat treatment or an early batch that shouldn't have gotten out the door. I think that is solved and S35VN will trump the chippy issues some talked about with S30V. I never saw a chippy edge and I made quite a few blades with it. If half of what I've heard about Elmax is true, we may have a new tough guy on the block. I just finished heat treating a blade this morning and will start cutting with it this weekend to see how it holds up. I have high hopes for this stuff. I appreciate David's comments as it is what I have heard from more than one source.
2. 52100 but it comes at a price. You have to learn to work the stuff. I've seen dozens of grain pictures and lot's of testing has been done with it and talked about on the forums. I've tried using it myself but I don't have the patience. I use 01 or 1084 and I don't like to hammer 01 all that much either. I guess that leaves 1084

Category 2
1. Bang for the buck has to be 440C based on cost. 440A and 440B and the mystery 440 steels have given 440C a bad name it doesn't deserve. ATS34 and 154CM are 440C with some extra voodoo thrown in. For a few more bucks I'd pick 154CM.
2. 5160 based again on price alone. It's not that much more for 1084. W2 is nice when you can find a bar small enough to hand hammer.
 
Well heck yeah you can have your picture taken with the Paragon girl. Eddie has had his picture taken with her many a time and he didn't even have to ask. Well,....he might have had to ask Lora. :^)

David brings up a good point. These steels are going to be used in production knives not custom forged one offs so that needs to be factored in as well. The blades for our folders will , more than likely, be wire edm cut. We're using .125 on most of our knives right now and have used S30V as well as CPM 154 with good results. 440c has been considered but the numbers 440 on any blade confuse the heck out of allot of run of the mill knife buyers and turn them off. I think some guys would rather buy a knife with some exotic moniker they've never heard of than anything that says 440.

I've been pretty impressed with the 14C28N sandvik steel Kershaw has been using. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned VG-10. Has anybody had any experience with some of the high cobalt steels? We had some Rob Simonich talonite fixed blades a few years back that were very expensive but sold well despite the price. Guys seemed very impressed with the blades but you don't see many around.

Are AUS8 and ATS34 still in the running?
 
Not sure what constitues an "Expert" as Ed pointed out there may not be such a thing. I have not been making knives as long and many around here but I have been an avid user of and occational abuser of knives for 37 years since I got my first one. While I would not disagree with what anyone has said so far there are a couple of steels that have not been mentioned which come to mind.

I think we all would agree that the use and desired finish of the knife really could change a response here entirely, so this is a very broad question as others have noted.

Category 1
1. Depends entirely on the purpose and finish. S30V is probably my favorite with CPM154 a close second especially for hand rubbed or presentation stuff. I am encouraged by my first work with both CPM S35VN and Elmax both of which I have recently worked with but have yet to finish testing the results out on.

2. CPM 3V takes some work but it is a power house!

Category 2
1. I have been impressed with Latrobe 14-4 which I would put in this category and is basically 154CM/ATS34.

I know from a couple knifes I have that 440C is good stuff but I am with Horizonod on this, personally I will never buy it to work with because there is to much confusion and poorly done 440's of all kinds out there some of which probably should not be marked 440C. I thought the "C" ment Caution!! :biggrin:

2. 5160

That is my $0.02. Good thread hopefully more with jump in to comment.

Eric
 
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...Our goal is to make the best production knives we can make. There are TWO particular catagories that I personally am interested in:

#1. Making a damn fine line of production knives that are within the reach of most serious knife users that will serve the user well for a good long time.

#2. Making a line of extreme use knives for those that demand the best, don't mind paying for the highest quality and expect to get the performance they are paying for.

I've had a personal issue or two with S30V and, if I had my way and main stream knife users didn't pretty much demand stainless, I would like to do a line of forged carbon blades, and might anyway just for the purists.

The extreme use folders might also get stainless or titanium frames and we are already experimenting with WAY different chassis configurations that I believe might well be the strongest available in ANY folding knife and may come close to fixed blade strength...

You have my undivided attention...
If you plan on offering extreme use knives on a production basis,
you may want to consider 52100 for your h.c.: Swamp Rat Knives makes the toughest knife I've personally used,
and that's their steel of choice.
Have you ever beat on the spine of a 3/16" thick fixed-blade with a 2lb Estwing framing hammer?
I have. I beat on my HRLM with a hammer, and it showed little for it.
That's what I consider extreme use...
I'm really looking forward to what you have going, and wish you great success!
 
Oh,and my 2 cents?:
I haven't found ANY knife made from AUS8 that holds an edge as well as I like and need.
I put the AUS series of steels in the light-medium duty class,and nowhere near the extreme use class.
12C26 is another Sandvik steel that I've heard good things about,and the one knife I had made from it was a decent cutter,
but again,not what I'd consider for an extreme use steel.
 
I agree with David and Tracy, 440c is hard to beat,both in quality and price. The steel "flavor of the month" is always changing, yet 440c holds an edge well and takes a great polish.
 
During my career as a knifemaker, I have come to realize that there is a marked difference in the way that a sole proprietor type custom knifemaker views things versus a production company. For the single custom knifemaker, the bottom line is that whatever leaves his/her shop MUST be the very best that individual can produce...no matter what it takes.
A production knife facility must view things from a totally different perspective. In general it goes something like this when choosing a steel. First and foremost is "What steel can we use that is readily available in the specific sizes we need?" "How production friendly will the steel we choose be, considering our process and our machines?"
"Will it be cost effective?.....can we make a profit by using this steel?" And the one that I have heard most from production knife companies..... "If we use this steel, can we produce an acceptable quality knife that people will buy?"
Do not misunderstand....I am not dissing any production knife company. What I am doing to stating the cold hard facts of being a production knife company versus an individual custom maker.

Having said all of that, hopefully you can understand why I used the word "opinion" in my first post. It's all about circumstances that each maker or company faces, and how best to meet the needs of those circumstances as they relate to each. The steel choice(s) you make for a production company will almost always be different than what a single custom maker would choose.
Although it might not be politically correct to say, if quality were the top priority of production companies, then we would never see a knife blade being made of AUS-6, AUS-8, or 420. Those steels are chosen because they are cheaper, easier to use for specific manufacturing processes, and available in the sizes needed for the production application(s), and also bring down the final cost of a knife.
In the end, there will always be major difference in the steel choices between custom makers and production makers....the considerations of each are different, as are the end goals.

Now let's discuss "Fad" steels. Every time something "new" hits the steel racks, there is going to be someone who starts beating the drum that it's the best thing ever. Historically, those steels are really nothing all that new, (but every now and then something really new does come along) it's just that someone got the bright idea to make some insignificant change to the chemistry, or rename them (such as Talonite), or is looking to hype the steel in hopes of selling a lot of blades. There is always a short span of high sales due to impulse buyers, but then the steel fades within a short time....so again, the maker, whether it be a single maker or a production company is faced with circumstances....do I continue to use this material when it's popularity is fading, or do I use a steel that will be moderately popular over the long term?
One thing that successful makers, both custom and production have in common is predictability.....the customer(s) know what they can expect in terms of relative materials, quality, craftsmanship, performance, and cost. Those individuals or companies who are unable to establish predictability early tend to remain very small, or totally fade from existence.
Although both the sole individual custom maker, and the production company make knives, that's generally where the similarities end, and philosophies of what materials to use, and how best to achieve an end product diverge widely.
 
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You are correct Ed. A production facility has fewer options than a custom maker for all of the reasons you stated.

We at Paragon have done a very good job so far of creating several models of high quality in materials, fit and finish. Our goal with these knives is to build a high quality knife for the serious EDC end user. For the knives we've made so far we've chosen S30V and CPM154 with good results. I'm just the type of guy that thinks there has to be something better.

We are in the process of designing a totally new mechanism that I have high hopes for. A proto should be ready in a week or two. Our first model will be a moderate sized EDC that should appeal to a good group of knife enthusiasts. We will probly offer it in 2 or 3 blade styles and see how the mechanism is recieved and how well it works and holds up.

If my expectations are met, and I think they will be, we plan on doing a beast of a folder using our new design. It will not be an "everyman" knife. It will be for the serious knife user who demands the best and won't accept less. This knife is going to be pricey because quality costs money but those who want serious quality know that and don't mind paying for quality that is actually there rather than being amped up by the sizzle then let down by the steak.

This knife will be large and built with no compromise. The blade will be in the 5 inch range, at least .150 thick and of the best steel we can find for the pupose. I'm not a fan of blade coating ( a whole other topic) so we are considering doing a premium stainless and a high carbon blade as options. We may use a blade "treatment" that Larry Harley showed me, but no "coatings". It will likely be done, eventually, in three frame choices being 6061-t6, 416 SS and 6aL4V . My goal is to build a semi compact extreme use folder that will rival many fixed blades in usable strength and be less prone to debris infiltration that other folders, hence be more reliable. All of this in a one hand open, one hand close ambidexterous use folding knife.

I'm SO ready to build this I could bust but, especially with production knives, there is a substantial up front expenditure. We are hoping the EDC model of similar design paves the road for the beast I want to build.

Thank you guys for all of your suggestions, ideas and opinions.
 
Interesting turn! Ed and D. Brodess you two are both right on the money. I would say one of the predicability hurtles we all have to jump is the reliable heat treating and tempering.

There are many good choices for steel depending on use and how a maker plans to finish a blade. The biggest thing is to make a reliable quality product for the customer taking into account use, usability, design and finish and put it together. Picking favorite steels is a fun extercise and I enjoy hearing the perspective of others who have tried things I have not for the very reason that we all have to limit the variables that create problems so we can provide a quality product that the customer wants to buy. ie. If you want a mirror finish go with CPM154 or 440C NOT S30V but if edge retention is a high priority S30V is one of the best bets and is no flavor of the month. :3:

I am surpised someone has not mentioned D2 or BG42. Curious about any other "top tier" steels anyone else might suggest that have not been mentioned?

Eric
 
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Oh,and my 2 cents?:
I haven't found ANY knife made from AUS8 that holds an edge as well as I like and need.
I put the AUS series of steels in the light-medium duty class,and nowhere near the extreme use class.
12C26 is another Sandvik steel that I've heard good things about,and the one knife I had made from it was a decent cutter,
but again,not what I'd consider for an extreme use steel.

Ironwolf I think you are thinking of 12C27 it is a brilliant steel to work with and hardens to approx. 58 - 59 RH. Also hand polish to a brilliant finnish and hold a good edge. It is very popular in South Africa as a knife steel.
 
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I prepared these remarks for another audience, but I thought they might be relevant here as well.

I would like to introduce you to my favorite steel Mr. O-1, and his wife in my damascus Mrs. L-6.
I will briefly introduce some of the common alloying elements of steel as well.
In my research early in my damascus making was looking for some suitable steels to make good damascus out of. I started out with 1095 and 15n20, a popular mix, but I thought there might be a better mix. There are many factors necessary to produce a good damascus mix, just as there are many factors of personality necessary to produce a good marriage. In order to produce steel only two ingredients are necessary Iron and Carbon. Each additional element produces certian traits, like personality traits in us. Not only is each element important the quantity is also important. Carbon in quantities around one percent are best for our purposes, over 1.5% and the steel becomes cast iron, lowering the melting point. Carbon around 1% is very good for slicing cutters that require a very strong abrasion resistant edge, but it is not the best for blades made to do heavy cleaving or chopping. Less than .6% and there in not enough carbon to produce enough carbides to give enough wear resistance and hardness for knives. Manganese is commonly added to all modern steels, it helps smooth pouring of the steel when it is molten, in higher quantities it assists in hardening and it is the element most responsible for the dark coloring of the steel in damascus.The main reason for manganese in almost all modern steels is to combat the effects of sulfur, by forming manganese sulfide, a more stable compound that does not liquefy in the grain boundaries. Chromium is a popular alloying element, and in quantities over 13% is responsible for the stainless properties, due to the high concentration of microscopic chromium oxides on the surface of the steel. In lower quantities it produces chromium carbides, which can be benificial in small quantities, however in large quantities they can clump into huge clusters and make sharpening difficult. They have a tendency to break out of the edge rather than being worn down in the sharpening process. Carbide clustering can be controlled by using powder metallurgy or by lowering the carbon content in the steel, thus disallowing the formation of excess carbides. Tungsten (wolfram) is another carbide former, producing fine and very hard carbides, in small quantities it aids in wear resistance as all the carbide formers do, in large quanties it is used in steels used to cut other steels, especially hardened steels. Molybdenum is another carbide former, though not as hard as tungsten, is a common alloying element, especially in the high alloy stainless steels. In non-stainless steels it is added to hot-work steels, those steels which may encounter some heat during use, like drill bits. It gives the steel a much higher tempering temperature, so that heat encountered in use will not affect the hardness of the steel. Silicon gives the steel additional toughness, and has no effect on hardness. Nickel also gives the steel toughness, it also gives the steel acid and etchant resistance, which allows for the contrasting effect in damascus. In higher quantities in collusion with chromium it can produce stainless effect in steel without much carbon and without being hardened. The 300 series of stainless steels used in stainless countertops and food pans.
This has been a general overview of some of the common alloying elements, just to give some basic idea of what certian elements in steel do. I am not a trained metallurgist, however I have made a serious study of the subject. One important fact is that very small amounts of alloys can have a noticeble effects, as little as .05%.

O-1 stats (typical)
C .90%
Mn 1.25%
Si .30%
Cr .50%
W .50%
Fe balance

L-6 stats (typical)
C .75%
Mn .70%
Si.25%
Cr .80%
Ni 1.5%
Mo .30%

O-1 is an oil hardening tool steel with deep hardening qualities with little size change in hardening, with a fine grain structure. These characteristics make it an excellent steel for many purposes, including knives. The small amount of tungsten makes a significant difference in the cutting ability and wear rsistance of this steel. Fully hardened it can reach 65rc.
L-6 is a tough, high-strength oil hardening tool steel suitable for high stress jobs, like saw blades and longer knives.
Fully hardened it can also reach 65rc.
Alloying in steel is always given in a range, so that minor variations can occur; as a result the heat treatment temperatures are also given in a range. One of the things that make these two steels such a perfect match is that those heat treat ranges overlap. This is of critical importance for the high preformance of the finished damascus. This overlap is the reason that only a very few steels can be compatable for damascus, and the reason why 3 steel combinations are impractical.
For these reasons I believe that properly heat treated the O-1 and L-6 damascus is the best combination available for knives. This damascus mix is not for beginners, requiring more skill to work properly than mixes such as 1095/15n20, and more precision with temperatures, but I believe that the extra efoort is worth it in the finished product.
Thanks,
Del
I would also like to give credit to Kevin Cashen, who proof read this and added some additional comments to make this information more complete, and who has helped me with my understanding of metallurgy over the years.

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The only other damascus mix I have used extensively is 1095/15n20 and somewhat less I have used 1084/15n20 and this is an excellent mix to start making damascus mix and many makers use 1084/15n20 sucessfully and feel no need to move beyond. These steels rely heavily on iron carbide for the hardness and iron carbide is not the hardest of the carbides. Some of the elements I listed above and others are strong carbide formers, which means they like carbon even more than iron does and most if not all of them produce harder carbides than iron carbide. This is where the O-1/L-6 mix has the potential to outshine any steel that relies only on iron carbides for hardness. The O-1 has both chromium and tungsten, one of the carbide formers that produce very hard carbides. L-6 has chromium and molybdenum; another strong carbide former. Though the amounts of carbide formers are moderate, I believe that they have a signifcant effect on the edge holding potential of the final mix. One result of having much harder carbides present in the steel matrix is that they are much harder to wear away, thus increasing the overall wear resistanc of the steel. Wear resistance equates to longer edge life, although when taken to an extreme can cause problems sharpening. Many characteristics in steel are a compromise and wear resistance is one of these when wear resistance is low the steel is easy to sharpen, and when it is high the steel stays sharp for a long time, but can be all but impossible to sharpen.( Note: the previous statement is a generalization and could be misinterpreted if taken out of context.)
I have only listed 2 possible mixes for carbon steel damascus and there are many steels available, so why so few available for making damascus? In carbon steel there are 3 broad categories to choose from, the first is the water quenching steels like 1084,1095,w-1,w-2 and 15n20. The second is the oil-quenching steels like O-1,L-6,52100,5160 and others. The third category is the air-quenching steels like D-2,S-7and A-2. There are many others in all three categories, the ones I have listed come to mind easily and are there only to serve as examples. One of the limiting factors in selecting steel for damascus is locating a steel with enough nickel to resist etching. These steels are not common and limit the number of combinations possible. There are only 3 steels available with enough carbon to make it worthwhile to use in high performance damascus, and those are 15n20, and 8670 both water quenching steels, and L-6 an oil quenching steel. There are no suitable steels with enough nickel to use in the air quenching steel category. To make high performance damascus these steels must be paired with another steel with a compatable heat treat. This severely limits the combinations possible. There are a few other steels that contain nickel, like 203e and 4340, but not enough carbon to make a good high performance damascus, carbon diffusion lowers the overall carbon content of the steel mix. Stainless damascus in another creature and I will cover that in a later post.
 
Ironwolf I think you are thinking of 12C27 it is a brilliant steel to work with and hardens to approx. 58 - 59 RH. Also hand polish to a brilliant finnish and hold a good edge. It is very popular in South Africa as a knife steel.

You're right Pieter,I mistyped:
the knife I had was 12c27
Nick,another newcomer to the stainless ranks you might consider:
S35VN,which Chris Reeve has had a hand in developing (if I recall correctly).
It's supposed to offer increased toughness & slightly better edge holding than S30V,
machines better and polishes up better.
From what I've read so far,it's also little more forgiving in regards to heat-treat than S30V,
which means increased consistency.
While I also like D2,it's another steel that can be finicky, becoming brittle if the h.t isn't bang on.
 
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Bare in mind, for our projects, we need a steel that is a consistent thickness that will be wire edm cut and go into CNC milled chassis.

So far we've used S30V, CMP154 and some of Larry Harleys damascus with good results. The S35VN is something I've considered recently because I've only heard of it recently.

I would dearly love to do a run with some high carbon blades. Since we seem to have come to some sort of consensus on stainless offerings, what high carbon steels fit the application?
 
Horizonod,

I would need a little more info to accurately answer this question. It all depends on how the knife is going to be used. My EDC's are probably used differently than others. Also it depends on if it is an EDC folder or fixed blade. Anyway, my choices would probably be the following:

Category 1 - Best Steel
Stainless - Vanax 35. This is an Uddeholm steel that has not been released yet, but we got a couple samples and have been testing them. My husband made a knife out of it that we use for making packages every day. I have been amazed by the performance. Vanax is almost slippery and seems to "slide" through the cuts. Its hard to explain until you have felt it for yourself. It holds an edge very well and is also easy to sharpen. Its supposed to be debuted early next year and I can't wait for it!
Carbon - 3v. Super tough, cuts well, and I don't really have a problem with it rusting (even in the Great Northwet)

Category 2:
Stainless - AEBL. AEBL has been used in stainless damascus for years and was also the steel Gillette used in their razors for decades. It has a very fine grain and is easy to resharpen. Its one of the best values I have seen, even less expensive than 440C! We have it for $9 a lb and 440C is a couple bucks more a pound. Cool stuff
Carbon - Probably 5160 or 1080. Both inexpensive, good performers, easy to work.

It's supposed to offer increased toughness & slightly better edge holding than S30V,
machines better and polishes up better.

Not to stir the pot, but S35VN does not have better edgeholding than S30V. The better machining and polishing qualities were achieved by giving up a little of the edgeholding.
 
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