Blade Steel. What to use? Expert opinions needed.

[Eric Ochs]

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!

Jessica thanks for the inside scoop! There are at least a few of us makers who are very excited about Vanax 35, heck it could be the next flavor of the month. :biggrin: LOL, sorry I could not resist. But seriously that is great news and I can't wait to try it.

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.

Sad to hear, I had been wondering about this. The Crucible information indicates that the edge retention is the same as S30V both scoring 145 on the CATRA testing. I have been a bit busy and have been unable to finish up my test blades. I will have to check it out.

Eric