Types of Stainless Steel??

[SnowmanJoe]

sup folkzz

im lookin for a nice fixed blade, but all the metals seem to be shit.

i know fuckall about stainless steels apart from the following:

420 J2 is tough as fuck and super motherfucking corrosion resistant but is balls horrible at keeping an edge.

440c seems to one of the best i can find online. it has a high rockwell hardness, mid to high 50s, and is apparently good at keepin the edge.

1000+ carbon steel is apparently very good for keeping edges, but rusts easy and is brittle. brittleness is an issue for me, seeing as i often pry shit like a crowbar.

i heard AUS 6m is good but im not sure personally.

in your opinion, which kinda steel is best??

[Atticus]

What will you be using it for? Carving a sunday roast or stabbing some cunt in the back of the head?

[Mantikore]

I made a post over at totse.info, but i'll post it here too.

Good stainless steels in my opinion (there are many, but i'll list the ones youll likely find):

VG10
VG1
S30V
154CM
AUS8A

Medium quality (high value, medium cost. good for EDC blades, decent for survival knives):
AUS8
440C
420HC
8Cr14MoV (chinese made steel, but close in composition to AUS8. dont overlook it)

Low quality (generally found on cheap knives)
440 (is actually either 440A or 440B, but on most cheap knives should just be called 440)
420

many people have bad experiences with the medium quality stainless steels, but i think if its made by a reputable company (cold steel, spyderco, etc) the heat treatment on those steels is adequate.

but for you, i would personally get a fixed blade with carbon steel, like 1095. keep it oiled and you shouldnt have too much of an issue. unless of course, you plan on going fishing or use it near the seashore, then you might want a stainless steel. steer clear of 1055 unless its a chopping tool

It really depends on what youre using it for, really.

[944]

D2 tool steel

Stuff is tough enough to machine inconel 600 with. (for those who don't know,inconel 600 is a fucking bitch to machine)

[ArmsMerchant]

Some years ago, Blade magazine did a feature on "what is the best steel," and asked the likes of Chuck Buck and other CEOs of knife companies. Guess what--everyone gave a different answer.

One of my best folders (a US-made Gerber tactical jobbie) is ATS 34, which seems to have fallen out of favor, I think because it is high-carbon, hence high-maintenance.

To me, how a knife feels in your hand is way more important than the steel.

[944]

Originally Posted by ArmsMerchant

To me, how a knife feels in your hand is way more important than the steel.

+20

Keeping a knife made of lower grades of steel can be as simple as taking 5 minutes and a stone every couple days. But if it doesn't sit right in your hand you'll never be comfortable using it

[Vargus]

Originally Posted by SnowmanJoe

sup folkzz

im lookin for a nice fixed blade, but all the metals seem to be shit.

i know fuckall about stainless steels apart from the following:

420 J2 is tough as fuck and super motherfucking corrosion resistant but is balls horrible at keeping an edge.

440c seems to one of the best i can find online. it has a high rockwell hardness, mid to high 50s, and is apparently good at keepin the edge.

1000+ carbon steel is apparently very good for keeping edges, but rusts easy and is brittle. brittleness is an issue for me, seeing as i often pry shit like a crowbar.

i heard AUS 6m is good but im not sure personally.

in your opinion, which kinda steel is best??

When dealing with steels, higher carbon content means better edge retention. The special case with stainless steels is that they can't both have high amounts of chromium and carbon, so a very hard and edge-holding stainless will be somewhat susceptible to rusting, and one having higher chromium will have better corrosion resistance but won't have the carbon to hold an edge.

A 1090 blade that is tempered at 600-700 or higher will give you lots more toughness, while sacrificing some edge retension. Cryo treatment will give you better wear resistance. There are also spring steels which can be hardened.

What you are probably looking for is a tool steel blade. If you can find an M2 or M42 (highspeed steel and cobalt-bearing superhighsped steel) it would be ideal. HSS has lots of chromium in it and is far harder than most other steels. The S-series of tool steels have higher amounts of silicon, so they have springing action and have a bit more toughness than A-series and D-series.

Also, when looking around, only certain alloys of stainless are heat treatable: higher carbon alloys. High chromium alloys are not hardenable by heat because there is not enough carbon.

[Vargus]

Originally Posted by 944

D2 tool steel

Stuff is tough enough to machine inconel 600 with. (for those who don't know,inconel 600 is a fucking bitch to machine)

HSS is better, and HSS is a poor choice for cutting Inconel. Much better to use ceramics and very hard fine-grained carbides, both titanium coated.

Protip: W-1 can cut it, too.

[negative_zero]

Originally Posted by Mantikore

unless of course, you plan on going fishing or use it near the seashore, then you might want a stainless steel.

H1.

[SnowmanJoe]

Originally Posted by Atticus

What will you be using it for? Carving a sunday roast or stabbing some cunt in the back of the head?

haha i wont be shankin anyone anytime soon, there's no chicks in prison and apparently weed is super hard to get. oh, and the rape

its gonna mainly be for cuttin stuff, slicing, prying, stuff like that. i usually spend alot of time at the beach, and i love diving nd snorkelling n shit like that (england's beaches aren't really worth going to, unless they're in da south, or maybe swansea??). so from what mantikore and other members have said, i should stick to a high quality stainless for beach/sea use, sharpening it when necessary. and as for urban city use, a high carbon steel blade should do fine. i've been looking for one of them blades made from grivory. now that'd be sweet

[Amie]

Get a spyderco salt series fixed blade. That won't rust, even if you take it diving.

[944]

Originally Posted by Vargus

HSS is better, and HSS is a poor choice for cutting Inconel. Much better to use ceramics and very hard fine-grained carbides, both titanium coated.

Protip: W-1 can cut it, too.

I work with Inconel on a daily basis trust me if we (shop I work for) hadn't been waiting on carbide inserts, and the parts I was making were needed yesterday I wouldn't have even tried. I was honestly amazed it worked granted by the time I was done those tools were junk, but I did get the job done

But who's making HSS knives?

[TheSexyBeast821]

Obviously the steel that CutCo uses is the best!

[Vargus]

Originally Posted by 944

I work with Inconel on a daily basis trust me if we (shop I work for) hadn't been waiting on carbide inserts, and the parts I was making were needed yesterday I wouldn't have even tried. I was honestly amazed it worked granted by the time I was done those tools were junk, but I did get the job done

But who's making HSS knives?

A couple cutlery companies do, IIRC. I could have sworn I had read something about who was making HSS knives yesterday. According to one source, Benchmade used to make some of their knives from M2.

Here is one with M4: http://www.benchmade.com/products/760