1055 steel vs 1095 steel! Info please.

[xX_Blade_Xx]

Just bought a Cold Steel Kukri and am very impressed. The handle is just fantastic and i have always wanted a kukri. I know next to nothing about the steel other than the fact that its good at taking a beating. The machete wasn't sharpened of course but i am sharpening it by hand. What should i expect from this steel? Seems real tough so far. I am familiar with 1095 carbon if it would be easier to compare the two then feel free. i enjoy learning. Thank you in advance!

 

[Kwon Kwang]

Looks like what you got was the kukri machete, which is a machete shaped like their old discontinued ATC Kukri.

1055 is far better than 1095 for a machete, because it's softer and so can take more of a beating, though it certainly won't hold an edge like 1095.

 

[knarfeng]

1055 is an appropriate steel for blades which are expected to suffer impacts during normal use. Throwing knives, machetes, and bayonets are frequently made from 1055. Easy to sharpen, doesn't typically hold an edge all that well.

 

[Camber]

If you do not have much success sharpening it at first, don't get discouraged is all I can add. The way Cold Steel puts the edge on usually burns the edge (not hard to do on that steel) and so you often have to remove 1/32 to 1/16 of an inch from the edge before it begins to stabilize. Til then it may not hold an edge for very long or the edge may get duller if you try to go to a high grit polish.

After you get through that steel though, it should hold a great edge for chopping and other rough work, probably better than 1095 as it is better for withstanding the impacts that cause a chopper to dull.