D2 or N690co

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Ducksandcuse

Joined
Oct 24, 2016
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Im looking at enzo knives and i cant decide if i should get the n690co or d2 version. I live in northern ny and temperatures drop to -30s. Also im in a very wet environment so rust resistance is important. Im not planning on doing batoning or chopping. More just carving and feather sticks. For chopping i have a gransfors sfa.
 
For a "very wet environment" I would definitely choose N690. Its similar to VG10 and is supposed to have pretty high corrosion resistance in general.
 
Here is some stuff i found, N690co would be better for corrosion resistance.

The Bohler N690 is a widely popular blade steel, made by a massive range of companies. It’s a very good steel and you can find some very nice knives with this steel at a reasonable price. It has a HRC rating of 60, making it one of the harder steels in this band, yet it still also retains good corrosion resistance due to the levels of chromium in its composition.

D2 is probably one of the first really common steels we have looked at so far. Because of its low chromium % it’s technically not a stainless steel, however, it’s not so low to be classed as a carbon steel. Therefore it’s often referred to as ‘semi-stainless’. D2 is a very hard steel and has very good edge retention, but it doesn’t have a high toughness, this means it’s very hard to sharpen, and takes a lot of time and practice to master. Loads of different knife and tool companies’ use this steel and for good reason.


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Steel-chart-Corrosion-Resistance.jpg Steel-chart-Corrosion-Resistance.jpg

Edit: H1 is rust proof, if that helps more in comparison. I've done my own test on H1 and Could only get it to discolor where the h1 is.
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Will second/third this. I've worked with both and N690 has about 20% Chromium vs D2/K110 12%. So N690 will give you better corrosion resistance.

I do like the K110/D2 more personally and haven't found it,to be un-maintainable in a humid/wet environment.
 
Lol good point. I have to baby my bruks with oil every time i use it. I dont want to have to do that with my knife

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D2 doesn't rust easily, I've cut live bait drench in salt water right on the sand with waves at my feet. As long as you rinse it off, it's fine. If you take moderate care of it, it will reward you. I'm loving cpm m4 currently which is much more prone to rust and have no issues carrying it.
 
Ducksandcuse said:
Lol good point. I have to baby my bruks with oil every time i use it. I dont want to have to do that with my knife

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The most accurate translation of "bruks" would be "works" which makes no sense to identify a brand by if you know both languages

I have used my benchmade d2 quite a bit with not the slightest hint of rust, though getting it to take a decent edge is an ongoing nightmare
 
Not related to corrosion resistance, but generally N690Co will be noticeably easier to touch up in the field . . . though of course you'll need to do it more often to maintain optimal sharpness. How you judge that tradeoff is up to personal preference. I like both steels for different uses but would choose N690Co for an outdoors knife, myself, of those two.
 
Enzo does a bit of a soft HT on the Sandvic steel IMO. Try to find out how hard they do the steels you are interested in.
 
Ducksandcuse said:
Wow didnt know d2 was so low on rust resistance

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You just need to maintain D2 a bit more. I work in a meat department and deal with constant moisture. As long as I keep my blades oiled I have not dealt with any problems. Either way you choose your getting good steel.
 
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