D2 steel. Any good?

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Bulletbag

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Feb 12, 2017
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I've seen a number of knive listed with this steel and i know nothing of it. I have a zt with s30v, does it compare? Looking to get a heavy duty utility type folder with this steel if it's any good do i can Try it out.

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I have heard many times that it is a good, tough tool steel, but like other tool steels, rust resistance is poor. I avoid D2 because I live in a very humid environment. If I lived in a Western state, I would definitely buy D2 knives. VG-10, VG-1, and S30v are my favorites.
 
I own the Boker Rold in D2 for a month now, and i had the chance to test it a couple of days ago and i was very impressed with the performance.
Gave it a good go as i was trying to make a bow for the first time. The wood was a normal tree branch so it needed a lot of work to be cleared from smaller branches and also to come to even thickness.
Batoning, carving, chopping..all were done in the process with great ease.
I accidentally hit concrete with it as well, and two very small chips were formed, but it was normal considering the blow!
The surprising fact was that despite the abuse the edge was ready for another round sharp as ever! I WAS VERY SURPRISED!
I also live in a very humid environment by the way, and no problems with rust so far, but then again i give it a good oiling every week or so.

I wouldn't know how it compares to s30v though, cause i have zero experience with that steel.
 
I'm personally a massive fan of D2 for its gigantic carbides. We're talking 40 microns. The consequence is it ain't getting razor sharp, but that sucker with a 400 fepa grit edge will chew through anything you throw at it and slobber for more. I just wish CPM D2 was more common; I like my powder metallurgy steels


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CPM D2 would be excellent candidate for applications that need a screaming sharp edge (at least compared to ingot D2). D2 has chromium carbides, which standard aluminum oxide stones struggle in abrading. Hence, D2 is known to take a not-so-sharp of an edge, and hold it a long time. That is because the sharpening stones most have are of aluminum oxide variety, so the martensite matrix gets abraded, but the large Cr carbides not so much. Hence the adage, and it's true. However, with diamond stones, or even silicon carbide, those carbides can be abraded, and the result is a much sharper edge. For slicing cuts, tho, that's why ingot D2 excels....large carbides to act as "teeth", much like a saw.

CPM D2 has much, much smaller Cr carbides, and while the aluminum oxide stones can't really abrade them, they are quite small (in comparison), so the edge feels more refined when sharpened on natural stones, aluminum oxide, and the like.

If you have diamond plates (and especially diamond or CBN emulsions) you can sharpen any steel to a screaming sharp edge (provided you have good technique too...sort of a given).
 
One of my favorite steels, and a kissing cousin to S30V. Seems to have an extra 'bite' for some reason, maybe the carbide size. CTS-XHP is in effect a powdered D2 (like CPM D2) from what I read. Diamond hones work fine on D2; you can get a hair-popping edge with a little work, but coarser hones (DMT blue or red) impart a toothier edge that will still pop hairs. As for rust resistance, D2 has about 11% chrome, I believe, and I've never had a problem with corrosion. Some of my favorite blades with D2 include a Dozier K1, Benchmade Grippie and 710, and Cold Steel American Lawman and Recon 1, both in CTS-XHP.
 
It is a good steel. Benchmade does a great job with their D2 heat treat!! CTS-XHP is great too. For a folder I would personally go for M390 or 20CV, but their are tons of great steels out there now.
 
It has been said that D2 is a carbon steel lover's stainless.
 
My main hard-use work folder is an Adamas in D2 and I absolutely love it. I'm glad nobody ever told me before that it can be difficult to sharpen, because I am quite the novice and have been able to get it screaming sharp just using the Sharpmaker, serrations included. Also, I practically live in a swamp next to the ocean, and have never had a spot of rust even with no special care taken. I am by no means an expert, but I have been pleased with it in my limited experience.
 
I had my experiences with D2 and it is my least favorite "common" steel.

It RUSTS like crazy


I have no use for a EDC blade that rusts like that.
 
D2 was a favorite of mine for many years when I first got into handmade knives about 18 years ago. I remember back in the day they would say that you could not get a sharp edge out of it. The knives I carried in it made by Bob Dozier proved that to be wrong. =)
 
colubrid said:
I had my experiences with D2 and it is my least favorite "common" steel.

It RUSTS like crazy

I have no use for a EDC blade that rusts like that.
Click to expand...

Strange that mine don't, even when I wear them while working out at the gym.
It also took a fair bit of work putting a forced patina on a D2 blade.

Perhaps you just have really corrosive sweat? Some folks do.
 
I don't find it that rust prone at all. It has quite a bit of chromium, some is tied up in carbides but still I have a couple kitchen knives that I do not baby that don't rust. Most people that can sharpen it like it, cpm or ingot...

Russ
 
The D2 I have is stonewashed and hasnt rusted, but my Spyderco Native cpms30v did, and I had to get an H1.
 
I really dislike D2, simply because it is an awkward in between steel for me. I either like my steels to be stainless to the point where I don't have to worry, and with great edge retention, or super tough carbon or tool steel. D2 in my experience falls somewhere in the middle. It doesn't have excellent toughness, edge retention, or corrosion resistance. I guess that makes it a good all-around steel, and many love it.
 
I'm not a fan of D2. Generally it has low impact toughness without high wear resistance, large grain and carbides, and lots of chromium without being truly stainless. Steel performance is a product of compromise and tradeoffs and for me D2 does not exhibit the type of trade offs that I like in a knife steel. If I'm making a small utility knife, M390 will have better stain resistance, edge retention, and toughness. If I'm making a hunting and skinning knife that needs cut extremely aggressively, something like 10V will have the same toughness, less stain resistance but about 3X the edge retention. In my arsenal of commonly used steels that includes M390, 3V, Zwear, and 10V, D2 doesn't have any outstanding characteristics that would cause me to use it in place of any of the aforementioned steels.

With all that said, D2 is relatively inexpensive, cuts extremely aggressively and with the right HT will make a phenomenal knife. There are many makers who are and have been producing very high performance knives from D2. Its a time tested and proven steel, but for my own knives D2 does not offer any characteristics that can't be matched or surpassed by other steels.
 
I have several blades made from D2 tool steel... from Benchmade, Lionsteel, H&K, and Maserin.
I've had excellent results... sharp edges, no chips, no rust, and no great difficulty keeping them very sharp.
 
I've had a few blades in D2 and was not impressed other than a Dozier Yukon Skinner. In my experience D2 chips easily and can be a booger to sharpen; the saying is "D2 will take a crappy edge and hold it forever".
 
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