D2 Vs. High Carbon

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garytelecastor

Joined
Oct 7, 2010
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Hey guys-
This is my first post here but I have been lurking for quite a while. I love the info on this forum and have learned a great deal.
My question concerns D2 steel vs. High Carbon.
I have been looking at the Ontario Rat D2. I was reading on a site that this steel is rather brittle and can chip or even snap.
So I am wondering if a more pragmatic buy would be a High Carbon.
I appreciate any input.
 
Yep, last time I checked. :)

D2 is around 1.45% Carbon, while 1095 runs .90-.95% or so.

D2 is more corrosion resistant due to the 12% chromium content it has.

There's a lot of rigamarole out there about D2 chipping, but I've never had any issues with it. If you're worried about it chipping, putting a micro bevel on the blade should alleviate your worries.

I prefer 1095 myself for a general purpose knife. 1095 gets super scary sharp and it's really easy to touch it up and keep it that way. I'm more than happy with the edge holding of 1095 steel. You can also use any kind of sharpener to touch up 1095 easily. That's important to me.

D2 retains a good working edge longer than 1095 does, but IMO, it doesn't get as extremely sharp as 1095 can. It's also more difficult to sharpen once it gets dull (although it will take a LONG time to dull) and you aren't going to be successful with any old sharpener with D2. The modern sharpeners using ceramic or diamonds are best suited to D2's toughness.
 
D2 not a weak steel by any means and will tolerate some abuse. It holds an edge for an extremely long time too.
 
garytelecastor said:
Sorry, I screwed up on the OP.
What I was trying to say was: D2 steel vs. High Carbon steel.
Click to expand...

What are you going to use it for? What kind of knife are you looking for? example chopper: you'd need a tough steel and carbon steels are nice for this application. Thin slicer: hard premium steels excel in this.

Oh, and welcome to the forums! :D
 
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First, welcome to the forums!

"High Carbon" isn't a specific steel, or even a well-defined class of steels whose carbon content is above a certain specific level (see below regarding stainless steels, which are a category defined based on their chromium content). It's just a marketing term (like "surgical stainless steel", "high carbon surgical stainless steel" (:rolleyes:), "Solingen steel", "400 series steel", etc.), typically used by companies trying to dress up a cheap/mediocre steel as something special. A company that's spending the money to use a good steel in their knives will almost always want to tell you exactly what it is.

There is a distinction between stainless and carbon (not "high carbon") steels, but that has to do with the amount of chromium in the alloy. By this standard, D2 is a carbon steel, although its chromium content is high enough that it's close to being a stainless steel (you'll sometimes see it referred to as "semi-stainless"). A good primer on cutlery steels can be found here.

Also, echoing the above, I'm not sure I'd trust what you read about D2 being a brittle steel.
 
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You should say D2 steel vs 1095 High Carbon Steel. Be more specific and get better answers. LOL.

High carbon steel encompasses many different steels. Most good knife steels are considered high carbon, whether they are stainless steel or carbon steel.

Any steel with a chromium content of 13% or more is considered stainless steel, even with a high carbon content.

Read the stickies on the various forums regarding steels. Makes your knife buying life much easier.
 
D2 may not be the greatest steel ever but I like the fact that corrosion is less of a concern than with 1095 or some of the other non-stainless steels, yet it will take a patina which gives it character.
It's hard, yet easy to sharpen with DMT diamonds.
Just like many other steels, I wouldn't choose a knife because of D2 but I wouldn't shy away from one with D2 either. It's just another steel that I've been privileged to try, don't over complicate it.
 
Every steel has its advantages and disadvantages--IMO D2 is a good compromise between the qualities of 400 series stainless and the 1000 series carbon steels. Benchmade uses it on some of their knives and they have no problem getting it scary sharp.
 
garytelecastor said:
Sorry, I screwed up on the OP.
What I was trying to say was: D2 steel vs. High Carbon steel.
Click to expand...

You're still doing it wrong.

'High carbon steel' is just a term which describes a steel that has a high carbon content. D2 is one specific type of such a steel, but there are many, many other steels which one could label 'High carbon steel'.

'High carbon steel' is like saying 'high performance automobile'.
 
singularity35 said:
What are you going to use it for? What kind of knife are you looking for? example chopper: you'd need a tough steel and carbon steels are nice for this application. Thin slicer: hard premium steels excel in this.

Oh, and welcome to the forums! :D
Click to expand...

I plan on using it for camping, and a hunting trip I am taking. Now that I have been looking at it I may go for the Becker 7 or an ESEE RC 5. I have a BK 2 and I just need a back up blade for camp. I usually do 3-5 trips a year.
 
garytelecastor said:
I plan on using it for camping, and a hunting trip I am taking. Now that I have been looking at it I may go for the Becker 7 or an ESEE RC 5. I have a BK 2 and I just need a back up blade for camp. I usually do 3-5 trips a year.
Click to expand...

Just pick an appropriate size and you won't go wrong with anything from those manufacturers. :D
 
Dorito Monk said:
You're still doing it wrong.

'High carbon steel' is just a term which describes a steel that has a high carbon content. D2 is one specific type of such a steel, but there are many, many other steels which one could label 'High carbon steel'.

'High carbon steel' is like saying 'high performance automobile'.
Click to expand...

Know what? I understand that there is a difference. I was only concerned with the info that I have been reading about D2.
Perhaps I asked the question poorly, but I mainly needed some pro advice on the quality of D2 Steel. Again, MY APOLOGIES.

Due to a recent change in circumstance I can now afford to purchase some high end knives. For the last 15 years I have used a GI Camillus for most of my situations. I feel it is time to upgrade and I am just beginning to learn.
I understand that for those of you who are very proficient at this topic it can be frustrating dealing with someone not as learned as you are.
 
garytelecastor said:
Know what? I understand that there is a difference. I was only concerned with the info that I have been reading about D2.
Perhaps I asked the question poorly, but I mainly needed some pro advice on the quality of D2 Steel. Again, MY APOLOGIES.
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Relax, dude. :rolleyes: I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings or something but I wasn't giving you a hard time in the slightest. Just sharing info.
 
d2 with good blade geometry and a good heat treat makes a fine chopper, kershaw makes a d2 chopper and I havnt heard of anyone complaining about the blade chipping or being brittle. I have two kabars one in d2 and one in 1095 the d2 is far tougher. Either steel is a good steel but both can make crap knives. It really comes down to the heat treat and blade geometry

I use d2 blades for my webbing knives and I use them hard and they rarly need sharpening they hold an edge so well. I chop with it, baton with it and pry open ammo tins with no problems.
 
garytelecastor said:
I plan on using it for camping, and a hunting trip I am taking. Now that I have been looking at it I may go for the Becker 7 or an ESEE RC 5. I have a BK 2 and I just need a back up blade for camp. I usually do 3-5 trips a year.
Click to expand...

For the price, D2, with proper heat treat and geometry, has few equals in cutting flesh...


:thumbup:
 
For hunting and outdoors blades in D2, it's hard to beat the selection from Knives of Alaska. :thumbup:
 
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