Easiest to sharpen steel that holds an edge the longest.

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noob93

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Feb 6, 2016
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Just wondering what you guys oppinion is on which steel at let's say 58 to 60 RC is going to hold its edge the longest while still being very easy to sharpen.
 
AUS8 is one of the easiest to sharpen, in my opinion. Decent edge retention, but not great by any means. Most of the best edge retention steels are not easy to sharpen, in my experience.

14C28N might be a candidate for your criteria? I've got a Real Steel knife in 14C28N that sharpens fairly easily and seems to have good edge retention, too.
 
rje58 said:
AUS8 is one of the easiest to sharpen, in my opinion. Decent edge retention, but not great by any means. Most of the best edge retention steels are not easy to sharpen, in my experience.

14C28N might be a candidate for your criteria? I've got a Real Steel knife in 14C28N that sharpens fairly easily and seems to have good edge retention, too.
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Ya I figured something like 14c28n would be about the best or maybe n690?
 
noob93 said:
Ya I figured something like 14c28n would be about the best or maybe n690?
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Considering your criteria get something like CPM154 and don't look back. The thinner the better unless you're planning on being stupid with your knife.
 
In my humble experience, it's not about the easiest sharpening steel, it's about your ability to sharpen.

That generally takes the "type" of steel out of the equation.

If you're not very good at sharpening, I would say maybe VG10 or 154....(I am sticking with stainless)
 
JR88FAN said:
In my humble experience, it's not about the easiest sharpening steel, it's about your ability to sharpen.

That generally takes the "type" of steel out of the equation.

If you're not very good at sharpening, I would say maybe VG10 or 154....(I am sticking with stainless)
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That is true..it would also depend on equipment and I like to keep things pretty simple. Right now I just use a coarse and fine stone with a leather strop.
 
noob93 said:
That is true..it would also depend on equipment and I like to keep things pretty simple. Right now I just use a coarse and fine stone with a leather strop.
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That's the way to go.

Depending on your skill level, there will be no steel that you won't be able to put a good "user" edge on quickly....it's just practice.

Stick with the stones!
 
Easy to sharpen... hmm... they're all pretty easy to sharpen, provided your equipment and technique are up to it.

VG-10, 154, 440C and good ol' ATS-34 take very good edges quite easily on a Sharpmaker. That's about as easy as I've found.

AUS-8 is easily done on a Spyderco Double Stuff, a coffee mug, or the top of your car window. Edge won't hold long if you work it hard.

As you can tell, I'm pretty old school with my steel selection, and I like my sharpening to go pretty quick.
 
I've sung the praises of 154cm/cpm-154 for some time and shall continue to do so here. Love it.
 
I'm able to get a razor's edge just free handing on Buck's 420hc and whatever it is Case and Vic is using. I have a ceramic rod setup for my only CPM 154 in order to get a razor's edge.
 
Remember, high wear resistant steels can be very easy to sharpen with a nice edge geometry (thin edge). For example, a keen edge can be more easily achieved on the benchmade amicus with s90v than it would be on the 940-1 with s90v due to the amicus having a thinner cutting edge. The reason being there is less steel to be removed sharpening a thin edge vs thick edge. The less steep to be removed, the faster it is to sharpen; likewise a softer steel will also be faster to remove.
 
The higher the wear resistance of the steel, the softer and finer your abrasive, and the greater the surface in contact with the stone, the slower the knife will be to sharpen.
 
CPM20CV or M390 for strictly edge holding...with proper technique and tools they're not hard to sharpen
 
I'll agree with the proper tools any steel is easy.
I've gotten some scary sharp edges with 154cm and M390.
3V is easily the best edge retention I've seen/used.
 
I'll echo 154 as a great all round steel. I've also found s35vn to be a fairly balanced steel that isn't too hard to sharpen.
 
For me, the best bang for the effort is CPM-M4. When you consider how little it takes to sharpen compared to the edgeholding, it's a winner in my book.
 
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