How 440c compare to AEB-L for kitchen knife application?

[shqxk]

I read somewhere Chuck said that 440c perform better than 154cm and CPM154 (surprisingly!) on their testing but I wonder how good 440c like Bohler's N695 compare to AEB-L in edge retention/toughness wise?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I think the advantage of AEB-L is that it takes an extremely sharp edge and is easy to re-sharpen.

 

[matus]

The composition of AEB-L is that it does not tend to produce large carbides and is thus very fine grained (is also used fo straight razors for that reason). Since Devin Thomas made it famous after his work on heat treat many makers offer kitchen knives in AEB-L today and the user feedback is very positive. In fact - one sees kitchen knives in 440C rarely . I guess there is a reason for that (coarse grain structure being part of it)

 

[Rhinoknives1]

You have asked two different questions.

I will answer the first one.
I have used 440C & AEB-L
I like & use both for my custom knives.
As mentioned AEB-L takes a finer edge & AEB-L is a little easier to sharpen,
But 440C edge can last longer in a saw type edge retention.
Also 440C has better corrosion resistance
There are always trade off's , YMMV

 

[butcher_block]

i ll take AEBL before 440c any day but that said i made lots of blades out of cm154 and cpm154 but now only use XHP less its an order for something high carbide liek 204p or s110v
to be fair AEBL and XHP are close but the XHP is a powder steel and might give it an edge in fineness (more important to me tho is ease of HT to 62-63rc while AEBL has a slight fight to get higherr numbers then 61)

 

[Gaston444]

I read somewhere Chuck said that 440c perform better than 154cm and CPM154 (surprisingly!) on their testing but I wonder how good 440c like Bohler's N695 compare to AEB-L in edge retention/toughness wise?

I tested extensively one CPM 154cm knife for chopping purposes, and I agree it was terrible compared to most 440C I tried...

Micro-folded at thick angles, very rapidly from almost every hit, similar to the one high-end S30V knife I also tested over a long time.

Can you provide a link to Chuck's testing?

Gaston

 

[DevinT]

40cp is the pm equivalent to 440c and makes a very good kitchen knife. I recommend 40cp and aeb-l for kitchen knives. There are other good steels, I like these two a lot.

Bohler did some catra testing of steels, 440c at the same hardness as 154cm cut better. 440c is an excellent steel, gets a bad rap most of the time. The heat treat is more important than steel choice.

Hoss

 

[Rhinoknives1]

I read somewhere Chuck said that 440c perform better than 154cm and CPM154 (surprisingly!) on their testing but I wonder how good 440c like Bohler's N695 compare to AEB-L in edge retention/toughness wise?

Just remember, if it isn't heat treated properly for the designed task. It doesn't matter what steel you have.

 

[jdm61]

Hoss, how does the 40CP compare to AEB-L as far as being able to take a fine, stable edge?