Recommendation? Tough steel with good sharpness?

1

1ace4e

Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
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Im looking for a steel that is tough enought to survive chopping, cutting etc... bones and wood, but also being capable of being ''sharp'', i dont want an axe, for now

If its somehow a bit hard to sharpen but retains it well, no problem.
If its the other way around, easy to sharpen but doesnt last as long, not a big deal but i prefer the first one (hard to sharpen but good retention)

I dont care about rust as i live in the desert

The shape and geometry im looking for is something like this
r19f3ps
total lenght not more than 25cm, 9.8inches and around that...

https://i.imgur.com/r19f3ps.png

A lot of people recommended me cpm3v, cpm1v, 5160 or 4140, s7 etc..

So what would you recommend me? Do you have other suggestions? Thank you

Oh also if you know people who make knifes like in the picture above with somewhat the steels that are on the requirements tell me please
 
1ace4e said:
Im looking for a steel that is tough enought to survive chopping, cutting etc... bones and wood, but also being capable of being ''sharp'', i dont want an axe, for now

...
Click to expand...

Old crappy knives hand-forged from leaf springs. $3 - $4 each. Some were free, some were $5. All made from leaf springs,

attachment.php
attachment.php


I had a pointy knife like that one once. There was a flood. People had to have food. I offered my big knife to a guy to slaughter a pig and he laughed. I pulled it out and shaved the hair off my forearm lickety split. Done deal.
 
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AshesFall said:
O1. Good all around tool steel that will take care of all your needs.
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i already said i need a very tough steel, O1 is less tough than even the least of all them i mentioned, CPM3V. So how is that steel going to care of all my needs if doesnt even accomplish my first need which is a very tough steel...
 
USMCPOP said:
Old crappy knives hand-forged from leaf springs. $3 - $4 each. Some were free, some were $5. All made from leaf springs,

attachment.php
attachment.php


I had a pointy knife like that one once. There was a flood. People had to have food. I offered my big knife to a guy to slaughter a pig and he laughed. I pulled it out and shaved the hair off my forearm lickety split. Done deal.
Click to expand...

I am actually interested you can dm me, however im still looking for the alternatives i mentioned in the post
 
1ace4e said:
I am actually interested you can dm me, however im still looking for the alternatives i mentioned in the post
Click to expand...

I'm not signed up to be a seller as of y
attachment.php
et. But simple spring steel blades of this type have served people well for many years. The two in the second pic are 40 years old. The in-curved one was a gift from a 70+ year old blacksmith with whom I worked. He knew his stuff.
 
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1ace4e said:
Im looking for a steel that is tough enought to survive chopping, cutting etc... bones and wood, but also being capable of being ''sharp'', i dont want an axe, for now

If its somehow a bit hard to sharpen but retains it well, no problem.
If its the other way around, easy to sharpen but doesnt last as long, not a big deal but i prefer the first one (hard to sharpen but good retention)

I dont care about rust as i live in the desert

The shape and geometry im looking for is something like this
r19f3ps
total lenght not more than 25cm, 9.8inches and around that...

https://i.imgur.com/r19f3ps.png

A lot of people recommended me cpm3v, cpm1v, 5160 or 4140, s7 etc..

So what would you recommend me? Do you have other suggestions? Thank you

Oh also if you know people who make knifes like in the picture above with somewhat the steels that are on the requirements tell me please
Click to expand...

Check out cpm 4v and m4 steel.
 
Twindog said:
I'd go with CPM 3V or Vanadis 4 Extra, if you wanted a bit more wear resistance with a little less toughness.

Infi is tough. A8(mod) is very similar to Infi.
Click to expand...

I would always take toughness over wear-resistance, however thank you for the recommendation
about infi and A8(mod)... i forgot about them lol, they are great steels. they are tougher than cpm 3v, easier to sharpen but they lose it a bit faster.
what about their sharpness? is it at the same level or even better than cpm3v? dont forget i need a really sharp tool too!
 
1ace4e said:
i already said i need a very tough steel, O1 is less tough than even the least of all them i mentioned, CPM3V. So how is that steel going to care of all my needs if doesnt even accomplish my first need which is a very tough steel...
Click to expand...
No you said you need a tough steel for surviving chopping, cutting etc.. nothing about a "very tough" steel and properly heat treated O1 would be tough enough to survive chopping, cutting etc. But if I were to recommend a "very tough" steel I would recommend either CPM3V or S7.
 
AshesFall said:
No you said you need a tough steel for surviving chopping, cutting etc.. nothing about a "very tough" steel and properly heat treated O1 would be tough enough to survive chopping, cutting etc. But if I were to recommend a "very tough" steel I would recommend either CPM3V or S7.
Click to expand...

No point on arguing, i alredy mentioned those both steels on my post, i recommend you to read it again
 
USMCPOP said:
I'm not signed up to be a seller as of y
attachment.php
et. But simple spring steel blades of this type have served people well for many years. The two in the second pic are 40 years old. The in-curved one was a gift from a 70+ year old blacksmith with whom I worked. He knew his stuff.
Click to expand...

well i dont make blades so i would have to buy one, i will dm you
 
What do you mean by sharpness? Do you mean very thin edge geometry, like a kitchen knife or game processing knife? The steels that are toughest at moderately thin geometries (INFI, CPM 3V with delta heat treat, S7, A8 mod, 5160, etc) like you get in choppers aren't necessarily so tough at very thin geometries where strength (resistance to deformation, as compared to toughness which is resistance to chipping or breaking) becomes more important.

In super sharp (i.e. very thin edge geometry) knives, cpm-4v or vanadis 4e may have better edge stability than the tougher steels mentioned above.

So is extreme toughness or extreme sharpness more important to you? Is it more a chopper or slicer that you're after? You can't have both without having a knife where the edge will deform and require constant steeling to realign the edge.
 
1ace4e said:
No point on arguing, i alredy mentioned those both steels on my post, i recommend you to read it again
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Who's arguing? I just mentioned two very tough steels that I would recommend even if they are on your list. Just trying to help man, so calm down lol
 
Depending on your price range ... my top recommendation would be a Carothers Performance Knife in his Delta 3V heat treat ...

Shannon Labs makes some great knives that check your boxes ...

Gollik another maker here uses Elmax fir some of his work ... it may not be quite the steel as the above mentioned but it's good ...

LT Wright would be where I would recommend you look if you want a knife today ... they have many models and offer some in 3V and some in AEB-L ... along with old standbys of A2 or 01 ... and they perform great IMHO ...

Fiddle back Forge has some knives that check most of your boxes also ...

And one last mention the Bradford Guardian 4.5" ... is a great knife ...
 
You asked for opinions and then get bent when someone offers one? You weren't exactly clear in your first post about just HOW tough the steel has to be for your unlisted needs. So, just what are you planning on doing with this knife that would make properly heat-treated O1 curl up in the fetal position and cry for mommy? Are you saying that a Randall in O1 is going to fail you? Have you ever actually USED a knife? You do know that a knife is for cutting stuff, right, and not for pounding into a tree or a brick wall to use as a step? Ya gonna pry open a locked car door after chopping through a couple of inches of ice just to get to it?


Not that it matters, but I prefer 5160, or L6.... Hope you find what you're looking for, but I kinda doubt it.
 
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Currawong said:
What do you mean by sharpness? Do you mean very thin edge geometry, like a kitchen knife or game processing knife? The steels that are toughest at moderately thin geometries (INFI, CPM 3V with delta heat treat, S7, A8 mod, 5160, etc) like you get in choppers aren't necessarily so tough at very thin geometries where strength (resistance to deformation, as compared to toughness which is resistance to chipping or breaking) becomes more important.

In super sharp (i.e. very thin edge geometry) knives, cpm-4v or vanadis 4e may have better edge stability than the tougher steels mentioned above.

So is extreme toughness or extreme sharpness more important to you? Is it more a chopper or slicer that you're after? You can't have both without having a knife where the edge will deform and require constant steeling to realign the edge.
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Yes you are right i didnt give enough details, basically i dont need it as sharp as a kitchen one, just like a game one is enough. I know geometry has a big role on it and the process of making it, but for now i just want to dream as the boy with the toughest steel on the hood, joke

About the strenght, its related to the hardness of the steel, so thats easy, that will be the optimal between both words: steel still be tough enough to survive bones and wood but sharp enough to cut skin etc...

I move more into the ''extreme toughness' however i dont want to sacrifice that much of sharpness, that knife would be basically a small axe that cant cut even nails...

thats why i like cpm3v
 
1ace4e said:
I would always take toughness over wear-resistance, however thank you for the recommendation
about infi and A8(mod)... i forgot about them lol, they are great steels. they are tougher than cpm 3v, easier to sharpen but they lose it a bit faster.
what about their sharpness? is it at the same level or even better than cpm3v? dont forget i need a really sharp tool too!
Click to expand...

Check out Fredrik Haaksonsen's website. He uses A8(mod) quite a bit. He also likes Vanadis 4 Extra. His knives are extremely tough, and they hold an edge well, too. He says that knife edges often lose their sharpness because of a lack of toughness and strength -- caused by micro chips and dents -- not just a lack of wear resistance.

http://xxxknives.blogspot.com

Also click on the articles on the right side that link to his thoughts on A8(mod) and V4E.

How sharp knives get initially depend mostly on the skill of the sharpener. Either of these steels can get extremely sharp.

You might want to work with a knife maker on the forum here to noodle out the best mix of steel, heat treat and geometry that works for you.
 
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