Under $50 - What is your favorite blade steel?

Depends on usage, but here:
Edge retention: D2
Stainless: VG10 (you'd be surprised how stainless it is)
Toughness: 14C28N

Dergyll's choice for all around: 9cr18mov (done correctly)

Edit: almost forgot. 9cr reminds me of 440c...another favorite of mine.
 
Hashishiin said:
This post finally triggered me to ask this question - I have seen, in regards to the low-end, Chinese "?cr??mov" steels, them referred to as 8cr18mov, 8cr13mov, and now, 8cr14mov. Is that a different steel, or were other people just mixing up the alphabet-soup of a name? Apologies for my ignorance, thank you for any info!
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To be honest. I am not 100% sure. And someone with more steel experience may be able to answer better than me. Take what I say with a grain of salt.
Anyways, From what I understand. 8CR14MOV has 1% more Chromium than 8CR13MOV. I have never heard of 8CR18MOV.
 
Hashishiin said:
This post finally triggered me to ask this question - I have seen, in regards to the low-end, Chinese "?cr??mov" steels, them referred to as 8cr18mov, 8cr13mov, and now, 8cr14mov. Is that a different steel, or were other people just mixing up the alphabet-soup of a name? Apologies for my ignorance, thank you for any info!
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It's just a naming convention. For example in 8Cr13MoV the 8 is the carbon content and the 13 is the chromium with the MoV indicating there is small amounts of Molybdenum and Vanadium in the alloy. Personally I find it an easy system to understand roughly what you can expect from the alloy
 
For under 50 i would say aus 8 i have many knives i like and use in that steel. Outside of that i would have to say whatever mora and sak uses.
Hashishiin said:
This post finally triggered me to ask this question - I have seen, in regards to the low-end, Chinese "?cr??mov" steels, them referred to as 8cr18mov, 8cr13mov, and now, 8cr14mov. Is that a different steel, or were other people just mixing up the alphabet-soup of a name? Apologies for my ignorance, thank you for any info!
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Honestly i hwve had decent experience wiith 8crmov i personally would never go any lower than that. I didnt mention that because i have only owned 1 knife in that steel while it performed satisfactory i lost it and it did nothing to impress me enough to go by another. In honesty im not so sure it was the steel that gave me the lack luster but the design of the knife itself.. I purchased it on a trip to boston from a gas station as their laws suck went their for a funeral purchased knife once there. Was able to keep it use it daily for about a month and a half. One day at work a temp asked me to use it i gave it to him. He left at lunch and never came back. Bye bye knife.. It served its purpose but i didnt like the style so may have some predjudice. Only purchased because i didnt want to be knifeless in boston and didnt want to risk losing a good blade at the airport or with law enforcement while there
 
I’m trying not to waste money anymore for $50 knives, primarily because of the poor heat treatment of the steel,
but if I have to choose I’d go with Sandvic and D2 on the stainless site and 1095 on the carbon site.
154cm is also very good choice if you find it in a knife below $50 IMO.
 
For me: D2—I have to agree. My QSP Parrot, and Civivi Wyvern Flipper are great. I’d have to check to be sure, but I believe the Wyvern is under $50. On eBay it is for sure! And the QSP is only $20 on eBay.

What you should know, though, is that you CAN find “better” blade steels for around $50 if you get a deal—particularly with China-made knives in S35VN. Many of them are good quality too.
 
Hashishiin said:
This post finally triggered me to ask this question - I have seen, in regards to the low-end, Chinese "?cr??mov" steels, them referred to as 8cr18mov, 8cr13mov, and now, 8cr14mov. Is that a different steel, or were other people just mixing up the alphabet-soup of a name? Apologies for my ignorance, thank you for any info!
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Misprints definitely happen, even on retail sites. However, 8Cr14Mov is a real steel. Essentially, it seems to just be a better-controlled version of 8Cr13Mov. Here is a comparison on ZKnives. Look at the actual ranges in the table given below the graph.


Here is a graph comparing the most common members of that series. Generally, 3Cr13 is crap. It is often used to make liners and the bodies of steel frame locks in addition to blades on very cheap knives like the Ozark Trail stuff from Walmart. 5Cr15 is slightly better but still basically garbage. CRKT used to use a lot of it. 7Cr17Mov is the first in the series that isn't total garbage. It is similar to 440A and was once a popular choice in budget camping, survival, and diving knives due to its higher corrosion resistance. 8Cr13Mov theoretically offers better edge retention but it comes down to heat treatment. It offers the worst corrosion resistance among these steels. You've already seen my praise of 9Cr18Mov, which has the best performance here by a significant margin.


JAF1973 JAF1973 correctly pointed out that it is lower in toughness. However, it has been tough enough to perform very well at around 15dps in the usual tasks I ask of an EDC folder. (I'll respond to his comment sometime in the next few hours.)
 
Dergyll said:
Depends on usage, but here:
Edge retention: D2
Stainless: VG10 (you'd be surprised how stainless it is)
Toughness: 14C28N

Dergyll's choice for all around: 9cr18mov (done correctly)

Edit: almost forgot. 9cr reminds me of 440c...another favorite of mine.
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9Cr18Mov actually has better corrosion resistance than VG-10. VG-10 often has better edge retention than 9Cr18Mov. The exception is those Civivi and Sencut knives with the exceptional heat treatment. They've consistently out-cut Spyderco's VG-10 in testing.

Another member of that Chinese series is 10Cr15CoMoV. It is an analog of VG-10. I've only ever seen it used by Civivi and only recently. (Since Sencut has taken over as WE's entry-level brand, Civivi seems to be focusing on 10Cr15CoMoV and Nitro-V.) I don't have experience with it yet but I'm curious. If they can do for this steel what they've done for 9Cr18Mov, that would be fantastic.

Coincidentally, 10Cr15CoMov was recently revealed as the other steel alongside 9Cr18Mov in Civivi's Damascus.
 
JAF1973 said:
I don't like D2. Hard to sharpen without diamond sticks and an abundance of time. Hard to heat treat properly, Chips, breaks, lacks toughness, and overrated unsuitable blade steel in my opinion. Especially if the blade is over 3 inches in length. Which further reduces toughness. And I can't afford Dozier customs in order for the steel to be done right. Chinese D2 is not even true USA D2 according to ANSI specs.
9CR18MOV I do like. But toughness is lacking compared to AUS8 or 12C27. Even 8CR14MOV has more toughness than 9CR18MOV.

And 9CR18MOV is not used by very many manufacturers other than Civivi and Sencut. If Kershaw and spyderco decide to use it on their budget line. I will consider it.
Different strokes for different folks. I am still happy with 12C27 and 8CR14MOV. As I value toughness and decent rust resistance on my rough use folder work knives.

And yes, I have tried and put time in with the steels you mentioned. And no. I don't prefer them to what I like and properties I value in a budget blade steel.
No one had a problem with 8CR14MOV until YouTube started finding fault with it because some bozo like Nutnfancy tried to baton an 8CR14MOV folder or 4116 Krupp Cold Steel pocket Bushman through a knotty hardwood stump with a 5 lb stick and broke it. Then all the sudden. People started complaining about it.
I never tried a Civivi or Sencut. I dislike liner locks and designs that look about as interesting and original as watching paint dry on the wall. Judging from their pictures. Their liner locks look cheaply made, flimsy, and easily worn out from multiple opening/closing.
The one liner lock I own is the Hogue EX02 with a secondary lock. I don't use that knife for more than light to moderate tasks. And every 1 to 2 years. I have to send it back in to get the liners replaced or peened by Hogue. And that is a $189 plus tax knife I bought only 2 years ago.
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I like 12C27. It's tough, stainless, holds a reasonable edge and is quick to sharpen. Unlike Chinese D2, 12C27 seems to perform better than the reputation that precedes it. (You are right. Chinese D2 has issues.) I think 12C27 gets overshadowed by 14C28N, which really is an excellent budget steel. While 12C27 might be a little tougher, 14C28N is still one of the toughest stainless blade steels. (14C28N is tougher than 8Cr13Mov by more than 8Cr13Mov is tougher than 9Cr18Mov.) I think 14C28N is a great choice for fixed blades.

I've seen 9Cr18Mov used by a variety of companies over the years. Schrade uses it in some ridiculously cheap folders. The knives might not be very good but at least once you've sharpened past the fatigued steel along the factory edge, they might be the edge-retention champions of the sub-$20 category. Real Steel uses 9Cr18Mov in a few knives. Some of the Ferrum Forge knives use 9Cr18Mov but like Civivi and Sencut, those are made by WE. While less tough than AUS-8, I haven't had any issues with the toughness of 9Cr18Mov. It seems on par with steels like N690, 154CM, and 440C; all of which are tough enough for me in a folder.

Having used, carried, and disassembled lots of the WE-made knives, they are definitely not "cheaply made, flimsy, and easily worn out from multiple opening/closing". If anything, the Civivi and Sencut knives have some of the best fit, finish, and overall build quality among all knives at their respective price levels. It's not just that they get an exceptional heat treatment on their 9Cr18Mov. These are knives that continue to persist in my EDC rotation. (I just upgraded the bearings on a Civivi that has seen regular carry since 2018.) Of course, if you don't like liner locks then they won't have much to offer.
 
JAF1973 said:
I don't like D2. Hard to sharpen without diamond sticks and an abundance of time. Hard to heat treat properly, Chips, breaks, lacks toughness, and overrated unsuitable blade steel in my opinion. Especially if the blade is over 3 inches in length. Which further reduces toughness. And I can't afford Dozier customs in order for the steel to be done right. Chinese D2 is not even true USA D2 according to ANSI specs.
9CR18MOV I do like. But toughness is lacking compared to AUS8 or 12C27. Even 8CR14MOV has more toughness than 9CR18MOV.
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I know several people who own and use RealSteel Bushcrafter in D2.
They even baton with it regularly and there's no issues, despite scandi grind.

I recently had experience with RealSteel Sorrow and it's also a large D2 fixed blade that really impressed me.

Chinese D2 seems to have better toughness than other D2 I have handled. Like, no micro chipping or edge damage even after cutting into a bone several times, cutting cartilages and so on.

I guess it also depends if you're getting a D2 knife from a well known Chinese brand, or some company most never heard of.
 
14C28N
12C27
1.4116
9Cr18MoV

Not a fan of 420HC. I've been very unimpressed with Leatherman's 420HC and just had a "meh" experience with Buck's 420HC.

8Cr13MoV is OK. Does the job. It's fine in a cheaper knife. Certain big manufacturers need to move on to better steels though.
 
justjed said:
14C28N. Easy to sharpen, takes a good edge, holds it acceptably well, decent corrosion resistance, and it's fairly tough for a stainless alloy.
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Same here. The Mora Kansbol at around $50 is a great buy.

Edit: The Kansbol comes in 12C27, apologies my bad. Love that steel too. 14C28N kicks ass as well though.
 
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Hashishiin said:
This post finally triggered me to ask this question - I have seen, in regards to the low-end, Chinese "?cr??mov" steels, them referred to as 8cr18mov, 8cr13mov, and now, 8cr14mov. Is that a different steel, or were other people just mixing up the alphabet-soup of a name? Apologies for my ignorance, thank you for any info!
Click to expand...
All exist and are different (not much)
except first one
it's 9cr18mov
 
EatingSarma said:
I know several people who own and use RealSteel Bushcrafter in D2.
They even baton with it regularly and there's no issues, despite scandi grind.

I recently had experience with RealSteel Sorrow and it's also a large D2 fixed blade that really impressed me.

Chinese D2 seems to have better toughness than other D2 I have handled. Like, no micro chipping or edge damage even after cutting into a bone several times, cutting cartilages and so on.

I guess it also depends if you're getting a D2 knife from a well known Chinese brand, or some company most never heard of.
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Impressive. And noted. Glad their knives served them well. And yes the Sorrow looks really nice.
However, I don't like D2 for the reasons I stated earlier. And for every 10 positive stories. You can find a few bad experiences of any product from any manufacturer.
I will go for toughness every time over edge retention. The only way D2 will have decent toughness is to dial down HT Rockwell. Which reduces the edge retention properties in favor of toughness. Same can be done with many other blade steels. I feel like overseas D2 is a marketing term and misleading.
Also, D2 is one of the harder steels to properly HT.
 
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JAF1973 said:
Impressive. And noted. Glad their knives served them well. And yes the Sorrow looks really nice.
However, I don't like D2 for the reasons I stated earlier. And for every 10 positive stories. You can find a few bad experiences of any product from any manufacturer.
I will go for toughness every time over edge retention. The only way D2 will have decent toughness is to dial down HT Rockwell. Which reduces the edge retention properties in favor of toughness. Same can be done with many other blade steels. I feel like overseas D2 is a marketing term and misleading.
Also, D2 is one of the harder steels to properly HT.
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Chinese D2 in general seems to be different, in the past it was simply worse, but today, seeing experiences of many people, and my own experience - I can say it's a really good steel.

RealSteel sells their knives for cheap, and people definitely aren't scared to abuse them, lots of reviewers or people commenting on youtube say they're their go-to beaters as they wouldn't cry a lot over them if they broke or got lost...

So I'm surprised I'm not seeing a lot of comments about D2 being brittle or Chinese D2 being bad, considering numbers of these people that bought these and what they use them for.

I guess it all comes down to manufacturer individually.
 
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