What steels will take and hold an edge at a low angle

[DeadboxHero]

Yup, until he shares his actual usage of the knife with us this is pointless.

If you want the maximum thin edge holding you have to have high strength which also negatively effects the materials ductility.

Some martials like 3v,Cruwear,4v,M4 have a great blend of both.

But you will never have the ductility of a plain low carbon steel which will be more malleable when there strength is exceeded which is lower then more alloyed steel.

Without knowing the use. We can't figure out how much compromise to the strength is needed.How much wear resistance is needed.

The ultimate steel for thin blades and low angles is a white steel kitchen knife. But that doesn't help anymore then asking what steel and not sharing the actual usage of the knife.

 

[noob93]

Yup, until he shares his actual usage of the knife with us this is pointless.

If you want the maximum thin edge holding you have to have high strength which also negatively effects the materials ductility.

Some martials like 3v,Cruwear,4v,M4 have a great blend of both.

But you will never have the ductility of a plain low carbon steel which will be more malleable when there strength is exceeded which is lower then more alloyed steel.

Without knowing the use. We can't figure out how much compromise to the strength is needed.How much wear resistance is needed.

The ultimate steel for thin blades and low angles is a white steel kitchen knife. But that doesn't help anymore then asking what steel and not sharing the actual usage of the knife.

Well I did say old camp knife beater so I guess that would include some delimbing,animal processing,light chopping and probably some digging among many other things. I suppose if you lost your axe or rendered it useless it might have to baton as well.

 

[DeadboxHero]

That's better, now I can share with you.

The digging means you would have to compromise strength for ductility. No sharp edge can hold up to that unless it's an obtuse edge that would be horrible for the other tasks you mentioned.

So it would either roll or chip from Digging. So you would prefer it to roll.

Either way it's beyond the capacity of what a knife is for.

Can you do it? Yes. But it reduces the performance for the other tasks you mentioned.

There is no currently material that can whittle a hair dig in the ground and still whittle a hair.

Now I understand that no one needs a knife to whittle a hair. But thats just a by product of a sharp knife or tool that cuts efficiently and makes working enjoyable with less effort.

Wither it's an axe, a kitchen knife or a folder.n o matter if you what to cut it should be sharp.

That is why you would either have to change the use of the knife. (Carve a digging stick)

Or compromise the edge holding for a more ductile, malleable material. so edge failure is more forgiving and easier to repair.

I recommend 5160, S5,S7,L6,15n20,8670,1080, 9260, 80crv2

Because the have a good strength and ductility ratio.

Not as ductile as 1060, 4140 etc

But those steels dont have the strength you are looking for.

As far as what to choose from my recommendations
Any will do, I'd just find one with the right blade geometry and handle, made by a respectable maker that has experience with any of the above mentioned steels.

If they don't have experience with a given material it will be difficult to truly see what it's truly capable of.

So remember if your going to be this specific and have the money go custom.

If not just buy a production knife. Improve your sharpening so you can tweak the geometry and be thoughtful in how you use the knife to get the most performance.

Either way the sharpest knife is the one you sharpen so if you what the best it's up to your ability.

 

[d00mtr33]

I have not run across any stainless steels yet (440c, ats34, 154cm, s30v, s110v, bd1) that have as good of edge stability as non stainless varieties (m2, m4, hap40, 3v, 4v, zwear, 52100, w2, 1095). Still searching though.

Along with good edge stability and among the non stainless listed, m2 and m4 are also the most resistant to dulling.

I left out zdp189 because I find that if making straight draw cuts into destructive materials, like hardened bolts, with no chopping actions (impacts) or side loading (prying) of the edge, it holds up surpringly well, unlike the other stainless ones listed. But because I have to be so careful, it's not preferred.

Id say try N77 but its very hard to find in it. It feels like a stainless "carbon steel" to me, very easy to sharpen, takes an extremely keen edge and performs great at angles of 15dps and lower. It's a shame that it's not used in more knives, lc200n and its cousins look promising too.
Also bd1n sounds like it could be very nice, im thinking about ordering a kitchen knife (so far they're the only knives in it) and see ho it hokds up.

 

[jpm2]

Id say try N77 but its very hard to find in it. It feels like a stainless "carbon steel" to me, very easy to sharpen, takes an extremely keen edge and performs great at angles of 15dps and lower. It's a shame that it's not used in more knives, lc200n and its cousins look promising too.
Also bd1n sounds like it could be very nice, im thinking about ordering a kitchen knife (so far they're the only knives in it) and see ho it hokds up.

Thanks, I'll continue to pick up steels I haven't tried, and keep a lookout for N77, it does sound interesting.