which type of steel will work best in extreme cold weather?

T

tomwilson77

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Nov 12, 2014
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what type of steel should I choose when picking out my knife. I'm going to be living in the arctic. knife will be used for all around survival and I'll have another for processing game. I'm going to be far away from any way to replace the knife so it needs to be a knife that will last.

I am going to list the types of steels that I have come across so far please let me know which type is optimal for my situation. feel free to let me know of other types as well. keep in mind I am 100% clueless and need help from you blade experts. I'm asking this question because I'm all about preparing for the worst i don't want to get out there with my 400$ A2 steel and have it rust/chip on me after processing a couple of deer in -40 degree weather. not that i will.. i have no idea. please help lol

- stainless
- A2
-1095 cro van
- CPM 3V
- 8cr 13mov
 
Supposedly, less carbon, more nickel, and smaller grain structure makes a steel more resistant to fracture at low temperatures. Vanax seems to fit your bill, it's a powder steel with good corrosion resistance and very low carbon. Let me know if I'm wrong.
 
You should check out the H1 blades from Spyderco or the similar blade steel X15T.N. in other brands
 
S7, 3V are two tough steels from personal experience however much has to do with the blade design, grind and rockwell hardness.

Even a lowly carbon or stainless steel would be tough enough at a lower hardness but you'd sacrifice edge retention.

I managed to take a chunk out of a 52100 blade a couple days ago in zero degree weather so choose carefully... :eek::foot::thumbdn:
 
I'm not sure how susceptible a blade would be to shattering at those temperatures (especially if the blade will carried be near your body). However, if you're concerned about it I agree that toughness would likely be the most important criteria to prevent fracture. I would also think you should look for a type of stainless steel, because transitioning from the cold weather outside to your warm house (or just your pocket) will create condensation that might rust the blade fairly quickly.

I'd second the recommendation for H1, and also recommend you look at Elmax or CTS-XHP, or possibly INFI (though not technically stainless, I have read that the corrosion resistance is fairly good given its other qualities). I've heard good things about those steel's toughness.
 
I would be looking at a stainless with good corrosion resistance yet easily sharpened or touched up. I personally would look at a good 440c, 154CM or CPM154 blade. If you are on a budget some readily available options exist in AUS8. Im not so sure that 8CR14mov or other like steel from GB of china would be ideal as I have heard of purity issues and corrosion. Now I have knives with these steels and have had no issues but I dont live in arctic conditions. I would stay away from tool steels unless something somewhat semi stainless like D2. Above all though i would avoid anything people refer to as a "super steel". Sure ZDP180 or Bohler M390 is great for edge retention but they are not the easiest steel to touch up on the fly and you dont want to have to do this in cold weather. Sharpening is a tedious task for the uninitiated to begin with let alone trying to get a stone to bite into a steel almost as hard as it is. For me I would rather have to touch up my blade daily with a few strokes on a ceramic rod than two or three hour long sessions trying to get the edge back if at all. Just my opinion.
 
Of the ones listed 1095, A2, and 3V are the toughest. Stainless steels are never going to be as tough as a properly done 3V blade. Even A2 or 1095 . One of the supposedly better steels for cold use cutlery would be L6. It's a tough steel with nickel. The steel, any steel can be made unsuitable for hard use if not done correctly.

For use at those temps I'd also be looking at the grip material. No metal, rubber, etc. G10, or micarta for me. Something I could use with or without gloves. Also the design. Any areas susceptible to stress fracture will be much more susceptible at very cold temps. To be honest for those conditions I'd probably have a custom maker who is used to cold and knows what is needed make me a knife just for it. negative 40F is pretty extreme.

Good luck.

Joe
 
I just used my 1095 blade outside an hour or two ago, and it's about 17 degrees here. No problem with it whatsoever.
 
I'm a big (make that huge) fan of A2, O1 and 1095 in that order for tough outdoor knives. Forget stainless steels - they're brittle enough without the extreme temps.

For a totally reliable knife I'd want either a Bark River in A2 or a Battlehorse in O1. However, given the criteria that you laid out, I'd also consider getting a couple of the 1/8" thick carbon steel Moras (They're 1095 IIRC). Three of them weigh about what one medium sized full tang sheath knife weighs, so you can carry spares. If you snap one, you won't be SOL - just dig into your pack for another one....

Also, don't sweat the rust thing. Carry a couple of chapsticks on you. After you wipe the blade down, add a thin coat of chapstick and your rust worries are history. Since they are made from a food grade wax, you won't poison yourself as you keep your blades from rusting.
 
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This might be a situation where a custom maker (of which we have quite a few) can advise you on what other people in similar situations have had built. My only "custom" knife wasn't actually a custom order of my own, but rather bought at a shop in northern Minnesota that ordered it from a custom maker in the area. It's a Lester River Bushcraft SBK (Small Buschcrafting Knife) in A2 steel, and from what I have been able to gather since buying it, most LRB knives are A2. Now obviously a knife maker in Minnesota might be making knives for people in parts of the world who will never use theirs in cold weather, but those are the types of makers I'd want to consult. Also, I wouldn't look strictly at the blade material, but also the other components. At such extreme temperatures, are the pins, screws and glue holding it all together going to crack under the pressures of hard use in the cold? How about handle material?
 
What types of knives have been carried on space flights? This seems like a good starting point to consider tools for extreme cold.
 
Let me introduce a metallurgical thing here . 'Brittle transition temperature ' of steel .A certain temperature where the fracture changes from ductile to brittle . Many steels are chosen for very cold use that have austenite .Either by HTing to get more than normal austenite or using an austenitic stainless steel.But with knives we should have good wear for the material.
For rifle barrels there is a 416R where R is an upper level limit for sulpher which makes it good for -40 F. I'd have to do more research to find other metals suitable for low temps.
 
-40 is pretty bad. The worst I've dealt with is -25 before any wind chill. That's growing up in the north and living in the mountains ( Alps and Rockies) There or below it gets to the point where all I'd be working at is survival. Anything else is secondary. Same thing with 110F humid, or above 130F desert. Not much gets done besides trying to stay alive. I wouldn't try to baton with a knife in weather that cold. Axe for kindling, maul for splitting. Living and working outside in such conditions will really get your attention. Chopping a bone with a knife would likely damage it at those low temps. Things with water content get like rocks.

joe
 
jginnane said:
What types of knives have been carried on space flights? This seems like a good starting point to consider tools for extreme cold.
Click to expand...

SAKs have been carried on space flights, and I also think a knife or knives made by Case, as well.

Jim
 
I lived in Michigan before coming to NC. Economic refugee from the Flint area. By far the most winters were from -5f at night to 15f day. I did see a cold -25 degree couple days in the winter of 83, around Christmas? Not long before my move in fact.

I sure wouldn't go after any slightly wet wood with a thin knife in that weather. Even Deer and larger sized leg bones when frozen are like stone. Time to put away the knives outdoors for most heavy stuff and get axes and mauls. 15 degrees was great for splitting wood but that's different.

I never saw it quite that cold in Colorado though the tops of mountains got that at times. In Colorado Springs we had cold weather but the wind there really would bite. Up north it was like a still deep freeze in the real cold. Not so when the altitude got up over a mile and more. The Alps were very snowy but not nearly as cold when I lived there except on the top of mountains. I did see snow on the mountains in late june there once. It snowed at times like around Buffalo with huge drifts dwarfing cars and even busses going up the mountains and parts of the Alpinestrasse. Snowshoes or CC skis were a must if on foot there that time of year. We got by with canvas shelter halfs, medium weight bags with air mattresses. No fires allowed with C rations thawed on the M151A1's manifold. We did have korean war era woolen overpants though. :)

Joe
 
Fallkniven has 3 excellent laminated steels. 3G, CoS, and vg 10 in numerous style knives. I'm pretty sure if u look, one of their offerings will CALL to u. I figure since Sweden has a long cold winter, they know how to design a tool for use suit g said time. I find their knives to be excellent
 
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