Why?

BenchCo Spydermade said:
I also have a lot of great steels because they came with the design i wanted. It bugs me though, because i dont want the fancy steel amd it makes the knives cost more, which i think is another reason for the supersteels. The higher cost the materials, the more profit per knife. If you can output x knives in a given time, may as well make them titanium and m390 and charge $300+.
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I am okay with the steel and the prices for the knives were quite reasonable. I knew what I was buying and the desire to own outweighed the desire for carbon steel. Two were less than half your $300 titanium/M390 theoretical knife and in one case way less than 1/3 of that. All easily within my budget and not so expensive as to cause me to avoid using them.
True, they don't need nearly the maintenance that my carbon steel knives ask of me. More's the pity, as most of the time I'll carry them and put them away when I'm done cuz there's simply nothing to do except maybe wipe them down. I realize that is a blessing to some, but it just makes me feel like I am being negligent somehow. I guess I am addicted to the routine maintenance of more humble steels. I blame my vintage axe fetish.
 
DB_Cruiser said:
I am okay with the steel and the prices for the knives were quite reasonable. I knew what I was buying and the desire to own outweighed the desire for carbon steel. Two were less than half your $300 titanium/M390 theoretical knife and in one case way less than 1/3 of that. All easily within my budget and not so expensive as to cause me to avoid using them.
True, they don't need nearly the maintenance that my carbon steel knives ask of me. More's the pity, as most of the time I'll carry them and put them away when I'm done cuz there's simply nothing to do except maybe wipe them down. I realize that is a blessing to some, but it just makes me feel like I am being negligent somehow. I guess I am addicted to the routine maintenance of more humble steels. I blame my vintage axe fetish.
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I was being a bit extreme with the example i used, but one specific non theoretical example for me is s30v. Gotta be my least favorite steel. And dag nabbit its on almost every design I like. Crooked river in particular. I DO prefer stainless as I often like mirror polishing my blades, but s30v sucks for that. 440 or 14cr28 would be cheaper, sharpen up to a razor edge easy and take an easy mirror polish to top it off.
 
Why do people post topics to forums with one word questions that offer no clues to what the thread is about? A bigger problem these days than steel preferences, in my opinion.

Since the beginning of the term “super steel” (it’s been around nearly forever) there have been people saying that older steels are the real bees knees not the new stuff. “Old” steels are still used all the time because they’re cheap so they’re used in a range of production knives and because forging bladesmiths still use them. They also see use in other random applications like traditional pocket knives. They’re not going anywhere and they work fine. Enjoy.
 
You know what I find kind of funny.. there’s quite a lot of people on this forum that are in favor of 1095 more than they are steels like 20CV or Maxamet. I’d almost wager there are more of them here than there are people that snuff their noses at 1095.

I like different steels for different reasons. I like different knives for different reasons. If you gave me the choice I’d probably have CruWear on everything, but I don’t expect GEC to be switching out their standard 1095 for CruWear any time to soon, sadly, haha.
 
AshesFall said:
Another good debate for you guys. Why do so many people seem to knock plain old simple carbon steels these days? Steels that have been used for forever and have worked for centuries. Steels like 1055 all the way up to 1095. Now I know about all the newer "super stuff" out there and have some myself and will probably get more because I'm a steel junkie lol, but I still love and use my knives in 1095 because they just work. Just don't understand people that stick their noses up to a steel that will more than likely do anything they want it too and would last a lifetime doing it too.
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I grew up using carbon steel. Now I use stainless.

Does carbon steel work? undoubtedly. For hundreds of years it was the only choice.
Does modern stainless work even better for many applications? It does.

The stainless alloys I use hold an edge longer. And I don't have to worry about fingerprints, oils, moisture, etc.
For the knife usages in my life, stainless provides superior performance. So that is what I use.
 
AshesFall said:
Another good debate for you guys. Why do so many people seem to knock plain old simple carbon steels these days? Steels that have been used for forever and have worked for centuries. Steels like 1055 all the way up to 1095. Now I know about all the newer "super stuff" out there and have some myself and will probably get more because I'm a steel junkie lol, but I still love and use my knives in 1095 because they just work. Just don't understand people that stick their noses up to a steel that will more than likely do anything they want it too and would last a lifetime doing it too.
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I don't know.
Personally those steels and the more " cheap " stainless steel found on traditionals when carbon isn't offered works perfectly for me and I have absolutely no desire to try any of the harder or more modern or super type steels. I love how easy they are to sharpen and keep sharp with little effort.

Not knocking these other steels as I understand why they exist and many people want them but they're just not necessary for me
 
To be honest, corrosion resistance is a big deal for me. Combined with high edge retention I choose modern stainless steels over high carbon. Nothing wrong with HC, my dad has a kitchen knife that is at least 70 years old in HC steel and works fine, but the area I live in, my work environment and personal choice dictates Stainless.
 
I like stainless steels for folders and carbon steel for fixed blades. Favorite stainless alloys are VG-10 and 14c28n. Favorite carbon steels are 1095 and 5160. L6 is another good one, but finding a maker who actually uses this steel is not easy.

All that being said, if I like a particular knife, the steel is the last thing I am worried about. There are steels used for knives that are not really knife steels. You can make a blade out of them, but, in MY opinion, they're really just knife-shaped paperweights. Knowing the difference is the key to getting your money's worth out of a knife...
 
I have a few carbon steel blades and I like them in some instances. But ! In the work I do and the chemical residues my knives get exposed to including corrosives and plain old rock salt, it is a must. I’ve ruined a few blades even stainless. And sometimes you don’t know that someone previously spilled some acid on the 2x4 block you used to make a filler/ spacer and trimmed it to fit with your knife.

Yes stainless will corrode just not as fast as regular carbon steel. Stainless gives me a level of protection that carbon steel doesn’t have.
 
Rust...... Rust is the main reason I don’t use carbon steels. I love the way it sharpens and cuts but I despise rust on my blades. My experience has been its very hard to prevent rust on a carbon steel pocket knife. Carbon steels were vastly superior to early stainless steel blades but not anymore. Modern high performance stainless steel is great stuff in my opinion.
 
Carbon steel is fine but I hate it in a folder.
This is because as a boy I dropped my knife more than once in the dark
and found it the next day when it was light...and it was rusty!!!!
I have lots of tools that are carbon steel and are rust free...because of oil.
But I don't carry them in my pocket while I sweat heavily either. I prize
stainless steel in a folder highly and I like edge retention too.
My machete is carbon steel. No problem...perfect application. For folders
I like M390, 20CV, etc. I really like S30V in my Lil Native...easy to sharpen
holds an edge well...and it does not rust in my pocket.
We are fortunate to have the steel selection we have today. The technology
has zoomed ahead in steel...it is amazing frankly. Stainless high carbide corrosion
resistant folders for me please!
 
91bravo said:
I don't think anyone turns their noses up at good ol carbon steel. A lot of folks just want to try different steels out to see what they have to offer. All else fails, nothing wrong with going back to traditional carbon steel, which has been proven to work well over the last thousands of years. It's just a matter of personal preference, that's all.
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I agree or at least with the steels developed in the last century. For me it comes down to choice. If I want to spend money (real money for a handmade knife), I doubt I would be satisfied with 1095, 1055, 1075 etc. So, in this particular case, they are off the table and if a custom maker uses one of those steels, I likely would shop elsewhere. That's not to say stuff made with these steels is bad, just I would like something I suspect is a little better.

I buy knives in non-super steels all the time. I just want something that cuts. I don't mind sharpening a knife. But again, if I were buying handmade, I want something a little better (which of course is very relative).
 
navman said:
To be honest, corrosion resistance is a big deal for me. Combined with high edge retention I choose modern stainless steels over high carbon. Nothing wrong with HC, my dad has a kitchen knife that is at least 70 years old in HC steel and works fine, but the area I live in, my work environment and personal choice dictates Stainless.
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Rust never sleeps. Sharpening carbon steel is easy but it is unforgiving
if you forget to wipe it down with the oil rag. Rusted in fingerprints...
something a stainless user won't see unless they have chemicals on their fingers!
 
I see there are still plenty of die hard carbon fans and many of them (good thing of course), but it also seems to me that these "super steels" are getting so popular that the newer generations are starting to disregard the simple carbon steels (bad thing). Now I'm not dissing these stainless super steels at all, in fact I have and like them just like many of you. Another question I have is "what if" these super steels over the years become cheaper with age and newer advanced steels take over the thrown, wouldn't that push the steels we grew up with like simple carbon steels further away from society? The market would be focusing so much on these advancements in newer steels that it could flood the market by pushing older steels like simple carbons to the bottom of the barrel. Newer generations will want these newer steels because they're better on paper and are advertised and marketed as such for much more profit. I'm just hoping this won't be bad news in the future for good honest knife makers that love working with simpler carbon steels Now I know I'm probably thinking a good ways in the future here, but I can already see the tread happening now. I myself like variety and appreciate new advancements because it is exciting times for steel, but I also fear it's going to push newer generations away from "the old stuff". Opinions?
 
Carbon steels will never go away. That's how knifemakers start out. Forging stuff out of old leaf springs, rail road spikes, rebar, old shovels, etc.
 
AshesFall said:
I see there are still plenty of die hard carbon fans and many of them (good thing of course), but it also seems to me that these "super steels" are getting so popular that the newer generations are starting to disregard the simple carbon steels (bad thing). Now I'm not dissing these stainless super steels at all, in fact I have and like them just like many of you. Another question I have is "what if" these super steels over the years become cheaper with age and newer advanced steels take over the thrown, wouldn't that push the steels we grew up with like simple carbon steels further away from society? The market would be focusing so much on these advancements in newer steels that it could flood the market by pushing older steels like simple carbons to the bottom of the barrel. Newer generations will want these newer steels because they're better on paper and are advertised and marketed as such for much more profit. I'm just hoping this won't be bad news in the future for good honest knife makers that love working with simpler carbon steels Now I know I'm probably thinking a good ways in the future here, but I can already see the tread happening now. I myself like variety and appreciate new advancements because it is exciting times for steel, but I also fear it's going to push newer generations away from "the old stuff". Opinions?
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Well...technology marches on. Some things become obsolete for very good reasons.
That being said I strongly support the best material for the application.
Here is a comical example: Making sparks with flint (the stone) works not
so good with a stainless blade. 1095 works well.
Application drives the material choice, as does the price point.
I do not think the carbon steels are going anywhere. Swords and machetes
are best made from them. As far as prices creeping up, craptacular steels
will always be with us. (Jarbenza).
Don't worry. If we are lucky there are steels coming that will be paradigm
changing. I like M390 a lot. Imagine something 10x better!
Better alloys rock.
 
91bravo said:
Carbon steels will never go away. That's how knifemakers start out. Forging stuff out of old leaf springs, rail road spikes, rebar, old shovels, etc.
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A friend showed me a small fixed blade made from a bandsaw blade. It was very
nice and the maker made a nice sheath for it too. It was a fantastic skinner blade.

It was very inexpensive as well. He found it easy to maintain and sharpen too.
 
I hear some say that carbon steel will rust away overnight if you are not soaking it in motor oil at the end of the day. I have found that the carbon steel slip joints I have developed a patina after a short while with some basic care. Once this occurs the blade becomes somewhat more stable and doesn't rust as quickly as when the blade is new and first put into use. There is something about a traditional slip joint in carbon steel with a patina on the blade that feels like a warm blanket to me. Perhaps it's just old man syndrome.
 
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