Why steel grade matters.
Hardest knife blade steel.
A mix of carbon and iron that is often enriched with other elements to improve certain characteristics depending on the desired application.
Typical of the hardness found in pocket knives such as spyderco and cold steel or premium japanese kitchen knives.
Characteristics of a survival knife blade strength toughness hardness edge wear resistance and corrosion resistance apply to the selection of blade metal.
This steel is double tempered for hardness and edge retention it has excellent corrosion resistance but is slightly more difficult to sharpen.
Bad 2 10 corrosion resistance.
See knives with our favorite premium steel at bladehq below the table you ll find a summary of the most commonly used elements in steel.
Often overlooked is the job at hand.
It is generally known as a premium steel for knife blades offering a good balance of corrosion resistance sharpenability and edge.
As an extension of our guide to the best knife steel we ve compiled the reference table below showing the most popular types of knife steel and their composition of the various elements.
These knives retain their sharpness much longer but can be a bit difficult to sharpen.
The steel may be the soul of the blade but the ergonomics are the heart.
A survival knife must do many jobs and take abuse which almost by definition means balancing the blade characteristics.
A better steel won t necessarily make a better knife.
Aus 8 is the japanese version while 8cr13mov mov is the chinese version and although they re from.
When you put your knife to work what tasks will it need to conquer.
Knife steels that exhibit extreme hardness and edge retention are amazing at cutting through warehouses full of cardboard but hit a staple and your knife may suffer.
Wide variety usually in low to mid range multi purpose knives blade hardness.
Check out ankerson s steel rankings for real world testing.
Steel is essentially an alloy i e.
Blade steel myth 3.
Blade steel myth 4.
All of the characteristics mentioned in survival knives 101.
Certain blade steels are more stable at highly acute angels.
Very easy 9 10 edge retention.
A cpm s30v blade hardened at 60hrc will handle very differently to a cpm s30v blade at 57hrc.
Alongside edge geometry and design blade steel is a critical element that determines how a knife performs.
Aus 8 aus 10a 8cr13mov and 440b common use case.
In choosing the best pocket knife you should pay particular attention to the type of steel used in the blade.
You can click on the column to sort the data accordingly.