What kind of steel is the best

[Rookie]

What kind of steel is the best for light use. It has to hold a sharp edge and be easy to sharpen. Also, could someone please give me the WHOLE list of smiley faces<img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>



In the land of knives, Spyderco is king.

[mschwoeb]

for light use probably something like AUS-8, 440C. some companies use some of the 420 series, because of ease to sharpen. Forharder use you sould want to start to get into ATS-34, and of course the one that tops my list: BG-42
These top steels will hold an edge longer,but are harder to sharpen when dull.

[Tightwad]

The harder the steel the longer the edge will hold (wears better)
Conversly the harder that steel will be to sharpen because it does
wear better.

With that information in mind I'd say that Aus-8 is a very good every
day every type of owner steel because it does get sharp easily by the
average owner. The rest of the list would be 440A, 1095 carbon, Aus -6
and so on. With Bg-42, Vg-10 leading the way for premium steels.
Ats- 34 would be on the very bottom of any my list. The rest of the steels
available would reflect the owers abilitiy to make the best use of the qualities
of the steel.

[Joe Talmadge]

My fave for a light-use, inexpensive blade these days is 8A (AUS-8). It takes an incredibly sharp edge, and is easy to sharpen. It won't hold that edge forever, but if you want forever-edge-holding, you have to give up ease-of-sharpening.

Joe

[James Y]

My own favorite for everyday use with relative ease of resharpening, good, sharp edge, and corrosion resistance is 440C. Then probably AUS-8, AUS-6, 440-A, even 420HC if done right is not bad. These are for the easy-to-maintain steels.

IMO, of these steels, 440C is the beginning of what could be considered the upper-end steels, and probably combines some of the best attributes of the mid-range steels with those of &quot;higher-end&quot; steels. Of course, I'm no expert, this is only my own observation...<img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

Jim

[Knife Knut]

Oh man Rookie, have you opened up a can of worms.

Don't own enough knives yet to have proven oppinion on main topic.... So here is some theory you might find helpful.

It depends on blade geometry/size, edge type/geometry, and definition of light use.
Also, keep in mind that any steel can be sharpened to the highest standards (hair popping, paper cutting, styrofoam shavings, etc).




Knife Knut on a shoestring budget.

[Rookie]

Knife Knut, I only have one spydie, a Rookie. I do have other knives but they just dont get the job done like a spyderco. I'm looking to buy a

Dragonfly
Calypso Jr.
Almite Navigator

Which one would be the best for things like cutting open boxes, and things like that? I don't have a lot of cash to throw around so I must choose wisely out of the above(or something else if someone can convince me). Thanks.

In the land of knives, Spyderco is king.

Edited by - Rookie on 12/15/2001 9:07:32 AM

[yog]

Hi Rookie.
If it is very light use (paper, string, letters) any of the above are good. I would also throw in AUS-6, which on my SS Delica makes a very sharp letter opener, but not so good for pruning out in the garden.

In your last post you mentioned opening cardboard boxes. The best box opener I have found by far is the Harpy. The needle tip just sinks right in, the serrations make light work of even the thickest cardboard, and the curved blade holds in the cut very well.

Surprisingly cardboard is quite abrasive, some even use it for stropping their blades. If you are likely to be cutting a lot of cardboard I would recommend a higher grade of steel. VG-10 is a very good all arounder, very tough but not as hard to sharpen as some.

"Walk softly, but carry a big stick."

[Tightwad]

Rookie, Of the three knives you picked the hands down winner would
be the Calypso jr. For about $40.00 +/- you get premium Vg-10 steel,
flat grind ergonomicly correct blade and handle. The calypso has been
dropped from the spyderco line ,but you can still find them. Buy one
and I'd bet it will be your favorite do it all knife. The Vg-10 while hard
will sharpen fairly easy which is why a lot of folks are getting to like
it alot.

[ruxton]

VG-10 - its the best!
: ) <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>
: P <img src="tongue.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>
; ) <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>
: ( <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>
MAT

Edited by - ruxton on 12/15/2001 6:48:35 PM

[tique]

The Calypso Jr. lwt is probably the best bang for your buck out there. If you want a good knife on a tight budget, that is my recommendation. VG-10 is pretty good stuff, but you have probably gathered that from the above statements.

That said, the Delica and Endura are coming out in VG-10. While they may lack the full flat grind of the Calypso Jr, they are still excellent cutting instruments. You might want to take a look at them, especially if you wish to get something a bit larger than the Calypso.

On some of the higher end production stuff, you'll find ATS-34/154CM blades. This is also an excellent steel, and not all that hard to sharpen and take care of.