Which steel would you prefer?

Polynikes

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I'm not really a blade steel aficionado and most of my knives are in s30v kind of by coincidence...
However I have my eye on a couple ZTs and I'm having trouble deciding between a 0620cf in CTS-204P, and a 0630cf in M390...
I kind of like the lines of the 0620 blade better but I like the handle of the 0630 better...
So I'm trying to educate myself on blade steel.
Anyone have experience with both? What do you prefer? Why? How's the corrosion resistance?
Thanks in advance fellas.
 

tex.proud

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I don't own a knife in CTS-204P, but the Bohler M390 is a favorite of mine. Highly corrosion resistant, keeps an edge, not difficult to sharpen, and takes a very sharp edge. I EDC my Sebenza in S35VN or my Bradford Guardian 3 fixed blade in M390. These two get used far beyond any other knife/knife steel that I have.

From what I understand M390 is a Swedish steel from Bohler-Uddeholm, and CTS-204P is the U.S. equivalent from Carpenter Technology. Both are powder steels with very similar makup. With the steels being very similar maybe choose by aesthetics, or the fact that one is U.S. made.

There's a great app for smart phones that can tell you a bit about steel composition. It's called Knife Steel Compositions

Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=zvisoft.stlchmob&hl=en

Apple - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/knife-steel-composition-chart/id498892262?mt=8
 
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bykfixer

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Why is this in the flashlight discussion area and not the knives area?

My pop always told me to avoid surgical stainless saying it won't hold an edge. I said "pop, how am I supposed to learn to add/keep a proper edge without practice?" He said "good point" and handed me his fathers sharpening stone. Thanks to that it no longer matters to me what the blade is made of as years of practice has paid off.
 

Polynikes

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As for the wrong placement of the thread that's my bad, thought I selected knives.

bykfixer
I can sharpen a knife to hair shaving sharp without much trouble... but I use my knives for work and I don't have time to sharpen my knife while I'm in the middle of mending a basketball size hole in the shrimp net... (I'm a commercial fisherman)
For EDC purposes, I really don't care what the blade steel is...
 

Woods Walker

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Overall proper heat treat is just as important as the steel so the knife maker is very important. I am really liking CPM3v as did a blank and it's really good. But like O1, 1095 and yes even SS such as 12c27.
 

xxo

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If you are working around salt water, you will likely loose sharpness faster from corrosion than from wear. I would suggest H1, it won't rust at all and with a serrated edge it will out perform the "super steels" in edge holding including serrated ZDP189. Serrated H1 is easy to sharpen with a sharpmaker or one of those little dog bone ceramic sharpeners. A serrated edge is not the best for everything but it works great for rope/line. In plain edge, H1 is more like 12c27......easy to sharpen with OK edge holding but nothing to write home about.
 

Polynikes

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If you are working around salt water, you will likely loose sharpness faster from corrosion than from wear.
...
Serrated H1 is easy to sharpen with a sharpmaker or one of those little dog bone ceramic sharpeners. A serrated edge is not the best for everything but it works great for rope/line.
...

I have an H1 blade I keep it on me when I'm at sea... and yes serrations work great on larger diameter line, but for 5/8s and 7/16s crab rope (usually the rope I'm cutting aside from small twine that nets are made from) I can push cut it with a properly sharpened plain edge and prefer plain edge enough to where I won't buy a serrated blade... as for corrosion, I don't neglect my knives so none of my knives are corroded at all... I'm more of a "knife guy" than a "light guy" to be honest... I spend more time on bladeforums than on CPF
 

xxo

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If you look at an edge that's made contact with salt water under a microscope, you can see globs of microscopic rust that are dulling the edge; this happens quickly - long before there is any visible rust on the blade.

As far as my impressions of some of the steels I have used a lot VG10 is a good all around steel as is CPM S30V (slightly less corrosion resistant than VG10 in my experience but holds an edge slightly longer).

ZDP 189 has excellent edge holding, but not very rust resistant for stainless, can be a bear if you have to reprofile the edge (though not hard to sharpen if the edge is set to the right angle).

D2/CPM D2 very good edge holding, but rusts almost as easy as carbon steel.

BG42 sort of a cross between VG10 and S30V.

440C can be a good steel if given a good heat treat very good corrosion resistance, MBS 26 similar to 440C - very good rust resistance with good to very good edge holding, VG1 also similar to 440C & MBS 26, but not quite as corrosion resistant in my experience.


Truth be told edge/blade geometry are more important than blade steel, a blade with a thick edge/blade grind is not going to cut well no matter what steel it is.
 

roger-roger

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I worked as a commercial fisherman for a very brief period--longline and bottom fish--mostly for adventure. For a number of years I was partners in a small boat used mostly for hand line tuna (Bigeye, Yellowfin) for the sashimi market. Was also heavily involved with yacht racing for 30+ year.

The up shot is the Spyderco Delica generation 1 below in GIN 1 steel, has seen thousands of sea mile. Mostly inter-island, with at least one trip to San Fransisco. It was never used as a day in, day out work knife, but mostly as a constantly worn emergency cutting implement. I saw about a month ago a NOS Gen 1 half serrated Delica go for less than $60. Still knocking my head on the wall over letting that one go.

 

KITROBASKIN

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Spyderco Salt Series with H1 steel. There is another steel lacking corrosion that Spyderco (and others?) are offering. One is the (UPCOMING) Caribbean Salt, I believe, from Spyderco.
 
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Polynikes

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I worked as a commercial fisherman for a very brief period--longline and bottom fish--mostly for adventure. For a number of years I was partners in a small boat used mostly for hand line tuna (Bigeye, Yellowfin) for the sashimi market. Was also heavily involved with yacht racing for 30+ year.

...
I've never long lined, just whiting aka hake (artificial crab meat), bottom fish, dungeoness crab, and pink shrimp. Been fishing for 6 years plus the summers while I was 16 and 17... I'm learning to captain. It's always been the plan, my dad bought the boat a week after I was born (I'm 24) but he's been a captain for 35 years.

67' long 24' wide. We're going to add 10 feet in length next year if all goes as planned.
F\V Jeanette Marrie
63cbe6817c038674d49e18403a15248a.jpg

This is just prior to the current crab season. We've got 500 pots on board, ready to throw them off.
 

Polynikes

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Spyderco Salt Series with H1 steel. There is another steel lacking corrosion that Spyderco (and others?) are offering. One is the (UPCOMING) Caribbean Salt, I believe, from Spyderco.

As I mentioned I have a Pacific Salt...
And the Caribbean Salt is wearing LC200N, not H1...
I'm not looking for the best salt water knife... I'm going to buy a new folder that will inevitably be used while we're in port mending nets and doing other maintenance on the boat...
 

roger-roger

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I've never long lined, just whiting aka hake (artificial crab meat), bottom fish, dungeoness crab, and pink shrimp. Been fishing for 6 years plus the summers while I was 16 and 17... I'm learning to captain. It's always been the plan, my dad bought the boat a week after I was born (I'm 24) but he's been a captain for 35 years.

67' long 24' wide. We're going to add 10 feet in length next year if all goes as planned.
F\V Jeanette Marrie
63cbe6817c038674d49e18403a15248a.jpg

This is just prior to the current crab season. We've got 500 pots on board, ready to throw them off.


Nice boat and good luck on attaining your license. Sure wish the boat we used to bottom fish Lisianski Island 900mi NW of Honolulu was as nice.

We used to do up to two night trips out to 30mi+ on a 27' boat, sleeping in the afternoon, using handline techniques that go back to the ancient Hawaiian fisherman in his outrigger canoe. We were whats called here semi-commercial fisherman. Construction workers by trade, we loved the layoffs so we could get back on the water.

(Sorry for taking this off subject.)
 

redvalkyrie

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I'm rather partial to VG10. I have knives in S35vn, S30, S110, 154, BD1, 440c, etc.

VG10 just takes an edge so well.
 

Polynikes

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Nice boat and good luck on attaining your license. Sure wish the boat we used to bottom fish Lisianski Island 900mi NW of Honolulu was as nice.

We used to do up to two night trips out to 30mi+ on a 27' boat, sleeping in the afternoon, using handline techniques that go back to the ancient Hawaiian fisherman in his outrigger canoe. We were whats called here semi-commercial fisherman. Construction workers by trade, we loved the layoffs so we could get back on the water.

(Sorry for taking this off subject.)

I've been at sea for 15 days and nights crabbing, but dragging the longest is closer to 7 or 8 days. The boat was built in '88 to joint venture (catch rock fish for the russians) but they put a stop to that a well before I was fishing. It wasn't uncommon for my dad to be gone for over a month.
We all love the sea, can't see myself doing anything else... definitely seen some things most people won't ever see, but it's not for everyone.
If you've seen Deadliest Catch Dungeons Cove, we were going to buy the Galway Bay, but the owner before the current owner backed out and then changed his mind. We said no, and a friend of ours bought it. That show is a joke though by the way, we turned discovery down when they asked us to be on it. Couldn't believe when I found out the Rutherford's agreed to it.
As for taking it off topic, I already purchased the knife so... it's no biggie lol
I like talking about fishing anyway, plus your experience sounds pretty interesting. Never been anywhere near Hawaii let alone fished there.
 

KITROBASKIN

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You, Polynikes, are a great resource for informing us on what steel performs: There is No substitute for experience in hard-use circumstances. And while some of us would like to hear how the LC200N on a Spyderco endures, any feedback on what you are using is most welcome. Keep this thread alive and feel free to go off-topic (fishing and such things related to your experience) on what interests you, the thread originator. (hoping that the moderators are amenable)
 
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