Fixed blade knife steel: 440C or 1095 HC ?

[PlanoDano]

Not to hijack but, since you mentioned it, what oil? I have been using rem-oil. Anyone here an expert?

[Arrowsmith]

1095 with a coated blade. Best of both worlds. Esee-3

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[ItsLeo]

Imo 1095 will take a keener edge, and 440c won’t rust.

Truth is, they are both only as good as the heat treatment. Forged 1095 with huge grain quenched in slow oil will suck. Forged and normalized 1095 quenched in Parks is less likely to suck.

For 440c, your retained austentite percentage will greatly impact edge holding and toughness, regardless of RC hardness.


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^This

Heat treat makes a significant difference! Lots of folks think that hardness reveals the nature of the heat treat and tempering. It doesn't. Besides edge holding, your corrosion resistance can be dramatically influenced by the quality of heat treatment. AUS 8 steel is especially vulnerable to this.

[Outback]

I have some 1095 and they do sharpen well but don't hold an edge for long and will rust if not kept oiled. I also have some knives I made from SS blades using 440 cryo-treated knife blades. They sharpen well and hold a great edge. 440 SS cryo treated. My best success is with Chops knives both sharpening and holding an edge. I think they are CPM 54.

[Mission408]

Purchased an s30v knife and will never own anything else!

[sierracharlie338]

Purchased an s30v knife and will never own anything else!

S30v is a super steel and not even remotely comparable to the two the OP listed (it’s leaps and bounds better). Only downside is it can be a pain to resharpen when the time comes.


Sierracharlie out…