There are many factors you may want to consider when looking for a knife. Making sure you have the correct blade steel for the types of projects you will be working on is one of the most important factors. Below we have listed several blade materials and information about each.
Carbon Steel Blades– Carbon Steel is best when looking for durability. Machetes and survival knives are commonly made from carbon steel because of the sharp edge and ability to withstand rough and tough use! Carbon steel is easy to sharpen; however, it has a low chromium content making it more prone to corrosion. Buy Carbon Steel Blades
Ceramic Blades– Ceramic blades are an excellent option for those who do a lot of work in the kitchen and don’t want to mess around with the sharpening requirements of metal blades. Ceramic blades are brittle, so they are best used for tasks such as dicing fruits and vegetables. They are lightweight, affordable, very sharp, and stain resistant. Buy Ceramic Blades
Damascus Steel Blades– Damascus steel is durable, exceptionally sharp, and can retain a sharp edge for a long period of time. It is a combination of hard and soft steels, giving it a great edge and cutting power. Additionally, Damascus steel has distinctive patterning making these blades much more aesthetically appealing! Damascus steel is often used for swords, hunting knives, and kitchen knives. Buy Damascus Steel Blades
Spring Steel Blades– Spring steel is as tough as it comes and is good for hard use. It keeps a good edge and is fairly easy to sharpen back up. However, be careful to keep spring steel dry as it rusts easily. Buy Spring Steel Blades
Stainless Steel Blades– Stainless steel is the most popular choice for EDC knives. Stainless steel has to be at least 13% chromium which makes it the better choice for corrosion resistance, but that ultimately takes away from the blade toughness. Buy Stainless Steel Blades
Titanium Blades– Titanium is a very tough and hard metal that is extremely scratch resistant in addition to being corrosion and rust resistant! It is lightweight, making it a good candidate for EDC. The downside of a titanium blade is that it is quite difficult for manufacturers to work with and sharpen, often making it a more costly option. Buy Titanium Blades
Tool Steel Blades– Tool steel contains tungsten, molybdenum, cobalt, and vanadium to increase its heat resistance and durability. Tool steel is known to have good wear resistance and hardness. Buy Tool Steel Blades
1055 Steel Blades– 1055 is a tough carbon steel often used in machetes and survival knives. Buy 1055 Steel Blades
1075 Steel Blades– 1075 steel is very easy to sharpen and holds its edge well. It is very durable, but prone to corrosion. Buy 1075 Steel Blades
1095 Steel Blades– The most popular of the 10-series carbon steel, 1095 is extremely tough. Its inexpensive, easy to sharpen, and great for survival knives that are really going to be put to the test. Buy 1095 Steel Blades
154CM Steel Blades– Used in a lot of quality pocket knives, this is a good, well-rounded steel. Nice edge retention and corrosion resistance, and also sharpens easily. Buy 154CM Steel Blades
3G Steel Blades– 3G steel offers a blade that is very strong and keeps an edge extremely well. It is not as easy to sharpen, but it stays sharp longer than some other steels. Buy 3G Steel Blades
420 Steel Blades– Not as high in quality as many other steels, 420 steel has a low carbon content which makes a softer but more flexible blade. It is a good choice for an affordable, stain resistant knife. Buy 420 Steel Blades
440 Steel Blades– 440 steel is an affordable steel that has high levels of carbon and chromium. It is quite often used for pocket knives. It is a fair choice for wear resistance and corrosion resistance. Sharpens easily. Buy 440 Steel Blades
5160 Spring Steel Blades– Spring Steel is commonly used in large knives. It’s known for its toughness and wear resistance, but has a tendency to rust easily. Buy 5160 Spring Steel Blades
A2 Tool Steel Blades– A2 Tool steel is very tough, but has a tendency to rust easily. Buy A2 Tool Steel Blades
AUS-8 Steel Blades– Very easy to sharpen and has a super sharp edge, AUS-8 is fairly tough but isn’t as hard as some other steels, so the edge retention lacks a bit. Buy AUS-8 Steel Blades
CPM-154 Steel Blades– CPM-154 is a stainless steel high in carbon, chromium, and molybdenum giving it great edge retention, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and toughness. However, it is difficult to sharpen. Buy CPM-154 Steel Blades
CPM-20CV Steel Blades– CPM-20CV is a powder metallurgy tool steel. With that, you get great edge retention and corrosion resistance! Buy CPM-20CV Steel Blades
CPM-3V Steel Blades– CPM-3V steel is a great stable and tough steel. It’s strong and will stay sharper, longer. Buy CPM-3V Steel Blades
CPM-S90V Steel Blades– CPM S90V has a very high carbon content and large quantities of vanadium. These blades are high up on the hardness scale making them hard to sharpen but able to retain sharpness for a long period of time, holding an edge like none other! CPM S90V makes a great candidate for outdoor use. Buy CPM-S90V Steel Blades
CTS-204P Steel Blades– CTS-204P has a great balance of hardness, wear and corrosion resistance, and toughness. It is a hard steel making it more difficult to sharpen, but it is stainless and holds up well to wear and tear, making it a great choice for EDC. Buy CTS-204P Steel Blades
CTS-BD1 Steel Blades– CTS-BD1 is vacuum-melted stainless steel. It has good corrosion resistance and a nice edge. This steel sort of falls right in the middle of the scale for all factors in performance. Buy CTS-BD1 Steel Blades
CTS-XHP Steel Blades– This is a powder metallurgy steel with a very fine powder grain giving it great edge retention and corrosion resistance. It has high hardness making it more difficult to sharpen. Buy CTS-XHP Steel Blades
D2 Tool Steel Blades– D2 tool steel falls just short of 13% chromium so it doesn’t quite qualify as a stainless steel. It is harder than some other tool steels so it holds its edge better, but is quite difficult to sharpen. Buy D2 Tool Steel Blades
Damasteel Blades– Damasteel has the same beauty that Damascus steel has. However, the patterning of Damasteel has somewhat of a different look. Like Damascus, Damasteel is known for its strength and durability. It is considered to be superior when looking for high-performance Damascus or stainless quality. Buy Damasteel Blades
Elmax Steel Blades– One of the best knife steels around. Elmax is a high chromium, vanadium, molybdenum steel. It is considered stainless steel, but acts like carbon steel. The best of both worlds, with Elmax you get great edge retention and corrosion resistance, easier sharpening and better resistance to rust! Buy Elmax Steel Blades
H1 Steel Blades– Considered one of the best in rust and corrosion resistance, H1 steel blades are the ultimate stainless steel. That being said, the edge retention lacks making it less ideal for everyday use. Buy H1 Steel Blades
LC200N Tool Steel Blades– LC200N is said to have the best attributes of all steel. It has a medium high hardness making it extra tough and chip resistant. It’s the best of the best in corrosion resistance, and is very easy to sharpen. Checking all the boxes, LC200N Steel is the one to watch. Buy LC200N Tool Steel Blades
M390 Steel Blades– M390 is one of the best new steels available. Using chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, and tungsten, M390 is an excellent choice for corrosion resistance, sharpness, and edge retention. It has a very high hardness which makes it great to stand up to the rough and tough, but harder to sharpen. This steel is called “microclean” meaning it can be polished to achieve a mirror finish. Buy M390 Steel Blades
N690 Steel Blades– N690 is a stainless steel with chromium and vanadium for great corrosion resistance and edge retention. Including cobalt and carbon, N690 steel is also high on the hardness scale. Buy N690 Steel Blades
N695 Steel Blades– N695 is a Stainless steel used in many different survival knives and fixed blades. It’s a harder steel, making sharpening harder, but these blades will maintain a sharp edge much longer. Buy N695 Steel Blades
O1 Tool Steel Blades– O1 tool steel is extremely tough and has a nice edge retention, but lacks in corrosion resistance. If you’re looking for an extra tough blade, O1 is an excellent choice. Buy O1 Tool Steel Blades
S110V Steel Blades– Higher on the hardness scale, these blades are more resistant to corrosion, and keep a sharp edge longer. That being said, these blades are more difficult to sharpen because of the hardness of the steel. These are great for outdoor use! Buy S110V Steel Blades
S30V Steel Blades– S30V is known for its great combination of hardness and edge retention. This steel is tough and commonly used in premium pocket knives and kitchen knives. Buy S30V Steel Blades
S35VN Steel Blades– A slightly improved version of the S30V, S35VN has a finer grain and small amounts of niobium. The niobium makes it easier for knife manufacturers to work with. These tweaks improved the steel’s overall toughness and the ease of sharpening. Buy S35VN Steel Blades
San Mai Blades– San Mai steel is made with a harder steel for the core and softer steel for the edges that is more pliable. The harder steel gives a sharp edge, while the more pliable steel gives it shock resistance and makes it less likely to break. Buy San Mai Blades
Sandvik Steel Blades– Sandvik steel blades are budget friendly. Found on the middle of the scale for edge retention, toughness, corrosion resistance, and ease of sharpening, Sandvik steel blades are a good option for a starter knife. Buy Sandvik Steel Blades
Sleipner Steel Blades– Sleipner Steel is a high chromium carbon tool steel that makes a tough, rust resistant and wear resistant knife blade. It can be fairly difficult to sharpen. Buy Sleipner Steel Blades
Solingen Steel Blades– Solingen Steel is named after the city in which it started, Solingen, Germany, often referred to as “the City of Blades.” Around for centuries, Solingen steel has been known for blade making. In the 1960’s, Germany was responsible for 60% of the worlds cutlery, and 70% of that was produced in Solingen! Buy Solingen Steel Blades
VG-10 Steel Blades– VG-10 has more chromium for better corrosion resistance and also contains vanadium making it a solid, tough steel. VG-10 can get extremely sharp! Buy VG-10 Steel Blades
With this information about each of the popular blade materials, can you decide which is best for you? Here you can Shop by Blade Steel.
