Thread: Knife steels I have known...

Knife steels I have known, based on dozens of knives used on many hundreds of mainly deer and Tahr. In descending order (I have included approx. price range in NZD landed). Just my own home spun wisdom and experience. Guidelines, not rules.

Way above average: can slice A4 copy paper without any feathering after dressing and boning a whole deer in the field. I’m certain it could do several.

Bark River Elmax ($300)

Above average: can slice A4 copy paper, but some feathering

Bark River 3V ($275)
Bark River S35VN ($250)
Chris Reeves S35VN ($250)
Bark River CPM D2 ($250)
Enzo 690co ($200)

Average: cuts A4 copy paper but roughly

Bark River A2 (59-60RC) ($270)
Boker 695 ($150)
Bark River A2 (58-60RC) ($250)
Custom Brown NZ 12c27 ($200)
Adventure Sworn O1 ($250)
Enzo D2 (chippy, bugger of a steel) ($150)

Below average: bruises A4 copy paper more than it cuts it (but these mainly carbon steels can be quickly restored with a steel while on the job - I don’t have the patience or inclination nowadays)

Bahco & Mora Stainless ($50-$75)
Blackjack 1095 ($150)
Chap who used to sell knives on here L6 ($150)
Svord carbon steel ($170)
ANZA (USA, made from Wiltshire files) ($150)
Cold Steel 1095 ($140)
Green River carbon ($80)
Victorinox stainless and such like ($80)
Silver Stag Damascus ($200)
Opinal carbon ($50)
Mercator carbon ($50)
Ko-hi-nor carbon ($50)

Shocker:

Beretta 440A ($150)

Do you rate the Elmax enough to warrant buying it over cpm3v? or is it close enough in quality.

Fussy prick

I'd have a spoon over what I had to use last weekend

Good info, thanks for that.

Originally Posted by oneshot

Do you rate the Elmax enough to warrant buying it over cpm3v? or is it close enough in quality.

3V is tougher so can take more punishment. Also Elmax comes in thinner stock so the blades are thinner than 3V. I would go 3V.
Come around here and grab one for a while to try.

Remember that these blades are mostly convex (same as Svord’s profile) and the steels are pretty hard, so they take a bit of sharpening. The best approach is to keep them sharp through a light strop up on leather and compound every deer or so.

Originally Posted by Toby

Fussy prick

I'd have a spoon over what I had to use last weekend

You didn't have a knife


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Originally Posted by BRADS

You didn't have a knife


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The worst knife in the world would have brought a smile to my face that day haha. Oh well a staple and a good amount of time and elbow grease gets shit done

Great information thanks tahr

I have a pos so def looking to get one of the many you recommend as a replacement in due course

pic of the elmax one, and if the steel is so good, how/what do you sharpen it with?

and also how is this a fair test ie, same butchering methods? as sometimes you might have to cut through a tough skin and the head of a stag say, other times just getting through the skin and ball joints , different animals, deer tahr etc. from my experience its not really slashing through meat that ruins the knife but more getting through skin or the blade touching bone etc

if all these wonder steels are so fantastic why aren't commercial butchers using them ( apart from extra knife cost due to more expensive steel, heat treatment techniques etc) as all tradesmen know good tools are worth the price tag

The top one is a Bark River, Fox River model in Elmax. Ummm, $350 landed here...ouch. Rosewood burl handle.
Bottom one I didn’t mention. Bark River Gameskeeper in 4V. A new steel about the same as 3V.



AAhhh, the one on the right is another Fox River in Elmax, and the one on the left is a Bark River Highlander in CPMD2 (a great knife and steel combo).

Originally Posted by scoped

pic of the elmax one, and if the steel is so good, how/what do you sharpen it with?

You could do a few deer with it straight out of the box.
I use a leather strop and some stuff called CBN compound. No trouble.

Originally Posted by Tahr

You could do a few deer with it straight out of the box.
I use a leather strop and some stuff called CBN compound. No trouble.

Do you eventually end up with a convex edge using the strop or do you stone as well?

Butchers need a blade they can sharpen in seconds on a steel, they don't have the time to spend on stones and strops, a mate of mine used to be a commercial fish processor, they would go through a lot of knives through sharpening and wearing them down, but when your working to a tally system a few quick swipes on a steel is what was preferred.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Do you eventually end up with a convex edge using the strop or do you stone as well?

They are ground at the factory with the convex profile.
I only use a water stone if the factory edge has a micro bevel (they sometimes need to be knocked back a bit0 or if an edge needs to be restored.

Another average steel that I forgot was 50-100. Its the best of the carbon steels in my experience. My one is a Hess. About $150 from the States. Flat ground, and I have put a micro convex edge on it with water stones (1000 & 4000 grit)

Originally Posted by oneshot

Butchers need a blade they can sharpen in seconds on a steel, they don't have the time to spend on stones and strops, a mate of mine used to be a commercial fish processor, they would go through a lot of knives through sharpening and wearing them down, but when your working to a tally system a few quick swipes on a steel is what was preferred.

Yeah, I agree.

I was a shepherd and then a farmer for 25 years. I never had flash knives. A Green River and a steel did the job, and I went through them pretty quickly, but where’s the fun in that?