>>2676183>What do I look for, when buying a """quality""" knife?1/3
Start here
https://knifesteelnerds.com/2021/10/19/knife-steels-rated-by-a-metallurgist-toughness-edge-retention-and-corrosion-resistance/Most relevant info are the 3 charts that show toughness in relation to hardness of the various steels
The charts don't contain every steel available, and some that aren't made by virtually anyone, but they're a great starting point for understanding where most steels lie in terms of performance
The first thing you have to ask yourself is what are you prioritizing, ability to hold an edge, toughness, or corrosion resistance
Most of the time you can pick 2 of those and throw the 3rd out the window
Want the ultimate in edge retention that's stainless, go with M398, just don't expect to baton anything with it
Want something you can beat on and is stainless, get AEB-L, just don't expect it to hold an edge forever
Look at the toughness charts and the Catra (edge retention) test and you'll see what I mean
Tough as shit, holds an edge ok, but will rust if you stare at it too long, S7
There are a rare handful of steels, and proprietary heat treats for those steels, that you can sort of have all 3
There are some knife makers that are hype, but what you should be paying for in a knife isn't just the steel, it's the attention to detail in heat treat
Most knife makers can't get the basic bitch steel manufacturer recommended heat treat right
Going beyond that most of these steels were not developed for knives, they were developed for other industrial uses and knife makers picked up that they had good properties for knife making
A good knife maker will see the deficiencies in the standard recommended heat treat and make adjustments to it for the application
Chief among these are Carothers Performance Knives, Busse (and sister company Swamp Rat), Gossman, Survive!, TRC, and a handful of other knifemakers
