Top 10 Toughest Knife Steels Explained + MY TOP 5 Favorite

[@velvetine74]

Jared, your experience and confidence when speaking about things like this is great. I learned something new today about grits and angles in relation to the steels you talked about. Thanks man.

[@NeevesKnives]

👊

[@timtitus2532]

3V is absolutely everything you are saying, my Bailout is in 3V, I tested it on my arm hair and it wouldn't shave, ran it on the kitchen steel 2 swipes each side and it was back to hair popping sharp. Really good video, Jerad, and thanks to your better half, I haven't seen her in a bit.

[@NeevesKnives]

Grab yourself a Ceramic rod it works incredibly well. With very little effort

[@timtitus2532]

@NeevesKnives I have that as well and will use it when the steel isn't doing the trick.

[@jimhontz7313]

Great video for two reasons. 1. Great steel info. 2. We got to see Mrs Neeves. In fact I'd rank her as the number 1 reason why I liked the video. 💯💯💯😅😅😅

[@jkn2k]

Take s coffee man!! Greetings from Mexico ! This was an awesome video man , BANG !!

[@NeevesKnives]

Hey man thanks for the support I greatly appreciate you 🙏

[@Sway1177]

Just wanted to say thank you for your sharpening vids and content. Took me a while but I can finally free hand sharpen with vertical passes and my off hand thumb supporting the spine of the blade.

[@NeevesKnives]

That's amazing man good for you keep it up, i have some great sharpening and steel videos otw

[@ministrychannelsa4216]

A South African knife maker with the name of George Britz (Britz Knives) has developed a hardening process to give 52100 an unbelievable edge retention.

[@gjkymsafishing45]

That is true, Britz Knives is one of the best knife makers in South Africa, and the craftsmanship that he puts into his knives is amazing.

[@gatsbysgarage8389]

Has he shared his method?

[@pitdawg6418]

​@@gatsbysgarage8389why should he share his methods? It's HIS to keep and make money off of, NOT to give away so everyone like you can steal his methods and claim is yours and make money off of. You just want it handed to you and spoon fed into your mouth so you don't have to do anything to try by trial and error and time and money invested.

[@SuperSteelSteve]

I'm sure the man makes a great knife, but unfortunately for him we are all limited by physics and chemistry There is only so much alloying elements and only so much hardness every steel has given its composition. There is nothing he does that isn't being done or hasn't been done. I'd be more than happy to do a head to head competition with him using 52100. I can show you my exact heat treat while doing it. Every now and then makers come out and claim they have some secret to make a simple carbon steel amazing. AEBL will out cut and be tougher than 52100 at any hardness with any heat treat so no need to try amd make 52100 any better than it already is anyway. It's also nearly the same price

[@ministrychannelsa4216]

@@SuperSteelSteve right you are. Still, Buck hardens their 420c better than other companies. There are those people that just manage to do a better job.

[@emesser7087]

Thank you very much for all the work and effort you put into your videos. And thank you for sharing. Also props to your wife to support you. You're one of my top 3 knive channels

[@NeevesKnives]

I appreciate that! 👊

[@schizophrenic_AI]

@@NeevesKnives I second that comment but I got lost scrolling through the links in description, and was wondering if you have a link to the infographs that you reference re: ratings? I respect and appreciate people who reference verified data (salute for taking the time) bc that’s the kind of stuff that interests me but I couldn’t find the link. I like to be able to check primary or secondary sources and see how the data is compiled and tested for accuracy. Appreciate the help and thanks for the good video.

[@bobrutledge54]

Very informative video. Thanks, Jared!

[@ProjeKt_Mayhem]

Hell yes for this video!! Literally everyone with questions about steel(s) should watch

[@elde667]

Excellent! Plus it’s great to see Kara again. Terrific vid y’all.

[@Barleh]

i havent watch the video yet, but i had to drop a shoutout for my beloved k390

[@mikepersia5362]

5160 for large fixed blades and 14c28n for small blades. Edge retention isn’t great but they don’t take long to throw a new edge on when necessary. I also like 3V and 52100.

[@wizardofahhhs759]

I love CPM S45VN, gets incredibly sharp and stays sharp forever.

[@SkunkPunch73]

As always you have done a fantastic job with this upload Jerad really interesting getting your insights into how you personally view the steals. Nice to see Kara making an appearance on a none live video ( even if it has brought out some of the oddballs in chat😂) that number 4 card shot nearly took her head off!! I can just imagine you laughing in the background. As always hope you two are staying safe and healthy and hope you have a cracking weekend ahead 🫵🏻😘👍🏼

[@tomt5745]

14c history of being made for razor blades makes it even more amazing.

[@tomt5745]

Love my 14c28n blades. Not expensive, and handle quite a bit of stress whithout chipping, even with a quite slender edge geometry. Strop it on my jeans when needed :)

[@RABBIT-EDC]

Neeves thanks for all the info. None of the other reviewers fill us in.

[@aussiehardwood6196]

I've got some fancy artisan hand made Japanese kitchen cutlery. But I've also split all my kindling for 10 years with a $10 Taiwan made hatchet. I'm on my 3rd handle.

[@the_knights_edge]

Always enjoy a Neeves steel video! 🙌🍻

[@KnifeLife116]

Very cool & extremly informative 🤙🏻🔪

[@johnharris1846]

thanks Jared, always learn a lot from you.

[@gatsbysgarage8389]

I recently had the chance to make a magnacut knife for the first time and it was impressive to say the least, although for some reason it loved to snap my drill bits, even fully annealed and on a drill press. After the heat treat I was using it as a template to drill the pin holes and the bit snagged and sent the knife, wood, and vise edge first into the drill press stand, basically just a ~2.5” steel pipe. Not even a scratch. The blade was dull which definitely helped but still

[@jeffderenzo1500]

s45vn and edge retention s90v is my choice.....good stuff..

[@windowbreezes]

I wish LC200N and Vanax had more knives available.

[@chrisdubois7688]

I like my salt

[@allthingsfighting4518]

Kizer drop bear titanium has LC200N and I love it.

[@chrisdubois7688]

@@allthingsfighting4518 damn

[@matthewkuhl79]

i see Vanax, i buy it

[@christopherr1711]

I agree man I think Vanax is superior to MagnaCut but it’s so hard to find

[@AzongLee85]

Thanks a lot for the information! I learned a lot from you! You’re very good at what you do!

[@henryg683]

Thanks for sharing this information with us and I’m sure it’ll be useful to look back on if I need to know anything about the steel game on the knives!!! It was great to see your lovely assistant in this video and miss seeing her in the videos!!! Take care Jared and Kara and I’ll see you guys in the next video or live show!!!!

[@1964krazyeric]

Great video! I would love to see more like this. I know everyone has different things concerning steel based on how they use their knives. For me, edge retention and corrosion resistance are the most important. Toughness is up there, too, but i am a collector and do not abuse my knives. I hear many talk about ease of sharpening being important, but with modern knife sharpening systems, this seems less important for me.

[@mikafoxx2717]

Toughness is just one of the things you need enough of. Hardness and toughness means it resists rolling and blunting by force, and resists chipping. Means you can get a good thin edge and thinner edge have better edge retention. So a balance of the 3 adds up, pure tungsten carbide would be too obtuse for cutting most things to avoid chipping.

[@jammbbs1688]

I have my own design in 8670 and she's a beast

[@lymedog3176]

That Cold Steel SR1Lite in a clip point blade is literally one of toughest knives on the planet, especially as folders are concerned. I’d even compare it to a lot of fixed blades too!

[@jimmycricket7946]

80crv2 in the Finnish rokka pukka is 63hrc and done so nicely. It's still very tough steel because some parts of the blade are heat treated differently sort of like a laminate steel, I swear you'd think it's as good as 3V, I was absolutely blown away by it.

[@llamawizard]

That sounds like a great knife recipe and a good are for testing. What’s better, a tougher steel at higher HRC, or less tough steel at slightly lower HRC

[@acid6urns]

@@llamawizardtough steel at higher hrc will be a better choice all day. one of the steels mentioned in this video- cpm 4v (and it’s equivalent vanadis 4e) are both extremely tough steels but also extremely high hardness (typically around 63-64 hrc) and a combination of high toughness and high hardness equals to high edge stability, meaning it’s edge is resistant to rolling AND chipping, meaning it can take insanely low edge angles and be extremely resistant still.

[@mikeboyce21]

I love my benchmade bailout in 3v, nice and thin but very tough so it doesn't matter. I also have a swamprat free rein 12 in 3v and its hrc is 61-63 all my other 3v is 61 or less.. most at 58-60 and with that extra hrc it actually makes it keep an edge noticeably longer. And its still plenty tough.

[@CaseySackett]

Awesome video! thanks for explaining your opinion. I appreciate it!

[@BabyYeti-s4n]

3V with the right heat treatment is indestructible. Thomas of Angel Fire Knives Has THE BEST heat treatment for 3V.

[@silverfelix]

Great information 👍

[@bibigreen6533]

80CRV2 is a great steel for bushcraft... One of my favorites actually.

[@vaughnwesterby5162]

Hey, you are the expert but, I carry a Spyderco endela in K390 and it’s been great for all around EDC. I was surprised it didn’t make your list. Is there a problem with that steel in your opinion?

[@NeevesKnives]

Well this was about tough steels and K390 while being my favorite steel it's not a tough steel compared to tough steels. So it just couldn't make the list based on those rules

[@vaughnwesterby5162]

@@NeevesKnives got it thanks

[@brian041270]

Thanks for this video. Very informative.

[@tmille10]

Love an old school steel video J Rad! BANGGANG‼️ Spydercos 4v on the St. Nicks Manix Xl may be top of the pops 😮

[@clavididk1236]

I like k390 alotttt

[@Dreoilin]

Great video! Your choices are definitely well thought out. We are all knife fans here and love a variety of steels. For me it's all specific to operation. Wood, food, tactical, butchering, etc. Plus I think some fix blades serve me better in steels that don't work well for folders.

[@Jeremy-Two]

Brilliant video.

[@jatencio8362]

Heck yeah ! Thanks for the content bro. I would definitely carry the Odenwolf or keep it close by either on me or maybe in the bathroom by my shower 🗡

[@stanleyspurgeon5339]

I’m looking at your list of steels , where would 1095, 5160, fit in

[@danielduvall4154]

I love my CS Lawman in CTS-XHP It does everything I need it to.

[@jamellelangfordiii3586]

I have an LT Wright in AEBL and it is a razor.... I cut through a thick rubber/fabric pool side and it was literally a hot knife through butter feeling. I tried it again with almost no force and same effect.

[@JamesTaylor-fr4nt]

Very good video learned alot, thanks

[@RespectfullySubmitted]

Fantastic video, perhaps your best ever! If you make a similar video in the future, perhaps also discuss the general cost and weight of the steels, please.

[@robertfandel9442]

I don't really pry with my knives and not around salt water. I kinda just stick with what's affordable. Bos ats34 in a buck folder, Cpm154 in a couple folders, old coldsteel carbon V on a couple sheath knives. I keep them clean and lighting oiled.

[@robertfandel9442]

Lightly oiled. Have buck in 420 and never cared for them.

[@NeevesKnives]

Yeah most people don't need super tough steels especially on folders, however I've found that the steels that have a certain amount of Toughness and edge retention take the sharpest edges

[@mikafoxx2717]

​@@NeevesKnivesyou need the toughness to hold the fine geometry without chipping, so you do need a minimum amount. Hardness without toughness is brittle, and toughness without hardness is just ductile.

[@NeevesKnives]

@mikafoxx2717 I know it seems that's how it would work but hardness is what gives you the edge stability along with toughness, for it to stay sharp through cutting hardness is most important also sharpness, Toughness comes in when there's impact to the apex, how much can it withstand and strength is its ability to bend and come back to true

[@NeevesKnives]

@mikafoxx2717 then why do the best edge retention tests come from high hardness steels? And Some of the best steels that are most beloved are higher edge retention steels with good toughness? Both play a huge factor, geometry covers what you are referring to, if your edge is chipping from cutting do a higher edge angle or get a thicker blade

[@Donnie_JackWolfKnives]

Excellent video! Very educational 🔥

[@glenbalbin81]

So informative. Thanks!🤙

[@jufuh1503]

If i may suggest, nitro-v and aeb-l and 13c26 should have been together and 14C28N should have been in it's own class, since it has way better corrosion resistance and the other ones are almost the same on every levels.

[@acid6urns]

it has better edge retention but not WAY better. 14c28n does have a LOT more toughness than those steels though. all of those steels are amazing steels, but my issue is that most production companies don’t run them hard enough to get the best performance. nitro v is EXCELLENT if ran at 62-63 hrc, but most companies only go to 60 (kizer isbthe one exception, they go 61.5 for most of them) and 14c28n performs a lot better in edge retention at 61-62 hrc but most companies only go 59-60.

[@mikafoxx2717]

​@@acid6urns14c28n isn't tougher than 13c28 or AEB-L though?

[@malcolmholt2010]

I love it. Good to see these type

[@MFD00MTR33]

A steel i recommend you check out is CPR. Its kinda like a stainless non PM cruwear going of performance and composition. I have a custom fixed blade in it at 64-65hrc and it performs great. The maker (Mr. Akimdim) did tests with it and it's really tough with good edge retention. Its a hidden gem steel imo. I can send it to you if you want to check it out.

[@BDevi0us]

Recently bought a Demko/Cold Steel 3V ad10 with Titanium scales for $225. I don't edc big knives, but I love it in my truck just in case...

[@greekveteran2715]

52100 and Vanadis 4 Extra, are my favorite tough steels.

[@williamspangler9690]

Thanks!!! Most I've EVER learned about steels from ANY vid or Content creator!! Question: in talking about Cruwear, you said something like: "holds that sticky sticky sharpness for a very long time. not a very long working edge...once the stickiness goes away, the working edge quickly follows behind it". I'm not sure I understand the "working edge." Once the sticky sharpness falls, the working edge follows quickly. Could you clarify this "new concept" for me?

[@ashsmall8103]

vanadis 4 extra is certainly up there in the all time great steels

[@onyx550]

What do you think about nitro v steel on the drop bear? ❓

[@glockgaston2922]

Good video brother thanks for sharing 👊🏼

[@matthewkuhl79]

3V is the toughest steel i've used in a knife, but it's lower availability is troubling. i am always looking for a CruWear option in folders and fixed alike. i've never had to revisit bench stones with CruWear; it always just strops back. i found my Rex 45 Manix out-performs its M4 counterpart in every aspect.

[@ProWhiteAntiJew]

KZbin needs a comprehensive destructive knife and blade steel strength test.... using the prybar method! I've searched and there isn't one yet ;)

[@Cannons_N_Cutlery]

Great video. Awesome info.

[@MFD00MTR33]

One steel I'm interested in is cpm 9V. Its like cpm 10v but with high toughness. Though I hear it's not easy to heat treat to make it perform well. But that was a while ago and there's been advancements in HT protocols. Cpm 440v was thought to be a disappointment because it could only do well at 58hrc but not makers are running it at 62-63hrc and it's been doing great. I wonder if the same can be done with cpm 9V.

[@acid6urns]

i mean, 10v already has pretty good toughness for what it is. 8ish ft lbs (it will go up or down based on hardness obviously) is not bad at all for a super high edge retention steel, it’s about 50% tougher than steels like d2, m390, etc

[@MFD00MTR33]

@@acid6urns 9V is closer to 3V in toughness but with much higher wear resistance. Totally different league.

[@acid6urns]

@@MFD00MTR33 considering that even going from 3v to 4v sees an about 50% drop in toughness i can almost 100% guarantee you 9v doesn’t have anywhere CLOSE to the toughness of 3v.

[@acid6urns]

@@MFD00MTR33 looking at crucibles own website, cpm 9v has a charpy notch toughness of 5 ft lbs above d2 steel. and that’s at 57 hrc, it’s toughness is only going to get worse at working hardnesses of knives around 60 hrc.

[@MFD00MTR33]

@@acid6urns I'm going off what I remember seeing on the data sheet. Though I just looked at it now and that was comparing 9v at 54hrc and 3v at 58hrc. And it was about 25%-30% (3v was at 4 bars while 9v was just under 3 bars on the scale ) less. But similar wear resistance to 10v at 60hrc (4.5 bars vs 5 bars). For numbers it's 26lbs at 57 hrc, 36 to 47lbs (depending on HT protocol) at 56hrc. Look at it yourself.

[@christopherskipp1525]

Very helpful overview.

[@nunyab8394]

Thanks for another great video! This has been very helpful. Can you please tell me what site/s you get these rankings from. The graphs like at 1:59 and the bars like at 2:09

[@NeevesKnives]

Knife steel nerds and blade hq steel chart, the link to blade hq is in top of description

[@nunyab8394]

@@NeevesKnives Cool thanks Jarred.

[@kennymckown8603]

That's right bro , I was wondering 🤔 too about m390 ? Being used a lot on 200 dollar knives , myself is 20cv , from Florida waiting for the hurricane it's 🌀 heading straight where I live 😢

[@NeevesKnives]

God bless and good luck! Stay tough i hope all goes well for you

[@Obsidian-One]

I have a cruwear spyderco I put a 15dps edge and the other day it cut through something so easy i went through and hit the edge on a peace of eighth inch bar stock and it didn't care!? 😮

[@josephpardue6277]

I have several knives in Nitro-V including the Civivi Vision FG. Edge retention is less than impressive in any of them. I love M4, Cru-Wear and 3V. Magna Cut is very good but I like other blade steel better based on use case.

[@NeevesKnives]

If your comparing the edge retention to a premium steels yeah ofcourse it falls behind, Nitro V got like 300+ Feet of cardboard in a one inch section of blade before is started to hangup in paper, still sharp and only needed a light touch up. With the test I did on the vision

[@tomlevasseur8550]

I just bought my first knife in MagnaCut, a Benchmade 945. I got home, checked the mail and decided to swipe at some goldenrod that was growing up in front of my mailbox. I checked my factory edge blade after each cut. I got to a slightly woody stem and my blade was damaged. I couldn’t remove the thumb studs to sharpen on my TS prof and had to freehand to get the heel. I brought it to 16 degrees each side and sharpened to 1000 grit. It shaves hair easily. Any idea on why it was damaged and how the hell do I remove the thumb studs? Heat with a soldering iron on the thumb stud didn’t work.

[@alexolivarez732]

Is 440 the same thing as 440A? I would also love to hear your take on 7Cr17MoV.

[@ahmedejaz1125]

440c is different and much better than 440A

[@alexolivarez732]

@@ahmedejaz1125 so 440 is the same thing as 440A?

[@ahmedejaz1125]

@@alexolivarez732 440 is a series of steels, which includes 440A,b and c

[@alexolivarez732]

@@ahmedejaz1125 my knife just says 440 steel. That's why I ask. So I guess it would be 440A?

[@LiamRedmill]

What happened to rex 45,last year's steel I suppose,and just to confuse everything a little,which are CPM,,,,And which low corrosion steel mixe's best with the new black mirror DLC coating,because that companie's knife makes sense(who ever they may be....

[@NeevesKnives]

Rex 45 is amazing one of my favorites

[@acid6urns]

aside from actual plain carbon steels i have no issue w corrosion on any of my knives. rex45 doesn’t have amazing corrosion resistance but i live in NC where it’s hot and humid all day but no issues

[@atishch]

Great list! Will you do the one on sharpest?

[@stephan123321]

Great video, thanks! Stay sharp & Peace, Stephan

[@pmHondaSzybszaNizWyglada]

Nice video Jerad👍

[@codygreen2804]

Cutting that hair is absolutely insane. Ive cut hairs like that before but not by just touching the hair. My gawsh. I recently just got a 1"x30" belt sander and I cant find any belts for sharpening. Any suggestions on where to get high grit belts and what brand?

[@genedeem6862]

Great video

[@lonetrader1]

3v M4 Cruwear Magnacut 4v I am curious to where 80crv2 and s7 would rack up? But you can always get into the weeds when it comes to steel.... Vg10,h1,h2, zdp stuff, xhp,sus410, n690 n690 m390...., acx390?!? Crazy world of steel! 😅

[@MFD00MTR33]

What's acx390? There's k390, m390 and s390. And sus410 isn't a knife steel, it's used as a outside layer laminate for san mai.

[@shanejones849]

Love this content. Wish you would make a spread sheet for us with blade steels and best angles and grits to use.

[@NeevesKnives]

I do have a video on that

[@HolographNamedJames]

I work in a cold drawn steel mill. What grades would you like and what size?

[@NeevesKnives]

Cruwear at 66 hrc

[@HolographNamedJames]

We unfortunately don’t harden it. We just clean, coat, draw, and anneal. Our coils and bars come in raw.

[@bigbluemsp]

I remember the first run of Benchmade Griptilian only came in 440HC

[@jdisdetermined]

Hey! Very cool to see Mrs. Neeve looking happy and healthy.

[@JimMcPartland]

Great video! Which steel has THE BEST EDGE RETENTION??

[@NeevesKnives]

Rex 121 i showed graphs multiple times with a rating of edge retention charts where all the knife steels were on, it was the o e i scrolled from top to bottom on

[@kmoney9374]

What is that green handled knife that he is using 2:35 into the video?

[@lesterlute10]

Not me, snatching an eyebrow hair off my face, just to see if my knives can cut it. 😂😂😢 Excellent vid though man. Always informative, without being boring.

[@jayytee8062]

What happened to Rex 121 ??

[@NeevesKnives]

That's not a tough steel it's a hard steel

[@ratride1]

Can you recommend so chief knives in 14c28n steel.

[@jonduncansakurawallknifegarden]

(440c user): “Ive been using 440c for years! I’ve never even sharpened it..!” Jerad: (I know you haven’t…) 😂😂😂

[@NeevesKnives]

😆

[@passionscouteauxnature]

Very good 👍😊

[@Tom-cp6yj]

How's Spydercos SPY27?

[@acid6urns]

i hear most people say it’s in between s35vn and s45vn.

[@11saje82]

Even the inventor of the Magnacut, Larrin Thomas, measured the toughness of the Magnacut as inferior to that of the cpm-3V, ditto for the 4V.

[@NeevesKnives]

It was his studies I referred to

[@acid6urns]

well yeah. 3v has like 35 ft lbs of toughness. magnacut is slightly less tough than 4v, and it’s toughness increases with lower hrc. magnacut at say 60-61 hrc will match 4v at 63 hrc

[@11saje82]

@@acid6urns 3v has like 35 ft lbs of toughness, magnacut 17 ft lbs.

[@mikafoxx2717]

​@@11saje82at the same hardness?

[@11saje82]

@@mikafoxx2717 look at "knifesteelnerds magnacut".

[@bryaninphnx]

It’s crazy to me that Dr. Larrin Thomas basically took 4V and made it stainless

[@emanuelmartinez9796]

I was curious on tour thoughts on Oz Machine Z - Finit blade steel, on mine it's listed as 61 HRC and was just curious to your opinion on it.

[@irenastoyanova2790]

Jared could you tell me something about the Niolox steel because I liked one fixed Fox knife in this steel?I don't know is it worth.

[@NeevesKnives]

I honestly don't know much about that steel sorry

[@jasonlewis6914]

I got the cold steel 4 max scout at tractor supply for only 39$ the thing is build like a tank.

[@IDKReviews-db9xf]

How do u feel about RWL34? I know it's comparable to 154CM but u see it on a lot of premium knives and I didn't see either on the list

[@NeevesKnives]

Yeah it's cpm154 that it's most similar to which is the powdered version. That's also what's used in DAMASTEEL, it's a steel that doesn't hold a polish at all for bite, it will get very slick. In fact you really don't want to even take it very high, I personally like it around 400 grit to 600 personally

[@robthompson8285]

Wow, Kara's still a smoke show 😮

[@samcsamc9937]

440c with cryro HT bumps its up

[@sataniel420]

Where does M390 stand for you?

[@Kris_Stiletto]

How would Japanese AUS-10A and AUS-8A compare; you didn't mention those popular steels...

[@NeevesKnives]

Because this was about the toughest steels, I'm sure the charts had them listed

[@tonytramonti5828]

The toughest steel in the world currently is the Polish steel called KURVACUT designed by Piotr Patatovich of Warsaw. It was measured at 69hrc , its best knife steel in the world, like betman.

[@NeevesKnives]

@tonytramonti5828 yeah I'm not sure about that i can't find anything on that stuff so it can't be tested much as far as a knife steel. 69hrc is hardness not toughness. So that only relates to its edge retention and in most cases means it's not tough, the higher the hrc the lower the toughness in most cases obviously there's a balance point. The toughest steels is 8670 or Ztuff

[@NeevesKnives]

@@tonytramonti5828 but I will keep an eye out for it

[@tonytramonti5828]

@@NeevesKnives great , your channel is excellent by the way 👍