THEY LIED TO YOU ABOUT TOOL STEEL

D2 is cheao right ? Wrong ! Guess again ! D2 is actually quite expensive to make knives out of.
D2 is junk though right? No , you listen to to many snobby knife enthusiasts that don't know their burrow from their borough.
M4 us a super steel though...? Nope it's a tool steel and some knife makers say it's the worst option to maje a knife out of because it's brittle!
Knife people...quit following shepherds that wre lost. Quit following shepherds anyway...you're not a sheep. You don't need another person to navigate your opinions...all you need is you!
But A2...that's special because that Hogue knife is stupid expensive ? No not really ...A2 is the cheapest tool steel you can buy and , while it is a good knife steel...it idnt as good as D2.

[@bigjim55able]

D2 came out in 1935ish. I have a $30 Amazon fixie that has excellent D2, but that's the exception. The whole trick with D2 as any steel is in the heat treat. I have a case full of D2 that's never rusted despite my sweat and wading swamps, but I take care of my blades. I used to stand and skin one deer right after another in our hunting club with 440C with just the occasional touch from the Honesteel in my pocket. It didn't rust either. Steel snobs are full of it.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@bigjim55able you know what they say about broken clocks , even Amazon gets it right sometimes. 😎🤘

[@bigjim55able]

@@apex_alchemy_knives The Brother line seems to be quite good. I think AEB-L is fairly inexpensive. I have 3 customs from AriesEDC in that steel that were quite reasonable. The extra money is in the heat treat.

[@richardhenry1969]

How do you know its really D2 ? It might be a different steel. Ive also been told china has very different formula for what they claim is D2 and every company makes it different.

[@MitchBollig]

Some truths I've found in this hobby: most things are a series of trade-offs, trusting what you experience is as-or-more valuable than what others have, there will be good batches and bad batches...thanks AAK. 👊👍

[@929cbr_rr]

My solution to all this is to have a few dozen different knives of all types of steel. Rotate them all into use, plus I enjoy stropping a blade back to perfection. Several D2 blades in use here, they work fine for me.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@929cbr_rr yeah agreed

[@Itrieditathome889]

M4 makes some of the best knife blades on this planet. Easy to sharpen (with diamond), takes any edge you want, coarse or ultra fine mirror polished, and takes an extremely crispy, super sharp edge. Edge retention is great, toughness is great. Also if you don't regularly use and resharpen a knife in a specific steel multiple times you really can't make a determination on that steel.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@Itrieditathome889 love me some m4 😎🤘

[@kathleensmith370]

Think of all the work that has been done w/o so called "super steels" Also imagine that most of the sttel snobs just use the knife to open amazon boxes

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@kathleensmith370 preach on sister ! 😎🤘

[@wizardofahhhs759]

I have a question....if different steels have to be heat treated and tempered differently how is BUCK using BOS heat treatment on all the different blade steels they're producing?

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@wizardofahhhs759 Bos refers to Paul Bos , which owns a heat treating facility and he is experienced with a plethora of steels. So think of Bos more so as a Heat Treating service rather than a specific style of heat treat...though I'm sure he has his own styles depending on the steel he is working with. Excellent question, thanks.

[@wizardofahhhs759]

@apex_alchemy_knives Thanks for the explanation, this question has been on my mind for some time now.

[@LastBastian]

EDC'd a Benchmade in D2 for well over a decade, love it, zero complaints. I have a big competition chopper in M4, some of the best performing steel I've had the pleasure of beating on.

[@rustyknifelover4463]

I love M4, D2 is great when heat treated correctly.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@rustyknifelover4463 right there with you dude

[@SteelAddicted]

I think d2’s corrosion properties come down a lot to the finish done on the steel machine satin, belt satin, media blasted, etc. once u open the pores up it because more susceptible to humidity getting in those pores and giving u those wonderful little specks of rust u just love to see on ur knife. So u have to pick the right finish imo. I love d2 and when done right it’s edge retention is way up there imo and can make a believer out of any one that has turned there nose up at d2 in the past.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

Bead blast and stone washed is going to be the most vulnerable to rust. You're right, high polished blades with closed off pores are way more corrosion resistant. 😎

[@SteelAddicted]

@ I always think of d2 like that old rusty muscle car at the track that looks like crap but u know he’s got something crazy going on under the hood and everyone snickers as they walk by until he cranks it up and all of a sudden everyone is like what the heck do u have under the hood.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@SteelAddicted great analogy !

[@GhostManCutlery]

Steel chat aside. That Jed Hornbeak with the Antler handle is just beautiful.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@GhostManCutlery that thing has a soul dude. Like a living essence. Lots of character ...like a relic. Hard to put it into words...but it feels like more than a knife, if that means anything.

[@CourtJester1960]

Ummm, aren't knives tools?? I carried D2 for decades and didn't know what I was missing. Sharpened my knife, yes, one knife, once or twice a month and never bltched.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@CourtJester1960 most certainly they're tools. Oldest tools in recordable history , though I figure a hammer and chisel beat it out by a few minutes 🙃

[@CourtJester1960]

@apex_alchemy_knives I agree but the prices on many, if not most, of these knives are rediculous. I by 95% of my knives on the secondary market and, over the last 4 or 5 years, it's seldom you see a decent knife under $150.... used! So yes, I use the steel I can afford.

[@Ken_Faulkner]

I love my D2 knives. In all honesty, I rotate my knives so often that I don't really notice edge retention. When it gets dull, I sharpen it, but I don't really pay attention to what the steel is.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@Ken_Faulkner I've been there. Different knife every week. Any half way decent steel can cut for a week.

[@jocemarine6247]

Don't forget that Dr Larin Thomas, D2 steel with proper hrc, score 5/10 in edge retention. Witch is as good as Magnacut with < 61 hrc

[@Warsmith_Honsou]

For budget knives, I will always prefer D2, then 14c28, and then 9cr18. This choice is due to the resistance of the D2 cutting edge to all kinds of hard objects. That is, yes, 14s28 is sharp and cutting edge can be easily restored. But I'd rather the steel just didn't dull as quickly, simply because I'm cutting more than just food and cardboard. Moreover, D2 in my region practically does not rust and does not require special care.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@Warsmith_Honsou same here

[@kellyweaver1389]

I love tool steel my knives are tools and I've also never had an issue with it I kind of prefer it thanks for the video

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@kellyweaver1389 yes sir, thanks for watching

[@jamielong5716]

Valid points. Great video.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

Thanks for watching! Appreciate the feedback.

[@kvernesdotten]

Small correction here, the company is called Viagra Specialty Metals. They are named after their effect on knife collectors around the world, not their location.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@kvernesdotten 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ronaldowens5025]

I still have and use the handmade capeing knife to skin all of my harvest , i bought it 25 years ago in west Virginia at Rink's from a older knife maker. He used old D2 blades from a paper mill. If it can a 1000 ply reams of printer paper God knows how many times a day for three months before needing replacement it's definitely good enough for me. Just my two cents.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@ronaldowens5025 those two cents are worth far more in wisdom my friend. You've got this figured out. I congratulate you.

[@choirboyzcutleryoutdoors]

Jeds D2 is amazing! Th short rib in cpm d2 is next level.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@choirboyzcutleryoutdoors the ones I have are ingot and yeah, puts alot of super steel to shame. 😎

[@mitchelltj1]

Yep, my heaviest use knife is a D2 that I don't care about abusing. It's also so easy to touch up on a stone or ceramic and keep cutting with a hair popping edge.

[@richardhenry1969]

I like American D2 in a folder but i prefer different steels for fixed blades. I like carbon steel or 5160 in stainless 14c28n. My favorite knife is A8modify.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@richardhenry1969 awesome , thank you!

[@jocemarine6247]

I own the Buck 891 ( ground combat knife) GCK made in 5160. Unfortunaly discontinued because too expensive to produce. And its an animal. A beast 💪

[@kvernesdotten]

Btw Alex from Outdoors55 and Jerad talked about D2 in their podcast thingy a while ago, and they were talking about how D2 is appearantly a very cheap steel to buy but very expensive to heat treat properly. Appearantly its a bit fuzzy and requires alot of attention and precision compared to alot of other popular steels, but since its associated with budget knives these days it doesnt make sense for alot of companies to add that cost that a proper treat will rack up, so appearantly most mass produced D2 knives are just induction heated and kicked out the door. Which I find super interesting, because I personally have had so many bad experiences with D2 that I just assumed its a crap steel, but now im on the lookout for a good quality one to give it another chance, just to see if I was wrong and just had my knives "overcooked" all along

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@kvernesdotten it doesn't take a single penny more to heat treat d2 than it does any other air hardening steel. I hear that stuff too and no longer wonder about their real world experience with kilns and aluminum plates. I'm not an expert either, but I'd rather be tasked with heat treating d2 than 1095.

[@kvernesdotten]

@apex_alchemy_knives interesting, what do you reckon is the reason for the observations then?

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@kvernesdotten not sure , I'd be happy to talk with either of them about the nature of the context but d2 cost about as much as cruwear and s30v ...and it cost less to heat treat. It soaks at a lower temperature and it quenches between aluminum plates identically to the aforementioned. The info is out there and it's easy to find. Check out the prices of cpm d2 vs cpm 3v on a sure like new jersey steel baron...and then look at the data sheets for each steel to look at the heat treat protocols...you can do it all in that one site. When folks start talking about things they don't know about, often they resort back to he said/ she said rhetoric because they have no actual information from real world experience to offer. This doesn't make them bad people...it just makes them regular knife guys from where I'm standing. I don't talk in matters of fact unless I can back it up. I used to take people's word ...I got tired of making a fool of myself. With that being said , s30v, cruwear, and 3v...they're all better than d2 on paper at least in terms of edge retention. My argument is that people call it junk and it's just not. Not real d2 done properly. I'll take good d2 done properly over any s30v I've ever owned...and I'll make that decision 7 days a week until I handle a s30v knife that out performs one of these hornbeaks.

[@kvernesdotten]

@ Hmm I dont knoiw but what they said is "its expensive to do the heat treat right" and that most budget knives are heated through induction to make it as fast as possible, maybe thats what they meant?

[@michaelgodat6071]

Don't care what people say. Knives are tools. D2 is an exceptional steel for knives. Ultra thin razors to full wedged cleavers. Love my D2 knives.

[@mikeboyce21]

And i believe the m in m4 actually stands for molybdenum cuz it is a moly steel. But i could be wrong.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

Makes sense to me.

[@henrymrowicki7004]

The steel prices dont vary that greatly, the big cost is medium used to grind and the time it takes.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@henrymrowicki7004 I've never ground d2, I hope to change that soon. Can't wait to make myself a couple of knives from the ingot stuff just to compare. I recently ground magnacut and that was my first stainless...I'm hoping d2 grinds as easy as that. If not , I doubt I lose much sleep over it, but we will see. I'm sure it'll be tougher to grind than 5160 and 15n20 that I'm used to. 😎

[@WyattWillis88]

Love that you are a fellow picker. They said several Steve Lukather use to borrow someone's guitar when he was doing studio work as a hired gun and he would play one track one pass and it looked like the strings were 50 years old. Acid hands hahaha

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

I used to do repairs on guitars. Buddy of mine would send his straps and teles to me and get the frets replaced peeidically...uncoated stainless steel didn't have a chance. I think they used to coat them with nickel...man he'd rust them dudes out almost as fast. I never understood. I've had the same les paul on the sane frets for...since 94 I guess. Polished and dressed occasionally...but never replaced. 😎🤘

[@jrocket092887]

Underrated video by the looks of "likes" counted.. I'm by no means an authority on knife steel but I've been a knife guy for some time now and respect a well-made high carbon / tool steel blade.. True D2 has some amazing & versatile properties as a tool / blade steel. It was used in machinery that literally cut other metals.. If memory serves - original D2 was so tough to form into blade steel & sharpen, that some makers stopped using it for that very reason. As a side-note, my Schwarz LT5 in A2 is very impressive as an outdoor / survival fixed blade. It isn't "Magnacxnt" (my term) or "Asswipe5000" (Last Huntsmans term), lol but it does outperform a couple other knives i own in that arena, with similar traits. Jokes aside im sure it would give many knives competition - super steel or not. Tool steels were developed and used for generations by our forefathers for good reasons. I'd put money on some tool steels handling more abuse if heat treated / hardened properly (at optimal tolerances) than some of the more modern, yet brittle super steels. Most of a blade's performance is determined by how the knife was treated / hardened / ground / sharpened - not just what type of steel it is. Getting past the hype of steel snobbery is the 1st hurdle to appreciating knives of this variety it seems.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@jrocket092887 excellently said

[@Robo56hunter]

Interesting My response is this.. Knives of Alaska magnum wolverine D2 Wicked sharp, holds a biting scary edge one of my favourite knives, rarely seen or talked about. DBK are so biased and I don't take any notice of these guys for a lot of reasons. Good job

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@Robo56hunter i gotta check out one of them knives of Alaska. Sone channels i watch to learn , some channels i watch for the junk food. I enjoy DBK when I want a good laugh.

[@nicholasedwardbehindtheedg2343]

I have tons of experience with m4. Years worth, of real world work using it. It makes a FANTASTIC blade steel. Its mo betta than most tool steels in my opinion....

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@nicholasedwardbehindtheedg2343 mo hurrspurrs baby !

[@mattakudesu]

I built my budget knife collection off the back of D2, and it is a mighty fine steel. D2 would probably be my favorite budget steel if it wasn't for the lack of corrosion resistance, so 14c takes the crown as my favorite budget steel even though D2 has higher edge retention.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

Thanks for stooping by and sharing your thoughts

[@Biomass1]

D2 is one of the better "budget" steels and stays sharp longer than most if properly heat treated.

[@toddcarr.]

Nothing wrong with any steel as long as it's heat treated properly and sold appropriate to its cost and qualities. I believe the reason that D2 isn't stainless is because most of the chromium is used up making carbides instead of in solution where it's needed to be stainles. Why CPM3V has less chromium but the same amount of stainless properties as D2 does. Thanks for the great vid man and keep making sharp things fun and enjoyable.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

That's a great explanation. Thanks for watching and sharing your knowledge.

[@satudave]

Loved the tool steal ramble my bro. 😢you left out my beloved 3v. Just messing 👊😎

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@satudave i sho nuff did. I don't think I got a gram of that stuff in the house right now. Kind of blasphemy!

[@cheatobandito]

Hard... soft... as long is gets you off

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@cheatobandito 🤣🤣🤣

[@Elmax17.5dps]

Properly heat-treated D2 is criminally underrated. Its been around since 1898 but didnt become widely used until the 30's

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

Learning good stuff today! Thank you 😎🤘

[@Elmax17.5dps]

@apex_alchemy_knives thank you brother, I enjoy the content

[@mikeboyce21]

The D in D2 stands for deep hardening.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

Awesone , thank you my friend. 😎🤘

[@MB-jg4tr]

Nope. It's Die steel, dies for cutting, stamping, & forming other metals.

[@henrymrowicki7004]

I can agree that M4 would be a horrible strel for an amature to attempt to make a knife with. I tried with 154 and it won 😂. I have a few M4 knives and they are kick ass. I have 1 CTS XHP blade, it did chip once but i was skinning tree wire and hit a hardened steel bolt with the edge. Ive also had good luck with D2, but none from china. I had a aus8 blade that i think took a fantastic edge, but didn't last as long as better steels.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@henrymrowicki7004 i can respect that! It's coming from your own experience and I know it was a long video...but that's what the underlining message was meant to be. Get your own data and experience and follow your own instincts. Sounds like you blaze your own trails and for that...I salute you

[@henrymrowicki7004]

@apex_alchemy_knives I live by the immortal words of Curly, " if at first you don't succeed, suck until you do succeed".

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@henrymrowicki7004 🤣🤣

[@Briancollectsknives]

I'm all about my D2 knives and I have the Launch 16 M4 and I carry it nearly every day. I don't even care if D2 has a coating, I've never had it corrode on me.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

I left a hand full of d2 kn8ces in the snow for 12 hours and had no issues with corrosion either. Thanks for watching and leaving us a comment

[@MikeJ602]

Experience, yes.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@MikeJ602 gotta have it !

[@Circa1664]

If you want an awesome example of Chinese D2 try Flissa.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

I'm so out of date, I've never heard of them..but i will check into them, thank you. You know...I had a cjrb that I carried for months and it was still cutting. That dude was in d2 and I believe the hrc was 63 on that thing.

[@michaell397]

No Sir, D2 is 12% Cr and 14c28 is 14 percent. That is what the 14C stands for. ;

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

Excellent thank you 😎🤘

[@JR-5465]

The Boker Plus is either made in China Taiwan or Italy. I have several of Jeds in D2 and one of his in CPM D2 and they are all great knives. I like A2 also my most used hunting knives are in A2 and they make it through a deer without touching the edge without a problem. I'm not a steel snob so I have knives in just about everything. I just sent Scab a knife in (Becut) steel and don't know anything about it.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@JR-5465 that's what I'm talking about ! And I've never heard of Becut either

[@67wing]

Knives of Alaska and Diamondblade knives make great d2 steel knives. The heatvtreat is excellent

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@67wing i hear good things all the time. I've yet to experience either myself. Maybe in the future our paths will cross.

[@MountainAjar]

Thank you

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

You're welcome...thank you as well Sir

[@hellhound2260]

I'd love to see you test some DC53 by eafengrow, their fixed blades seem to be too good of a deal on amazon.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

I'll see what I can do

[@bboyshr6]

I feel that it's less about the composition of D2 steel but rather that the chinese iron has less iron than the US iron and more clay (like bentonite) than the US iron. Every time I sharpen the chinese D2 there is much more scrap that falls off and it's not as fine looking. That could also account for why the Chinese D2 rusts less than the US D2 because there is less iron in it to oxidize.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@bboyshr6 dude that sounds like it could explain a lot! Thanks for the insight 😎🤘

[@bboyshr6]

@@apex_alchemy_knives For sure, I am not an expert at all, the iron and clay details came up when I was asking AI about it

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@bboyshr6 AI has been a huge help with my podcast data points too. Good stuff bro.

[@billclancy4913]

I wish Carpenter would revive CTS-XHP

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

Great steel 😎🤘

[@MB-jg4tr]

I believe they have

[@scatterbrain9490]

Good stuff

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@scatterbrain9490 thanks you bro.

[@WyattWillis88]

Someone said larrin thomas owns the whole shebang patent for magnacut formulation and name 🤷

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

I'm sure he does, but I'm also guessing the "MC" coming from China is made by them. Doesn't matter if it's good but id love the disclosure.

[@andrewfournier8817]

Ofc guessing which D2 is real D2 properly treated can be frustrating, at least in the more modest prices

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

No doubt about that! I'm sure there's a ton of junk out there labeled as d2...and it just isn't all equal unfortunately...heat treat aside.

[@DrDrewdude]

Preach!

[@jocemarine6247]

D2 by Dr Larrin Thomas scored 5/10 in edge retention. Witch is (with good hrc) as good as Magnacut

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

Yeah i hear magnacut will do better with a 63-64 but at some point it starts losing it's corrosion resistance...which is where it really shines. So trade offs i suppose.

[@malcolmholt2010]

I most certainly need the litigation skills of Apex Alchemy! 😄

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

🤣🤣🤣

[@Circa1664]

Opining on D2 is a good litmus test to see if someone knows what they're talking about or if they're trying to be cool. Sure, there's garbage D2 out there but a good D2 hangs with or beats the last generation of super steelsbin edge retention.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@Circa1664 you've got it figured out and I applaud your wisdom

[@dlrmon1]

True experience is a ever evolving education. Studying the information available creates a good starting perspective but My experience does Not line up with the said “education-hearsay” and/or “influencers” views on steels. I’m sure everyone’s experience with steels will be different given all the different ways it’s produced, treated, and environments it’s used in. Not to mention the different perspectives out there.. Add in all the nonsense of people parroting what they read or hear, and then have to sift through all the emotional people’s feelings, grifters and click-bait artists just adds to the confusion...Ooo, I forgot the Pot Stirrers throwing things out into the ether to gauge reactions...

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@dlrmon1 I feel this 100 percent and ...yeah, maybe I've stirred a pot or two. Not for reactions...usually because of reactions 🤣

[@dlrmon1]

Yes, let’s not forget the Mockingbird’s...lol

[@dongustafson2304]

IMO, M4 is an excellent knife steel and was about my favorite for years of everyday use. Don't listen to people who say things that are counter to your personal experiences. If it works very well for you that's ALL that matters.😊

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

Perfectly said. 😎🤘

[@monsterslayer4317]

M4 is a "High Speed Tool Steel", and the performance of the stuff is top tier. D2 is also a great steel. Better balanced performance than 154CM except for corrosion resistance. I live in a dry climate, so I love D2. I have no real gripes about A2. It doesn't hold an edge like 3V, but its tough and good. Not great, but good.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

Couldn't agree more 😎, adversely ...I live in a very humid environment and mostly work in humid environments. Fortunately, I have never experienced the least bit of corrosion from my d2 blades either...unless I did it on purpose lol.

[@ct2368]

I think D2 is awesome. I have some D2 blades that performs as good as some super steels. A lot of super steel. Edit: if I stop using a D2 blade it will rust pretty quick. Love the videos.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@ct2368 if you stop using d2 it rust on you ?

[@cintage]

Definitely not all Chinese D2 is bad. There is some Chinese D2 with excellent heat treatment. 14C28N doesn’t have 12% Cr, it has 14%, D2 has 12% (not 10%). But those steels are entirely different compositions and very different steels. Anyway, I agree that D2 is (or can be) an amazing steel, as can be M4. Today any quality steel (so anything that is not “surgical stainless” or something like that) will be sufficient for today’s knife users.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@cintage thanks ! Yeah I imagine it's daunting playing the guessing game, and hoping your purchase is one of the good ones. Best of luck out there!

[@michaelgodat6071]

Don't care what people say. Knives are tools. D2 is an exceptional steel for knives. Ultra thin razors to full wedged cleavers. Love my D2 knives.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

😎🤘 exactky on point

[@michaelstjohn6086]

I have a LT Wright Stealth in D2 and I think of all of the haters every time I use it lol

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

That's what imbtalking about !

[@hellhound2260]

7:43 14c28n has 14% chromium lol, that's why it's called 14c

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

Perfect , makes sense ! Thanks 😎🤘

[@WyattWillis88]

I will say IMHOproperly heat treated cpm d2 is badass. And m4 the only weakness is corrosion imvho. Great edge retention great toughness

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

I've had nothing but good luck with the well done stuff myself 😎🤘

[@anthonyrollins9825]

you got friends ? lies just cant be Courtney keeps you locked up and lets you out when your good ...we all know it stop frontin =P Luv Luv Luv me some nicely done D2 .

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@anthonyrollins9825 that's true ! I need rescued ! 🤣🤣

[@paullmight42]

A lot of steels get a bad rap bc of the chinese heat treats...custom heat treats are a whole different ball game on all of em...

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

@@paullmight42 absolutely ! I know the hornbeak 3v I've experienced has been better than the kizer 3v. I do however really like cold steels s35vn but I've never had a custom knife in s35vn to compare it to, so I couldn't honestly compare that...but maybe I need one 😅

[@paullmight42]

@@apex_alchemy_knives yea kizer 3v is booty cheeks...so is civivi nitro-v...I have a custom folder in 3v that's amazing...And while i haven't tried custom nitro-v there is clearly a reason a lot of custom makers use it

[@SuperSteelSteve]

My brother in christ, Im gonna give myself a stroke over D2😂 Ingot D2 and CPM D2 are completely different steels. To use the performance of CPM D2 to justify ingot D2 is blasphemous lol We HAVE to hammer the distinction home. Secondly, D2 gets very hard (63+) very easily. The reason is the same reason D2 is NOT a stainless steel and 14c28n IS stainless.... carbon/chromium ratio. While D2 only has 2% less chromium than 14c28n (11% vs 13%), D2 has 1.5% carbon vs 0.68% of 14c28n ... over double. So most of the chromium is in carbide, not in solution (where it needs to be for corrosion resistance. Third, A2 and D2 are IDENTICAL in price. Lastly, CPM D2 is almost DOUBLE the price of Ingot D2. Again, WE HAVE TO STOP TALKING ABOUT D2 AS IF ITS THE SAME AS CPM D2.

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

I've had very equal if not better results from my jed hornbeaks in ingot d2 as I mentioned , as I have the benchmade adamas in com d2. I trust you but I believe you missed what was being said...it's a long video , maybe you didn't watch it all. That's okay, I get it...but that was covered. Thanks for stopping by. 😎🤘

[@apex_alchemy_knives]

When I was shopping in the tool steel sections of new jersey steel baron...the prices from low to high wete as follows A2, O1, D2, and M4 ...I'm sure different suppliers have different prices and no i didn't scour the internet..I just dropped by the most trusted steel supplier with the easiest website to navigate. 😎

[@SuperSteelSteve]

​@@apex_alchemy_knives​@apex_alchemy_knives i watched the entire video. And I'm correcting bad information you put out. I'm trying to educate. Just because you had good results doesn't change the fact that CPM D2 had 3x the toughness of ingot D2, and because of the order of magnitude smaller carbides and perfect distribution of them 2x-3x better edge stability. D2 and CPM D2 are 2 COMPLETELY different steels. It doesn't change the fact that ingot D2 and A2 are IDENTICAL in price.... A2 is not way cheaper like you said. Again, I cannot emphasize how different ingot D2 and CPM D2 are. You saying you've had just as good and experience with ingot D2 as you did with CPM D2 is like me saying ive had equal experience with CPM 154 than CPM M4 so they are equal steels. That's objectively false. Your 2 anecdotal experiences don't change facts. Im trying to help