The steel used in your knife can affect its cutting performance edge retention corrosion resistance ease of maintenance and much more.
Pocket knife steel.
Our pick for the premium pocket and folding knife in the world is the benchmade north fork knife which boasts high quality steel that provides comfort in holding carry and using while delivering unrivaled results.
Carbon steel pocket knives are commonly built for rough use where toughness and sturdiness is important.
They retain a razor sharp edge and are relatively easy to re sharpen.
Let s face it no one will care if the knife is ergonomic or looks cool if it can t cut.
Once considered the high end in us knife steels 440c is a good all round steel that has now been overshadowed by many of the newer super steels on the block.
Decent edge holding capabilities and fairly easy to resharpen this steel is a good balance of the most desirable traits for knife steel.
The blade steel is one of the most dominant factors when it comes to determining the quality of the knife.
There are no junk steels per se used in today s knife making unless it s one of those surgical stainless steel knives produced by who knows where and how.
Cold steel recon 1 series tactical folding knife with tri ad lock and pocket clip made with premium cpm s35vn steel 4 8 out of 5 stars 470 84 99 84.
A hard strong blade steel.
The hardness level of steel is determined using a universal scale called the rockwell c test commonly called the rockwell hardness scale hrc.
This is a stainless steel commonly used on many mass manufactured pocket knives and represents a solid affordable all round choice.
Carbon steel blades are the standard in survival camping knives and swords.
If you can only legally carry a smaller knife be sure to check out our guide to the 14 best small pocket knives for edc.
If you live in a humid environment or frequently meal prep with your pocket knife try the spydiechef from spyderco in lc200n steel.
Almost all consumer grade pocket knives edc knives fixed blade knives etc will be in the range of a rockwell hardness rating of 54 to 65 hrc.
This stainless steel is commonly used in knife blades and offers good corrosion resistance at a low cost.