Subject: Re: Carbon vs. Stainless?

From: [email-masked] (murr rhame)
Date: 22 Jan 1995 22:45:46 -0500

[email-masked] (Brian Szabo - ACPS/F94) writes:

>What exactly are the advantages of Carbon Steel over Stainless Steel? 

As a rule Carbon Steel knife blades are more flexible and easier to
sharpen than Stainless.  Stainless is easier to chip or break.  It's a
matter of personal preference and how you plan to use the knife.  Clip
points on Stainless Steel knives are very easy to break off.  A good heavy
bladed drop point SS knife can hold up well to quite a bit of abuse. 

I have a large heavy bladed drop point folding knife, an Old Timer model
5OT that is over 20 yrs old that's got at least another 20 years of life
left in it.  I sharpen this knife with a mechanical guide and medium (~200
grit) stone.  I've found that in real world use an edge honed with an
extremely fine stone does not hold up well in use.  A medium grit
sharpened edge cuts rope, flesh, cardboard, wood, electrical insulation,
etc. very well.  It just doesn't work too well for shaving... not
recomended with a knife anyway. 

Carbon steel knives don't hold and edge in use as well as good quality
Stainless.  Carbon Steel can go dull in storage from the edge rusting.  On
the other hand there are a lot of junk grade Stainless Steel knives out
there.  Stick with good brands for SS knives like Old Timer, Uncle Henry,
Buck, Gerber, and Boker.  (I'm sure there are a few other good brands.)
Case's SS knives are trash IMHO.  The Case Carbon Steel is OK.  The
Stainless in Victorinox Swiss Army knives is not very good also but some 
of their designs are pretty slick. 

-- 
        [email-masked]     /\/\ |_| |~ |~      Charlotte, NC

---

From: [email-masked] (Bruce Holder)
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 17:55:36 GMT

Brian Szabo - ACPS/F94 ([email-masked]) wrote:
: I gave the faq a brief going over, but didn't come across any references 
: to my problem; so here goes!
: Upon recent examination of various knives, (the last time I had done such 
: searching was about 3 years ago) I was presented with "Carbon-Steel" 
: blades. The sales person had no more information for me than "it's 
: better".
: What exactly are the advantages of Carbon Steel over Stainless Steel? 

  (In unison) It depends.  My experience is that SS blades are difficult
to sharpen and that some may not hold an edge as well.  Some carbon steel
blades will be easier to sharpen, some will hold an edge longer.  Some
may do both.
  Some carbon steel blades will be quite a bit less expensive, as in
Old Hickory Brand kitchen knives.  I had one that had to be sharpened two
or three times a week to stay sharp, but a colleauge swears by his.  If
they wouldn't even let you hold the knife you were looking at, it probably
won't be cheap.
  The down side is that you have to be careful about keeping it clean and
dry.  I had a Cold Steel knife with carbon steel blade that I used to dig
some raisins out of a box, didn't clean it thoroughly and ended up with
pits on the blade.
  My favorite general purpose knives, i.e. not combat, are the Special
Steel knives by Chicago Cutlery.  They are not as hard or shiny as most
SS, are easy to bring to a razor edge, and do not rust in the kitchen
environment.  I've had their 10" French chef's knife for twenty years.

Bruce