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Show HN: I built a knife steel comparison tool

new.knife.day

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Re: Show HN: I built a knife steel comparison tool

#61

Post by metalman »

jofer wrote: post #12
adamgordonbell wrote: post #6

Anyone else like ceramic knives? I have a couple paring knives. Super sharp but very brittle.

We received a two knife set as a wedding gift many years ago. This was well before they were common, and it was quite a nice gift. I strongly agree with the "don't buy a knife you can't sharpen" point that folks often make, but ceramic knives do have their niche. They're great for minimizing oxidation along cuts. E.g. cutting iceberg lettuce and avoiding having the edges turn brown. They're also very lightweight, whi…

ancient shefield steel knives are thin, and will take an edge that cuts kevlar like cotton.....if needed, but slices ripe tomatoes, etc, perfectly. Paired with an arcansaw green stone they come to an edge fast, perhaps not quite as sharp as ceramic, as I only toyed with one ceramic blade, but in the same range but I find sharpening fun and meditive, so

Re: Show HN: I built a knife steel comparison tool

#63

Post by Retr0id »

p-s-v wrote: post #43
Retr0id wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's unusual for a large retailer to not use the official name of a product

shrug, if you search around youll see that isnt true

Fair enough, I do see it listed under that name on some sites, and there appears to be a S35VN variant too

Re: Show HN: I built a knife steel comparison tool

#64

Post by globular-toast »

Zak wrote: post #59
whalesalad wrote: post #39

Tangent: I had a decent benchmade griptilian folding knife for the last 10 or so years. Wasn’t the sharpest knife but I loved the form factor, grip, etc. I left it on the bed cover of my truck the other day while unboxing some towing equipment in a parking lot and took off accidentally. Looked at Amazon to replace it and they’re going for $200+ now. Is this just Amazon tax? Tarrifs? Something else? No way in hell I p…

> Wasn’t the sharpest knife Sharpness is a product of sharpening, which should be done regularly for good results. Benchmade's pricing is based on irrational customers being willing to pay premium prices for knives that really aren't competitive anymore. If you want a replacement knife that's very similar for a more reasonable price, consider the crossbar lock version of the Vosteed Raccoon.

> Sharpness is a product of sharpening, which should be done regularly for good results.

How often? I have a Japanese santoku knife made of VG10 and I really like it when I get it razor sharp. But is it normal that it loses that after a few weeks? Do I really need to keep sharpening on a whetstone that often? I cut vegetables almost every single day.

Re: Show HN: I built a knife steel comparison tool

#66

Post by Zak »

globular-toast wrote: post #64
Zak wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Wasn’t the sharpest knife Sharpness is a product of sharpening, which should be done regularly for good results. Benchmade's pricing is based on irrational customers being willing to pay premium prices for knives that really aren't competitive anymore. If you want a replacement knife that's very similar for a more reasonable price, consider the crossbar lock version of the Vosteed Raccoon.

> Sharpness is a product of sharpening, which should be done regularly for good results. How often? I have a Japanese santoku knife made of VG10 and I really like it when I get it razor sharp. But is it normal that it loses that after a few weeks? Do I really need to keep sharpening on a whetstone that often? I cut vegetables almost every single day.

Knives should be sharpened when they no longer cut as effectively as the user would like. Several weeks of daily use with no maintenance is probably longer than I would go, but I do not know your knife.

It's not necessary to use a whetstone that often though. My preference is a leather strop with a fine (under 1 micron; I use 0.25) diamond paste on it, and it usually only takes a few strokes (around five) per side to restore my gyuto to performance I'm happy with. The duller I let it get, the more time it takes to restore.

Re: Show HN: I built a knife steel comparison tool

#67

Post by Zak »

Retr0id wrote: post #23
FieryTransition wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm fine with ai slop if it provides value, the value here being questionable, because now I don't know if the values in the comparison are fact checked or hallucinations.

I suspect they're hallucinated. As a random spot check: https://new.knife.day/item/spyderco-paramilitary-2 "The Spyderco Paramilitary 2 is a tactical knife with a 3.44 inch blade. The knife is made in USA of CPM S35VN steel." It's a real knife, and the blade length checks out (to two significant figures), but the manufacturer spec sheet says S45VN steel. Also the actual name is "Para Military® 2". https://www.spyderc…

A problem with choosing that specific knife for a spot check is that it has been made in many different steels in various special editions, sprint runs, and dealer exclusives. Here's one in S35VN:

https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/C81GBNBK2/Para-Mili...

Re: Show HN: I built a knife steel comparison tool

#69

Post by cullenking »

keisborg wrote: post #18

I looked through most of the charts, and I it seems like you cannot get the best of two worlds. Can you get good edge retention, ease of sharpening and toughness at the same time? It would be nice with an example on how knife steel properties work. I assume there are balanced tradeoffs.

Cruwear! from my practical testing, it's been the best I've tried. From the tool, it represents quite well.

Re: Show HN: I built a knife steel comparison tool

#70

Post by shawn_w »

Zak wrote: post #57
shawn_w wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Calling magnacut weak on edge retention is an... interesting take. It's not record setting, but it's far, far above the other 3 you listed. The data this site is using really seems questionable.

Magnacut is given the same rating as D2, 3V, VG10, and "440" (presumabbly 440C). Elmax, M2, and Cruwear are rated higher. CATRA testing by Magnacut's creator[0] suggests D2, 3V, VG10, and 440C should have a lower rating than Magnacut for edge retention, while Elmax, M2, and Cruwear should be the same. 5 probably is a reasonable rating for Magnacut though when Maxamet is 10. [0] https://i2.wp.com/knifesteelnerds.com/w…

Exotic outliers like Maxamet or 10V skew things so much they should be left off of ranking scales.
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