Knife makers today have a large selection of materials available
when designing a knife. Alloys of steel
can be created to have almost any property.
At the same time, some metallurgical properties come with a
trade-off. For instance, most Stainless
Steels are almost impervious to corrosion, but don’t hold an edge the way
high-carbon or tool steels do. One class
of steel, called Powder Alloy Steel is formed by mixing different powdered
metals, which are then melted under pressure to form a billet. This process
produces amazing steel, but is more expensive.
Several companies make knives out of extremely hard ceramic materials,
allowing for excellent sharpness and corrosion resistance. Although the hardness of the ceramic allows a
razor-sharp edge, it is hard to sharpen and prone to cracking. The type of steel you want in a knife is
entirely dependent on what you plan on doing with it. For example, a knife used for SCUBA diving or
in salt-water environments should be made from stainless steel or titanium. On the other hand, if you need a knife for
processing game, a high-carbon steel blade would be optimal. In order to help you make an informed
decision about future knife purchases, here is a chart of blade properties that
I made with help from Cold Steel, Spyderco, Benchmade, and my own experience.
 |
| Blade Materials Chart |
