carbon steel or stainless knifes

[stevebikes]

I spend most of my working and playing life near the sea so was wondering what knife was best for me carbon steel or stainless any help greatly received

 

[SteveW]

Stainless then, you have to look after both, but carbon has to be looked after a lot more than stainless. I love carbon knives, but my coastal kit is stainless.

 

[Whittler Kev]

Stainless harder to sharpen, don't throw sparks but carbon will rust easy. I keep stainless only for foods prep. Carbon lightly oiled shouldn't rust with the salt air etc

 

[Mick721]

You could try something like RWL34 which is a good compromise. Throws a cracking spark too.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

My current user is in RWL34 and is easy to sharpen and holds an edge fantastic. It also throws sparks from a ferro rod better than any of my carbon blades.

 

[demographic]

Stainless harder to sharpen, don't throw sparks but carbon will rust easy. I keep stainless only for foods prep. Carbon lightly oiled shouldn't rust with the salt air etc

What don't they throw sparks off? They throw sparks off ferrocium rods no bother at all and anyone using a knife on proper flint needs a good slap across the back of the lug.

 

[Perrari]

Any piece of steel should throw sparks off a ferrocium rod as long as it has an edge. A good quality stainless such as RWL 34 would be perfect for use in a salt air environment, but a carbon blade will out perform a cheaper grade of stainless, and as long as you take care of it then a carbon blade should not rust but will tarnish. I use a carbon blade when I go sea fishing, but wash it in warm soapy water when I get home then let it dry naturally. I will oil it if I am not going to use it for a while.

What don't they throw sparks off? They throw sparks off ferrocium rods no bother at all and anyone using a knife on proper flint needs a good slap across the back of the lug.

 

[gowersponger]

stainless from what I know I do a lot of salt water fishing and beach camping .

 

[Parbajtor]

I like my toothy D2 semi stainless. Very good corrosion resistance but also takes on a little bit of patina.

 

[HillBill]

RWL can still rust guys, especially if used heavily in salty environments. Elmax can be HT'd to have better stain resistance than RWL, by a fair way. Yet elmax can still corrode in salt water environments. Takes a long time, but it can.

Stainless is the sensible choice.

 

[Haggis]

I have a fondness for stag handled knives with carbon steel blades, but there is something very positive to be said for "modern" stainless blades and rubberized handles. I have very many knives but none them have seen as much use as the 4 in this photo. I have owned and used oldest 40 years, the two folding knives 30 years or so, and the Gerber Gator about 10 years. Fantastic knives, all four, but the stag handles knives with carbon steel really show their age.