Blade Steel Tier List 

Damn bruh. Your dedication to steel knowledge is absolutely and uniquely unparalleled. And we all appreciate it. Cheers man. Saitama for Life.

I'm just impressed you have used all of them. A lot of these were "never heard of it" for me.

This video has an insane amount of valuable knowledge for the knife scene and I come back to it every so often when I feel like buying a new blade. Thanks for making it!

This is a brilliant idea. Love tier lists from fighting games and CCGs

What kind of idiot buys stainless steel tweezers? The MINIMUM steel you should buy for tweezers is 52100 SPRING STEEL. As for nail clippers I only use CPM CRUWEAR for superior impact resistance.

surprised 14c28n was so low. i really like it

After buying a ton of knives and living in Florida, these are my priorities in steel. No rust and doesn't chip......... I don't care if it's hard to sharpen or easy. I've figured out the sharpening skills. Thank you for your hard work and dedication.

nice to see people say they appreciate budget steels and test them instead of saying they're "barely adequate". Yes because we all need s90v to open letters and cut apples and cheese at work.

Awesome video. Thanks mate. Couldn't ask for more. Love the different / official fonts and presentation. Kudos to you!!!

This is a good idea, very good way to check steel at a glance

2 years deep into your chanel, seen all your content, but this video never stops amazing me! Constantly come back to the last frame to validate my purchases (little ashamed, but sincere!). Thanks once again for the great service to the Knife Community!

1095 below 440c? That just pisses me off, lmao. Awesome video, man.

I'm so happy. Thank you for making this 😂. It's hilarious looking at these comments where almost nobody gets the reference

Personally I would have put 14c28n in the C Tier. It has some benefits over other steels like D2 or N690 you might be unaware of, as does 12c27. Both of those steels excell at thin geometries. I have a Manly Wasp in 12c27 that is 8/1000 (0.2mm) behind the edge. A lot of steels wouldn`t be able to handle that, but the Sandvik steels do.

Thank you so much for doing this, this is the first time I’ve really understood why one steel is better than another, super kudos

I can't agree on your grade for 14c28n....I put it slightly ahead of nitro v. It doesn't warp like nitro v and it is slightly cleaner when finishing the knife.... and it's not just me either...knife steel nerds rates it higher than Nitro v and have rated it their favourite budget to mid range steel!

Great video been waiting for this video for ever! Thanks for the upload !

If I knew how to make a Knife Video Tier List, your steel review videos would be at the top

Your disregard for M4 angers me. Love ya Pete.

I see you tend to prefer the high carbide steels in particular. They are great steels, but I feel that for most applications they are way too lacking in toughness. I find the Cru-wear, V4E, M4, V4 to be a great sweet spot for edge retention and toughness balance, myself. If you are using a high edge retention steel like Rex121, you are going to have chipping issues if your bevel angle gets too low. If you are comparing 40 degree bevels in those steels, it's all well and good, but drop down to 30 degrees (inclusive) and it's a whole different story. Toughness is more important than I think many give it credit. Of course, personal preference and application plays a massive role in this. I also don't understand a lot of your ranking disparity between steels that are nearly and effectively identical. A good example being 4v and V4E.

Love it, appreciate your dedication and presentation, sometimes gets new through the day. I found it interesting the disparity you made between Vanadis 4E and CPM-4V, because they are supposed to be identical compositions IE 20CV, M390.

Steel geeking at its best! Cheers Pete!

I checked your rating for K390 Spyderco para2 before I ordered one.Thanks for making this video and all the others too.

Great content Pete, just a couple of things, considering edc and knives you actually use, I feel it would have been really useful to employ a two axis rating matrix with edge retaining/toughness and corrosion resistant qualities, this would have allowed others to interpret your experience with knife steels and balance it with their needs. I'm from a different part of Australia than you, but there are some words you pronounce in completely different ways, I find very difficult to interpret.....like (@17:44 prodigiously) Keep up the good work, thanks for sharing

Very cool. I’m fairly new to knife collecting, but I am lucky enough to be able to afford some higher end knifes. Your videos are very informative and helpful I believe you have a very broad knowledge of metallurgy I appreciate time and effort very much. Thanks a lot.

Fantastic video and a perfect reference with concise explanations for each ranking. This will now be my go-to video link to send to anyone that asks me about blade steels for now on. REALLY appreciate you uploading this, Pete. To borrow a line from AdvancedKnifeBro: this is the Trucks Balls.

Great work this is an excellent reference point that I'm sure I'll use and share a lot

I have only used like 3 of these steels to open boxes and cut string off my shirts but I SOME OPINIONS ON YOUR RANKINGS

I love the steel ranking videos and is why I am a patreon for this channel.

NeeeeEEEEEEeeeerrrrrd

Agree with you on almost all of these! 👍only one I outright and strongly disagree with is 52100! Should be a little higher imo. In my observations there are only a handful of factory production knives with this steel and based on that, keep your mind open when you finally get a properly heat treated custom optimised for cutting in 52100. I've seen some amazing hunting knives in this steel. Several Finnish Smith's also do wonders with it. 😊

I enjoyed the bejezus out of this. Thanks!

Nice video👍🏻 I’m just getting into knives and had been going by benchmade’s list on like edge,toughness,corrosion. Would be nice if you did a list kinda like that for noobies

Great job, really enjoyed the video.

I think you bias far too heavily toward edge retention when judging knives. Some of these steels will snap when you drop them. Some people are doing more than cutting tomatoes and cardboard.

Gooooood Looooooord!!!! I had no idea there were so many useable steels for cutlery. My lands I'm lost.

I just added a Spydiechef to my collection and I love that LC200N steel so far!

Lowballing the 52100. And I think Maxamet should be an S. 2nd highest wear resistance on the planet. I can see your points though, and how you were working the tiers. Fun video

I was surprised that VG-10 couldn't crack into C tier. How about the Acuto 440 that Tangram uses? Is it enough of an improvement over 440C to reach the next tier?

Awesome as always. It does look like you're taking guff for your 52100 ranking. It's simple and it rusts but at 62-64 hrc it's an amazing steel.

Appreciate the video and all your effort it took to get here. Could you provide a download for your list,pretty please.

Would it be beneficial to record how much time it takes you to sharpen? That might give us an idea, when combined with cut test results of how "hard" the steels are to sharpen.

Very cool video! I’ll haven’t tried a lot of the steels you ranked. I’ll have to play around with it

Another good comparison would be the same steels from different manufacturers. They all use different processes with the steels which has a tremendous impact on the performance of the product. Additionally, the sharpening process for each steel will have an affect on the performance as well. So, another comparison would be great.

This is a very, very, interesting presentation. Thanks.

Now can you do a correlation based on this of knife steels that sit in a box for bragging rights versus ones that actually get used.

Interesting rankings! I can see your logic and basically agree with a lot of the choices, however since my personal use is more geared to fixed blades for bushcraft (though I also like folders), I would have had different priorities. It seems edge retention and stainlesses for folders were your main criteria (more than toughness or ease of sharpening, or ease/potential of heat treat, getting into the custom realm). I thought 10v and a11 were the same - can someone clarify? Also, thought 52100 would rank one higher. It seems you got much better wear resistance with 52100 than A2 (like 100 more cuts). Compared to other basic steels you tend to see in fixed blades (like 1095, O-1, or 5160, maybe even A2) 52100, I believe, has the most potential for bringing out different qualities in the heat treat; I think it can be ran harder, while also remaining tough, and you tend to see it in custom knives (Winkler, comes to mind, though know he's moved on to 80cr I think...also some custom kitchen knives). Not sure if it is shallow hardening or takes well to differential heat treat (which can make for a tough core with a hard edge in a fixed blade) compared to others.

I think ill do a similar video, although ill focus more on toughness and sharpenability based on fixed blade use, and i will have a LOT less steels on there. Good video, and good idea!

Great idea... S tier is of course awesome. Probably 95% agreement from me on the steels I've played with. I was eagerly awaiting the K390 placement. I might put it above Maxamet for the better toughness and maybe move a couple of other A tier steels around. The groupings look very solid.

Do you have any experience with K720? I'm looking at traditional bushcraft knives under $160, and I'm looking at the Casstrom No. 10 in K720, the Enzo Trapper 95 in 01 or n690, or the Lionsteel m4 in M390. Is K720 more wear resistant than O1?

I really enjoy your videos and this is great wealth of information... i know this is a old video ive seen case has up'd theyre steel in a couple knifes i hope they continue because i really enjoy those trapper style of knife.

Great tier list. I probably would shift S110V up a bit personally, but then you are much more of an expert than I. Now to save and find knives in your S list.

Excellent video bro!!!!! Thank you from Canada!

Very informative video, even though I'm a few years late. Where would you put M398, s60v, and Magnacut?

Ver helpful vid, thanks for that. Have you come across MV-58? Supposed to be similar to Z60 🤔

It's hard to find information on Bohler K110. Any thoughts? I've got a Maxace Goliath with that steel and feel it's around D2 or just below.

Great list, definitely would've put 5160 in high c tier due to it's toughness and ease of honing in the field.

Like your list Pete. Well reasoned. 🙂

This is a very valuable video for referencing.

can you do an updated tier list?

If you just wanted a blade for chopping and batoning through tough hard knotty wood that won’t chip or snap after years of use what is the best to choose? 5160? I’m considering the Ontario SP 50 Bowie or 53 Bolo. Something I’ll be happy to beat on rather than a collector closet princess. It needs to be very reliable and last a long time at processing wood. Open to tomahawks and hatchets in the toughest steels if necessary. Thanks

there's a couple kershaws I have. one in 6055 & the other in 4030TIKVT. where do these sit in tier?

That is so cool!!, I agree with you mostly, except I would put 52100 higher and Haitch 1 lower lol, but great tier!!

Fantastic table. I suggest you revisit this given one year has lapsed and beyond. Good idea to provide criteria on each level so that you can provide slightly more objectiveness, otherwise this is great.

why is this channel so small i dont get it, are there so lil nerds out there? lovely job! this video is exactly how i had it in mind. ofc its hard to rank steels as it all comes down to what you prefer, toughness 3v would shine, corrosion resistance lc200n wud be way higher.. i came to find myself care about these 2 a bit more then wear resistance as i like resharpening knives anyway ;] and realistic even s30v would keep a good edge for a week of hard use and who cant realisticly get to a sharpening source in a week time if they wanted to right. great vid tho!!

Loved this video! You should do another one ranking them by stainlessness, or another one based solely on edge retention.

Keep in mind K390, A11 and CPM10V are all (practically) the same alloy. The Molybdenum and Cobalt in K390 is probably just there to make it a High Speed steel: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_speed_steel which allows it to retain hardness at high heat (Red-Hardness), such as for use in drill bits. Different foundries have different PM processes, but the biggest difference between the three is probably going to be in the heat treat by the knife maker.

I agree with you on the no name steels. Though I have been slightly impressed by the Ozark Trail folders believe it or not. Not a bad knife to beat the crap out of.

Awesome video! My new steel bible.

Thank you -- cool video; useful points of reference! Could you provide an 'evolved' opinion on ZDP-189's corrosion resistance, Pete? Will a very sharp ZDP-189 *cutting edge* (Spyderco) hold up well against deterioration due to *corrosion* , especially in the case of a folder kept for a longer period of time inside an EDC day pack or messenger bag? Thanks!

Have you considered doing cut tests for ZT's CPM-20CV now that it's their main steel? I remember when their S35VN performed poorly and I'm curious how they would do with CPM-20CV. Would also love to see a cut test for CPM-20CV with the Bos heat treat which you can find on SK Blades editions of the 110 called the Silver Fox.

Good list Pete. Wanted to add that N695 is the inferior steel to N690/N690Co due to its added cobalt - similar to a BDZ1 to BD1, but not to that extent. Agree not to pay too much for either 'N' steels. Surprised Maxamet wasn't in the top row though

Outstanding video mate!

Fine list (no hate) and I get that this is basically just edge retention and then other factors after, but I would have liked to have seen a more overall judgement and including price, how easy something is to sharpen, how stain resistant, etc. as a bit more of a factor.

Is X50CRMOV15 good steel for kitchen knife, or in general?

This is your best video. Can you make this an annual thing?

Nice video! I would prob put 52100 slightly higher in C and I could definitely see S35VN and XHP being A tier as well

Only one question about it. Why is 4v so far away from vanadis 4e , since they are so similar?

Curious where Hap40 and Superblue would rank in your estimation?

That A tier got pretty packed!

What do think about WR Case’s tru sharp stainless?

Need an updated list!

Hap 40 ? How does it rank

Uhhh Petie, it's been 2 years can you please give us an updated list! I would like to know where S45vn stands. Thanks you are the best!

Lol all my favorite work steels are bottom tier : h1, 52100, n690, 1095, 420hc, vg10, aebl, 440c Although his a class is top tier Forsure: love me maxamet, m390, k390. Lol yeah I use a lot of steels New favorite super steel has to be magnacut for its balance

Great video idea loved it

Noob question: where does S35VN fall? Is it part of something that is already there? Maybe I missed it. There are a lot of numbers on that screen.

Informative & helpful, especially coming from a guy whose obsession with practical testing makes his opinions on blade steels as reliable as anyone else in the knife geek sphere. I was surprised with a few of the results, like seeing Elmax rank higher than S110V; the latter has performed well in terms of edge retention, & Elmax has issues with corrosion resistance, at least according to a couple isolated RU-vid tests I've seen. Maybe separate tiers would be appropriate for these steels in terms of application... i.e. folders & fixed blades. Toughness isn't as important for folders, while edge retention & stainless properties clearly are.

I'm satisfied with your tier list. I personally would rate edge retention then toughness then rust resistance , but thats just me. You can only rate them based on your own experience ( lot more than mine ) & the priorities for your use. Overall very informative , thanks.

What's up with cmp 4v being way down from vanadis 4e? It's the same steel pretty much.

blade steel tier list ❌ edge retention tier list ✅

Why there's no CTS BD1N? What tier does it fall under?

😵‍💫🙄 Back watching this again. 🧐 Well organized data. 💯

Great vid!

Based on edge retention I agree, for hunting vanadis4E, M4, Elmax, cruwear and m390 variants maybe. Everything else in A and S is useless in my opinion. For camping and such I would limit myself to 3v, 4v, elmax, sleipner, cruwear, A2, 80crv2 and even though I’ve not had very good experience based on other people maybe M4, large chopper I would limit myself to the tough low edge retention easy to sharpen steels and everything else for folders. The A and S tiers seem great until you have to reprofile them or take out a large chip.

Any thoughts about Latrobe LSS PGK?

best steel for a straight razor?

Where would you rate hap 40 and bd1n?

Have you updated this with Magnacut?

I have a knife with s30v and it has held up very well and I am very rough on it I have swam in the gulf with no rust and it holds an edge very well