An excellent presentation. It's so refreshing to watch a video where one can actually learn something. I only wish there were more like you on KZfaq. Thank you.

The sheath is another big factor to consider regarding rust. In wet conditions, a leather sheath can hold moisture far longer than kydex. Even when treated, leather will hold more moisture than kydex. which leads to rust, especially with carbon steel. I personally own both and do not notice much of a difference. A Buck (420HC) knife is SS, but easy to field sharpen. It is a sticky subject and people have strong opinions about this topic. I am just glad to have any knife out in the woods.

Thank you so much for this video, really helped me out. I was already opting for carbon, but had some doubts.

Great comparison. If you want to protect your carbon steel blade from rust you can use Autosol metal polish) you can get it from car shops in the UK) Its great at preventing rust as it puts a coat of wax on the steel and its also food safe. I use it on all my knives before they leave my workshop. You can also use it on a leather strop as a very fine grinding compound, it puts a sickly sharp edge on your knife. Great video atb.

I have been a carbon luvr lately as the history of broken stainless blades has bothered me. The roll over and quick fix only works once before it chips has frustrated me. Carbon just works! Hot vinegar patina when new after a scotch brite scrubbing and alcohol rinse including handle is great! A yearly touchup is quick and easy. I use vegi oil and my 2 part beezwax, 3 part coconut oil preservative for winter storage.

Thanks for this great information!

Excellent info my friend-got to make a good ferro rod part of basics, thanks

I like this comparison.

Very interesting, thank you from France

Thanks bud! Great vid! Your info helped me a lot! =)

Great video

Great video. I took the plunge and went carbon steel they aren't hard to maintain and a little rust won't stop me ;).

I'm planning to carry a hcs fixed blade as my bush craft and a stainless steel as my food knife.

Thanks for the good discussion. It seems, carbon steel loving folks don't appreciate/understand the need for stainless, until they become exposed to a constantly damp and/or salty environment. I live the the Pacific NW USA near the ocean, and a carbon knife can rust easily even when not used. Maintenance is important but it is a bother if you use knives only periodically. Also, from what I know, many early stainless steels had issues with hardness and sharpening (which continues to negatively influence some perspectives). As you said, modern stainless steels are better now. I use both types of knife steels. I would prefer carbon steel, but since I moved near the ocean, my environment continues to influence me to favor stainless. Thanks again for the discussion. =)

I have a buck model 278 and Im very curious about whether or not it will throw a spark from a piece of flint

For the carbon rust thing I personally wipe it on my shirt every time The knife comes in contact with something wet and I clean it and oil it every week is that a good routine

I like the video but I disagree on one point. Carbon steel does not hold a better edge. If you look at the part of the carbon knife that will rust first it's the edge. Because it's thin and not protected. Any oxidation on the edge will dull it. Carbon steel will form oxidation all the time and rust can appear on the edge after only two hours. Of course a little stropping will remove the oxidation and your good to go again. But it's the same with stainless. Strop your knife at the end of the day just using your leather belt and the knife stays sharp all the time. I always carry two knives in the bush. One stainless for food prep and small whittling tasks with a very sharp and more delicate edge and one carbon with a different more robust edge for the rough work like batoning. This way I can be out in the bush a month without ever having to use a sharpening stone but just my leather belt for some stropping.

Thanks mate! looking into making my own knife and was wondering what metal to use..

SO many times I've heard people 'claim' that "only a carbon steel blade can produce sparks from a fire steel" (they actually mean a ferrocerium rod, no one tries to use their knife as the fire steel). People just spewing what they 'heard' without knowing what they're talking about, sadly. Don't mean you specifically, most of this is 'generally speaking'. You are correct, anything with a sharp edge and hard enough will throw sparks off a ferrocerium rod; glass, rocks, aluminum, ceramic...as long as it's harder then the rod and sharp enough to 'shave' the material off the rod it'll work. Never understood why people think they'll be unable to spark a rod unless they have a carbon steel blade with a 90 degree edge. That's simply ludicrous thinking to believe one should FREEZE cuz their knife doesn't meet someone else's standard (often a misinformed standard at that). And the whole 'has to have a 90 degree edge' is inaccurate as well. The edge just has to be sharp enough, 90 just happens to be an easy angle for the back of a knife. 120 degree obtuse edge can still spark a 'ferro rod', if its a good clean sharp edge. It's simply easier to do with a 90 then an angle larger then 90 and of course so much easier with an edge sharper then 90 degrees. WHY do all these 'preppers', bushcrafters, knife 'experts' keep saying 90? If you don't have a sharp edge on the back of your knife, use the damn cutting edge, it'll DESTROY that 'ferro rod' in no time throwing masses of sparks (use the cutting edge as a last resort, a fire is infinately more important the the tiny little loss of edge on your knife, you'll still have the REST of the blade to cut with). As one of your commenters already brought up, the heat treatment of a steel has a lot more to do with the edge retention and sharpening of a blade, then what it's made from. An HRC55 CS isn't going to stand up to a HRC60 SS, but that SS is going to take more work to sharpen, its HARDER, duh. And the same applies if the HRCs were reversed...harder blade, harder to sharpen. Like anything else, tents vs hammocks, big knives vs axes, flat grind vs scandi, survival vs bushcraft....carbon vs stainless...what works for one person doesn't mean its for everyone, nor is what works for 'everyone' necessarily the best choice for one person. It's only a valid debate when 'everyone' is in SAME situation (enviroment, budget, training, experience)...and we're NEVER exactly the same. The person that uses their knife frequently ( the weekly bushcrafter/suvivalist, the instructor, the 3 season camper) and can keep up with the maintenance might be best served by CS...the guy that only gets out when the weather is nice but the knife resides in a drawer in its sheath the other 96% of the year might be better off with SS (as might those in damp enviroments more then dryer ones). Fact: (and I hope all these 'experts' are reading) what works for 'you' (the 'experts') doesn't mean your opinion of which is the 'best' steel for your situation counts for a single ounce of creditbiity for anyone else...but yet, few 'experts' preceed their opinion with 'for me' or 'in my case' or 'where I live', but rather they preceed their opinion with 'THIS IS THE BEST' or 'EVERYONE SHOULD BUY' or 'WORLD'S GREATEST'. Well, bubble bursting time, NO THEY AREN'T!!! They are 'that' for YOU. What is 'that' for me, I'll determine myself. Please, let me know what you like, why you like it...but GOD don't try to convince me what you think is what I need. (generally speaking to all the 'experts', not the author of this video) Another fact, regardless what kind of steel, what kind of grind, what kind of edge, what tool..."The best tool for the job is the one you have with you, not the one you left at home" Thumbs up for a RATIONAL video on the topic of 'steels'

Sorry, but you miss the acctual state of art in many aspects. 1. How come carbon steel can hold an edge longer and be easier to sharpen in the same time, since both sharpenning and wearing of the blade is based on the same mechanism - abrasion. Miracle? No, if something is easier to sharpen, will get gull faster. I will not go into structural aspects of the steels, but this mentioned above relation between sharpenning abbility and wearing abbility it's a fact. Of course when comparing steels of the same grade. 2. Mora bushcrafl black is not covered with any epoxy but DLC coating. DLC means Diamond-Like Carbon. It's extremely durable coating created by deposition of caron vapors via plasma transport. It's chemically inert and reduces the friction. You welcome!

With all things the same, like your carbon content, a stainless steel knife will stay sharper longer than a carbon steel knife because chromium carbides are several magnitudes harder than iron carbides. It'll take longer to sharpen it, but it will resist where much better than an equally crafted carbon steel knife.

Edge retention also depends on the heat treatment used by the company.

I love my opinel scalpell no8 ♡ have the inox blade will get carbon soon

how about carbon steel and 3v for bushcraft, or a few days outdoors, which would you prefer?

Will 420hc throw a spark off a piece of flint? In theory it should since even though its technically stainless steel it is also high carbon steel.... Am i right?

I enjoy the content in your videos but I have just one friendly suggestion. The volume level of your videos (all the ones I have viewed anyway) is quite low. At least your vocals are. I have no trouble hearing the ambient background noises. Perhaps to you this isn't the case. You do already know what you were saying in the video after all, so it's easy for you to hear the words when you re-watch the video. Also, those who know you will have no trouble understanding you. For the rest of us, you have a quiet, fast, accented voice. It is always better for us to turn down the volume & enjoy your video at this end than turn the volume to maximum & have to strain throughout the entire video to hear what you are saying. Perhaps for future videos you can move the camera closer, use a mike or just speak clearly & speak up. I don't want to miss anything you have to say, thank-you. Cheers.

Nice EKA btw

Amazing commentary but couldn't hear it well.

Carbon cut better it's easier to sharpen and it's more tought BUT if you take the best type of staintless like VG10 or Elmax it's an other strory

Opinel.. an man of culture.

I cannot say that I am a big fan of mora. Had mora robust and 2000 carbon and stainless steel, both got chipping after chopping small portions of oak. Wish I could upload pictures in the comments. I know it’s only £10-15 but even simple kitchen knife didn’t chip when I attempted to do the same.

Cody Lundin said that a carbon steel knifes edge can only handle a day of use before needing to be sharpened, so no carbon steel will not hold its edge longer.

Everyone says victorinox saks are easy to sharpen, as I understand they are stainless. I also thought stainless steels were tougher.

I honestly think this comes down to personal preference and not being a dick to the things you use everyday. I prefer carbon it's easier to sharpen it does NOT hold an edge especially when it's compared to stainless. In regards to the rust problem as long as you can dry the blade within an hour you're generally good to go. Helps to oil it as well like once a week but if you don't have access to oil. Doesn't matter to much as long as the blade is not fully submerged. But if I was forced into an environment where I'm drenched for more than an hour Stainless is the way to go. I generally go by the rule if I'm going to be wet the knife is going to be wet. So If I can't get dry within an hour I'm not bringing a carbon blade but in a "survival" setting or just the back country. I would personally bring carbon the logic behind this is if you're in that type of setting and you're not getting dry/warm within an hour you're flat out not making it out of there. If you somehow do you're coming out fucked up just like the blade of your knife. The other reasoning behind it is carbon is much much easier to field sharpen. Anyways, great topic love seeing other peoples' opinions and reasoning.

I grew up hunting and fishing and once I got my first fancy $200 carbon knife it rusted because I didn't know what I was doing. The problem is that once I did know what I was doing, carbon can still get away from you. It just can. You can be out for 10 days and be aware of it and have it still rust on you in wet weather. Stainless wont get you that toughness that tool steel can but it's darn close and worth the trade off. If you are hunting locally for a day or weekend and plan on dressing multiple animals then a good tool steel will give you a more long lasting edge. If you are fishing or out for extended periods then SS is the only way to go. Then again, all the old mountain men used to carry butcher knives until the Bowie knife and even then most couldn't justify the cost of one. They would barter for a cooks knife and those were all obviously carbon steel. They managed.

Just put a patina and it is ok

Just got a Helle Knife, High Carbon Steel Edge which is coated with Stainless Steel

I like carbon steel.

You don't need to oil a carbon steel knife, just make sure to clean it at the end of the day

stainless is ALWAYS a compromise. carbon is the way go go

So carbon is better?

Carbon is better

Stainless will rust and will pit sometimes even worse than carbon steel.

Say Heah M8, I just commissioned W. C. to make me the Master Woodsman in the CPM 154, talk to William Collins about the CPM 154 Stainless, I got the stainless for snowy and wet day trips. Actually I'm very impressed with my S30V's and 3V's and my CPM 154's Oh, Don't get me wrong, I have some great carbon 52100 and my 1095 CroVan's and 5160's, But some of the new stainless is easy to sharpen and hold great edge retention. I really like my Mora 2000 in the 12c27 and its Dual Grind also my Stromeng Bhuku STAK, same with my SISU and the San Mai 3's, I guess it depends on who makes them, Will Collins does a great job with his CPM 154 Tempering, But I luv a good knife and I have both.

Stop the knife sounds!!

This would have been a good video 40 years ago when there weren’t good stainless steel knives around. You can buy stainless knives that are vastly superior in every aspect (except please of sharpening) to carbon steel knives. I know you are making generalisations to streamline the video, but really you generalise to the point that your video loses its validity

sharpening a high carbon steel knife is easier than stainless? lol.

I absolutely love when someone says, yea but carbon steel rusts. It makes me just laugh and laugh. If rusts was a legitimate issue for blades or firearms, we'd never have been able to develop into the most powerful nation ever in the entire history of mankind until 1940 when we started to use stainless steel for knives and guns. It's a stupid argument made by stupid people.