Medford uses CPM D2. This powder metal version of D2 provides better edge retention and toughness over the ingot D2 used with many budget knives.

My opinion after decades of playing with sharp and pointy stuff is that whatever the name or number they give the steel, it depends on the heat treat as to whether or not the blade will perform in the way you want it to. I despise 420, HC or not but from 440A ( works for RR) upwards, if the heat treat is reasonable then the knife will be useable. I have found D2 to vary incredibly but is almost as good as anything else when made well, it is after all an extremely common industrial tool steel that has to perform. The SVs all seem to be good, N690 I find is a good every day hard use steel because I can re-sharpen it fairly easily. M390 pretty hard to beat as is S90V. One of the best knives I have that take a hammering(not quite literally) in my workshop is a D2 Pena Trapper and my CPM S30V PK70. A very honourable mention for Rough Rider's T10 carbon which I use for whitlling hard woods like almond and olive. Heat treating is the bit that adds a lot of cost to manufacturing so a steel may be genuine as far as the name but performance may not always be as good as you might expect. I could go on......

That terravantium zipslip looks sweet

I’m not picky when it comes to steel, but I like to learn about them so I know what to expect when it comes to maintenance. Cheers, and have a great day, my friend.

I'm lazy and I use a cheap 400/600 grit sharpener off Amazon so N690 and 440C will probably always be my favourites. Couple minutes and I can get a decent edge freehand, even if it's not the prettiest (definitely left some scratches down one side of my Real Steel Luna when I started out 😅) but all my knives are users so I don't care. I've got a slightly dubious sideflipper en-route from AliExpress that's meant to be Carbon Fibre and M390 but for £25+shipping I'm skeptical to say the least but I guess I'll find out how it holds up. It's single-edged, under 3" and it's a non-locking detent knife so should be a nice stylish UK EDC, assuming plod don't seize it at customs because it looks slightly like a stiletto 😤

For me my favourite steel for sharpening and getting an amazing edge is boker 440c For edge retention I like the mkm m390 and hinderer 20cv Hope mkm make a cool knife with m390 soon maybe like the fara but a bit beefier N690 happens to be my least favourite steel but so far my main experience with it has been my viper Dan 2 and for how beautiful and expensive the knife is I wish they would have used a better steel

I'm surprised you didn't mention the 440 series of steel...

My experience with kizers S35VN is excellent. The factory edge didn’t last long but I’m still on the edge I put on after a brief session on my Arkansas stones. I only carry it once a week but it’s still in great condition. Currently trying out some 3V steel in a kizer critical mini. Not sure what I think about it yet, bought it for whittling and cardboard cutting.

Man, I wish that had been 30 minutes long, or a 3 part series perhaps. I got the feeling so much of your knowledge was being throttled in the name of brevity. For example, you mentioned some steels, vg10, were really easy to sharpen, so I'd love to have known what it was possible to sharpen each steel with. From the edge of the stone step and back of my belt, my preference as a kid - to dedicated sharpening equipment. Is vg10 really easy to sharpen? I'm new to this, but I'm currently trying to put a fresh edge on a vg10 blade and it is turning into a chore. Wrong equipment I suspect.

Do you have an opinion on s110v vs s90v? I have the UKPK in 110v and the wasp + the new urban in 90v but I have not used any of them enough to see if I prefer one over the other. I think S30v is a great mix of toughness, easy to sharpen and edge retention, so is probably my overall favourite of the three, though the other two do obviously have greater edge retention.

What do you use to sharpen harder steels like S90v and how difficult do you find s90v to sharpen, especially the Manly Wasp? Cheers 👍

Opinel use 12c27 in their stainless knives. Not a bad steel for such inexpensive knives.

8:50 what's this one? I feel better steel doesn't always translate into better experience. I got a UKPK in s110v, cannot sharpen it on my Lansky with ceramic stones for the life of me, such a bummer. Any pros near Berlin? Thanks for the content!

did you get rid of you s110v ukpk?