Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades A-2 steel

Looking at a fixed blade knife with A-2 steel. Does anyone have any knowledge of this material?

All I know is its a high carbon steel.

Hoot

Ogle...er, I mean Google is your friend. You'll get more info than you care to read.


Here's a good starting point regarding knife steels:

The knife steel FAQ

Sorry....can't reply right now: busy ogling!

I have made several knives from A2. I think it is a good steel. It will rust just like D2 and has about the same chemical makeup as D2. I still say...it's all in how a blade is heat treated. ATS-34 holds an excellent edge if heat treated properly and if you temper it at the right temperature to keep the rockwell around 58-60, it makes it easy to resharpen too.
Just my 2 cents worth!!!!

Lee Perkins

What were we talking about?

Oh yeah! Great info Wmac. Thanks.

A2 has some pretty good qualities if you're looking for toughness and something easier to sharpen. It will stain, but not like 0-1 or 1095.

It has 5.25% chromium, 1% carbon, .25% vanadium. D2 is 11.5% chromium, .8% vanadium, 1.5% carbon.

I'd look into CPM 3V, it has incredible edge toughness and just needs a clean and dry to keep the stains away. Has 7.5% chromium, .8% carbon, with 2.75% vanadium. I have knives in all three steels (plus a few more), I think CPM 3V is the toughest of the bunch.

Lee Perkin's, What is you're favorite steel for knifemaking.
Coop

Personally.....I like D2. It is a great all around steel but, the problem is...IT IS EXPENSIVE AS H#((. It really has become ridiculously high. But, I also like ATS-34 as long as it is heat treated properly. When you start looking at the similarities between ATS, D2, A2, 154CM, BG42....they are alot alike. If you want to see how close some are to each other..go to AdmiralSteel.com and look under blade steel and it has the breakdown on everything. I have made knives from A2, D2, ATS-34, 154CM and (1) knife from 440C. All of them held a good edge and were easy to resharpen. But, again...it's how you heat treat a knife and also how it is ground. If you grind a knife and it tapers down to a nice thin edge, it will be easier to resharpen. If it tapers down to a real thick edge...the harder it is after you have sharpened it several times. You have to remember that every time you sharpen a knife, you are removing a little bit more steel and the higher up you get on a thicker edge ..the harder it is going to be to sharpen it.
Okay, after saying all of that. If I had to choose one steel, I would probably choose ATS-34 because it is more rust and stain RESISTANT. D2 would definately be a very close 2nd choice.
Thanks,
Lee Perkins

Here's some more stuff on knife steels:

Blade steel information

Steel Guide

The most important thing to remember when choosing a knife is NOT which steel it was made from, but whether the maker knows how to use that particular steel to get the best attributes and performance from it.

Believe it or not, the steels (such as A2) that were once used to make premium knives did not turn to [bleep] with the advent of the new powdered metals like S30V. They're as good as they ever were.

My self, I dont care if it stains as long as its sharp. I like a pretty knife as much as the next guy, But sharpness is what its all about.

I remember when my Grandfathers old yellow handled Case xx trapper wore out. He went down to the hardware store and bought a new one with the same CV blades. Brought it home and stuck the blades in a Grapefruit for a few days to get the shine off the blades.

The blades were black after that.

WMacD
Well put.
mrk