How Good is D2 Steel Knife Blades?

D2 is a good tool steel. It is a carbon steel so it will rust (like 1095, et.al.) and heat treatment is important to get the most out of it. It’s good for general purpose and sharpens well and takes a very fine edge. I personally like good carbon steels like 1095, D2, O1 (Cold Steels Carbon V is great), and the crucible steels like CPM154 for that reason. Some of the newer steels like VG10, S30V hold an edge, take a beating, and are corrosion resistant, but wear out up my stones so I went to diamond for those. I mainly do cutlery, but some pocket knives.

I haven’t got a new knife in a few years, so most of my Spydercos are VG10, S30V, H1 or ZDP 89. No one is more cutting edge when it comes to blade steels than Spyderco and that’s great. I always enjoyed trying out the latest and greatest wonder steels but it’s really not all that important. Give me a well made, well designed knife with good ergonomics and a half way decent rust resistant steel with a good heat treatment, a thin full flat ground blade that cuts well and I’m happy.

I got a para 3 recently and I have to say im impressed. I love the frn handle, it makes it feel like the old clipit delicas. Steel is very impressive and the compression lock is the best lock imo

If you like the Para series knives check out the Spyderco smock ! its the knife that replaced my previous daily the para 2, the fit and finish along with a button compression lock the fidget factor is through the roof !

Right on, with the price increases of the Delica the Para 3 is pretty much better in every way for a very close price. Better steel (vs non-sprint run Delicas) and better locking. IIRC the Delica doesn’t have a deep-carry clip stock either.

Para 3 lightweight is a phenomenal pocket knife, it errs on the side of light use (being so lightweight albeit sturdy) so I try to swap it out for outdoors and construction focused days. Mine gets a workout and is aging fairly well, have pulled apart, cleaned and lubed once, would recommend to get the action tuned in.

I agree. Fancy super steels are cool but I’m fine with VG-10. Good ergonomics and great cutting geometry matter a lot. Two of my recent favorites are the Tangram Santa Fe in Acuto 440 and the Kizer Mini Domin in N690. Both feel good in my hand. Both have thin slicey blades. The Mini Domin’s 0.10” blade stock really helps it to slide through material.

BTW, did you see that Spyderco has an exclusive blade steel now?

I have a nice folder with a D2 blade. A sub $25 one from China. VERY well made for the price. I honed the D2 blade a bit and it’s super sharp. I’ve cut fine slices of ginger with it. Also lemon. Those are caustic. But even after letting the knife sit for a good 10 mins before rinsing off & drying, I noticed no spotting. No rust whatsoever.

We have a fellow goes by the name Tahr on the hunting and shooting forum nz, he’s one of the knife lovers.
He also has a fine collection of bark river knives some in D2.
What I understand is what others have said, true D2 ( not nock off steel posing as D2) holds a good edge, but doesn’t like bone.Mostly I just strop on leather strip 2”wide and 24 ” long glued to a board and Polishing paste to sharpen my knives.
Do it regularly and shouldn’t need serious touch up work for sometime.
KH

Then its simply not D2…

I have not been keeping up on the latest Spyderco steels, though they are always ground breaking when it comes to steel. I remember that Spyderco was the first or among the first to make folding knives in a bunch of steels: Gin 1, CPM440V, ATS55, VG10, CPM S30V, ZDP-89, H1 to name a few.

Spderco knives I like: Stretch, UKPK and Calypso JR LW, all of these lock your hand into the handle for a comfortable and secure grip and have thin full flat grinds that really slice. And with Spyderco the steel is always good with no worries when it comes to heat treatment.

I’ve been educating myself a bit on knife steels. It’s really very fascinating. There’s so many combinations of factors. But there’s one you can’t avoid: one factor being stronger is usually a trade-off on weakening another factor.

Blade HQ has an excellent Knife Steel Guide.

PREMIUM: M390, CTS-204P, CPM-20CV, CPM-M4, CPM-S90V, CPM-S110V, Elmax
HIGH-END: CPM-154, CPM-3V, CPM-4V, CPM-S30V, CPM-S35VN, CTS-XHP, LC200N
MID-RANGE: 1095, 154CM, A2, D2, H1, O1, N690, VG-10
BUDGET: 400 Series, AUS-8, CTS-BD1, Sandvik Series, Others

Some people are calling D2 “budget…” but seems that needs to be qualified by the source. Unknown heat treatment D2 from China? Very likely budget. Quality heat treatment German D2? Very likely mid-tier. Curious enough, D2 has been around since WWII.

At this point I have two D2 knives. Both came from China. I don’t know for certain if they’re authentic… And actually, I suspect the sub $20 D2 knife I bought (2.5” blade) might actually be 440C. It holds an edge very well. It “feels” like it takes a few more passes to hone it close to perfection than it does on another knife I have which is 440C. But, that’s all subjective. Given the price I paid, I’m not losing sleep over it. :wink:

Btw, on the earlier post I made, the D2 knife I mentioned about not corroding… it has a coating on it. So that may have helped avoid corrosion. I don’t know if there’s a reliable & easy test to prove it, without ruining the blade (e.g. soaking in lemon juice).

Anyway, for light duty EDC, the steel grade isn’t so critical. Any fairly decently forged steel is going to do just fine cutting packages, cardboard, food, etc. Some will require more frequent honing than others. It’s when you get into heavier duty usage that the steel quality becomes a more important factor—you don’t want to skimp.

Of course, cost is always a factor. Some people don’t subscribe to paying a lot more upfront for a knife that will last much longer. It can be more attractive to go for a bargain & hope for the best. Especially when attractively designed. China is certainly trying to aggressively feed that need. While there’s flood of very affordable knives coming from China with slick designs, the one “catch” remains—how good is that steel being claimed? There are more reputable brands emerging like WE, Kizer, Artisan Cutlery, Civivi, TwoSun, etc., that are striving for good reputation and appear to be fairly trustworthy on the steel grades they claim. But then you have these other brands which… while achieving very attractive designs, seem to be doing it at a price point that doesn’t match steel grades being claimed. For instance, I saw one nicely designed folder knife on AliExpress, priced at $68, and claiming M390 steel. But then there’s other knives in the same price range labeled as D2 steel. In fact, that very knife design has a “D2” counterpart at the same price from other sellers. It seems far more likely that “M390” is really mislabeled D2… or possibly 440C. This exemplifies that trust issue.

So bottom line, maybe a really good deal on a suspect D2 knife isn’t all that worthwhile in the end. Better off paying a little more and getting something you can definitely trust.

Treated with care, D2 is a good budget steel, else it will easily rust, and you better go for 440C.
VG10 and M390 and are considered super steels. Instead of buying dozens of budget knives, buy 2-3 supersteel knifes.

Good budget stainless steels for kitchen knives are AUS-8 (Molybdenum Vanadium), 3CR13 and X50CrMoV15.

440C is a very budget steel sure it has better corrosion resistance but if you a dont like or know how to sharpen a knife then D2 would still be a better option especially since cleaning a knife isn’t hard and D2 holds its edge significantly longer than 440C. In essence 440C is just a harder to sharpen AUS-8….

VG10 is a GOOD steel no doubt, but if comparing steels its not even in the same category is M390…

There’s really no point in owning a super steel like M390, unless you’re prepared for the work & skill to sharpen properly. Some people have it just for collecting purposes. I’ve seen so many M390 knives up for sale by individuals on Blade Forums, where they’d never been sharpened or used aside from a few test cuts (if that).

Btw, VG-10 is not a “super steel.” It’s a very good one, though.

I haven’t yet developed the necessary skill to sharpen higher end steels, but what I have found is that if you’re doing mostly light duty with your knives (cutting boxes, weeds, food, etc.), no major duty like cutting/splitting wood, you can get by simply honing the edge. I have a VG-10 blade and an ATS-34 blade, both of which I’ve never put to sharpening stones. I’ve only honed them. And… they’re still very sharp!

I have come to the conclusion that a super steel has its pro’s and cons.
Sure M390 is a great steel and holds a edge very well. Leave it on a shelf or use it sparingly and the blade will stay sharp for years.
But using it as a EDC from a person who uses their knife daily and you better be prepared to spend some money on good stones or spend a half a day sharpening it.
Keep in mind that a steel that has a high HRC rating 60 or above is as hard or harder than most metal files you use to remove metal.
That’s the con with super steels, if you get the right sharpening setup for super steels that’s not a problem but it’s expensive.
To me D2 is about the middle of the road whch I prefer in a EDC where I may have to sharpen once a month. I think S30V is also a good choice for EDC although a little harder to sharpen.
Choose the steel that best suits your needs for your use, as the hardest, most durable, most corrison resistant, best edge retention steel may not be the best for your use.
Just my two cents. :slight_smile:

Budget knife sharpener

That kind of reminds me of one of these.
https://bojpro.com/products/knife-sharpener-boj
My grandmother used one for years.

A good quality D2 steel is really worthwhile. You only have to be sure to wipe the blade when done. I usually do that, as I don’t want debris getting into the body. Doesn’t take long to do. I have two Chinese manufactured blades stamped as D2. One is coated, the other raw. I had tested lemon juice & water on it for over 30 mins and didn’t see any corrosion develop, so I thought it might not be D2. But one time I left it unclean overnight, the next day there was a stain that was stubborn to remove. A “good quality” D2 that is somewhat resistant to corrosion? I haven’t had to sharpen it yet. Honed it twice thus far. Nicely sharp. I’m pleased with it. But I make sure to wipe it clean.

I have one S30V (Spyderco Vrango) that and one S35VN blade (Asher Nomad). The S35VN has been my EDC for the past 3~4 weeks. Mostly box cutting and other misc. light duty. Still very sharp. I will be curious to see how long I can go with only honing (not sharpening).

I hate* sharpening, So I tend to buy super steel knives. If you have a good diamond stone and know what you are doing they don’t take THAT LONG to sharpen. Of course this increases the cost of your new knife purchase even further if you have to buy new sharpening equipment.

*Ok, ok, hate is a little bit strong, it’s just I usually don’t realize I need to sharpen my knife until I’m already in the middle of a project. A more prepared person wouldn’t have these problems. I also spend a lot of time grinding as is and I don’t necessarily jump at the chance for more.

Short answer: 390 isn’t that bad if you have good sharpening equipment.