Get To Know Your Steel

Which steel is the best for me???

At Precision Knives we are mad about knives, but we know how confusing it can be to find the right fit for you. So many different factors play a part in creating a good knife, but it’s safe to say that the quality of the metal itself is certainly one of the most important. With that in mind we have created this guide to help you choose the best steel for your needs.

Firstly, we feel that it is important to state that a new knife should be as much about your own personal style and what catches your eye as it should be about the ‘tech specs’. That being said, it would be remiss of us to not break down the advantages and disadvantages of the different steels out there. And just so you are aware, all of the steel used in the products we sell was forged in Japan by two of the most prestigious manufacturers in the world, The Aichi Steel Corp in Tokai and Takefu Special Steel.

Why do I keep seeing HRC listed on your products?

Steel hardness is graded using the Rockwell Hardness scale which gives each product an official HRC rating. The higher the rating, the harder the steel. Many European knives are made from softer steels hovering around 56HRC, you will find that Japanese steels tend to be far harder, often 58-59HRC, with the higher end blades even moving into 60+. One isn't necessarily ‘better’ than the other when it comes to harder or softer, but if you go too extreme either way then there are soon trade-offs which can hamper performance and longevity.

The harder steels will display extremely high resistance to permanent deformation, they will resist rolling or bending in thin geometries which then allows for a very thin edge to be created effectively. You will tend to find that higher end kitchen knives such as the super 5 or Damascus ranges will be deliberately harder, allowing for incredible cutting ability and extended times between needing to re-sharpen. On the flipside, hard steel can take longer to sharpen for that reason and is more prone to chipping if not handled with care. Generally speaking, when hardness goes up toughness goes down, so if you have a habit of dropping your kitchenware onto hard surfaces then you may want to consider a slightly softer steel. That said simple care of any knife in our range will leave you a kitchen tool that will serve you well and be a pleasure to use for years. 

Hardness Vs Toughness!

Now that we know the advantages of harder steels we need to decide if its hardness or toughness you are looking for in your new knife. 

As mentioned earlier, a higher hardness of the steel means you will normally lose some of its toughness. Toughness relates to the steels ability to resist chipping and or breaking, softer steels tend to be naturally tougher as they can spread the force of impacts more effectively throughout the material.  A harder steel though will give you better edge retention, scratch resistance, and can be sharpened to a tighter angle, but often takes longer to sharpen and could be damaged if dropped from height onto anything hard.

A good knife steel in our opinion should have a balance of both hardness and toughness to give you a long-lasting knife that is a pleasure to use and can be displayed for years. All of the knives we sell provide an excellent balance of properties, but crucially to us, they are hard enough to prevent constant sharpening, but not so hard that you need to worry about damaging the knife if you accidentally banged it.

So which steel do I go with....and which is which?

AUS-8 is a mid-upper range Japanese stainless steel which gives a great all-round performance and offers superb value for money. Vanadium is added to the steel to provide additional hardness; this steel offers good edge retention, strength and strong resistance to corrosion. Easy to sharpen, this steel is my personal choice at home and is ideal busy households where consistent carefree use is required every day. Products we offer in this range are the Okinawa, Mad Bull, Arny, Shadow, Kaiju, and MO-V with blade harnesses around 58-59 on the HRC scale.

AUS-10, This steel is produced by Aichi Steel in the Japanese city of Tokai. Due to its high carbon content, it is the hardest steel in the AUS range and considered a premium product.  AUS-10 steel boasts an impressive blade hardness when treated by skilled smiths which helps with edge retention. The big advantage with AUS-10 knives is that the added vanadium and chromium within the steel means that unlike equally hard ‘high carbon non-stainless’ steels, they will not corrode and begin to rust if not meticulously cared for. Our AUS-10 ranges often make the perfect addition to any chef or serious home cook looking to add a precision tool to their arsenal. We offer several Damascus ranges which use AUS10 at their core with a HRC rating of 61, and are hand sharpened for a professional finish.

VG-10 is considered an exceptional Japanese steel and is available in some of our premium ranges such as the Super5. Displaying excellent edge retention, VG-10 is an incredible steel which is high in carbon and chromium, making it near stainless, giving excellent corrosion resistance along with a high hardness. Unlike many other harder materials though, VG-10 also performs well when tested for toughness, making it an exceptional all-rounder.

Damascus steel dates back to around 300 AD and is formed by welding many layers of different steel billets together in a twisting folding manner, giving each knife a unique pattern once polished. Damascus steel is often created using a softer steel layered into the harder metal, making it incredibly tough whilst also retaining the major benefits of the hard steel such as a very sharp, fold resistant edge. For many though, the major selling point of Damascus knives is their beauty, which we can’t argue with. Our range of Damascus knives includes the Super 5 with 5 layers of VG-10 steel, or the Pro-S lunar and Damascus series both boasting 67 layers of hand worked VG-10.