KnifeCenter FAQ #199: The Best Budget Knife Steels

Is there still a place in the knife world for D2 steel? Plus, key things to look for in a yard knife, the origin of pocket clips, and two of the best fidget-factor knives.

Featured Knives

00:00 Intro
00:43 The Best of the Budget Steels
13:45 Has MagnaCut Invalidated Earlier Steels?
15:25 Damyr’s Buried Treasure: Rapid Rope
17:34 Best ESEE Yard Work Knife
19:25 Fidget Factor Knives
20:33 First Wire Pocket Clip
21:23 Fighting Mosquitos

#KniFAQ #KnifeCenter

Social Links:

Sign up for our newsletter:

Browse our full catalog:

[danmontgomery.]

The first knife to feature a wire pocket clip was the "C01 Worker" produced by Spyderco. In 1981, Spyderco introduced the concept of a pocket clip on a folding knife, essentially making Spyderco the first company to widely implement the wire pocket clip on a knife.

[CarterSchonwald]

You overlooked an important mosquito choice: dragonflys eat them too! So maybe the dragonfly two in k390 or mythical edition in lc200n or magnacut

[MikeyD]

D2 used to be tough to sharpen but with modern Diamond Sharpening Stones for around $50-$60 you can easily sharpen any steel to hair whittling sharp in under a minute. Diamond stones have changed the game. No factory edge is as sharp as one I can make in 60 seconds.

[zdbrownie]

I bought an R2D2 to use as a work knife a 3-4 years ago and as someone who had never sharpened knives before I bought a Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener and found it quite easy to put a good sharp edge back on it. Not sure why people believe it to be hard to sharpen.

[kevinmc]

No reason to choose D2 when 14C28N has nearly the same wear-resistance and is many times tougher. It's also easier to sharpen. The corrosion resistance is bonus. 14C28N is in the same family as 13C26, AEB-L, and 420HC -- they all have similar properties, though 14C28N is the best of these. Nitro V was meant to be an improved AEB-L but loses a lot of toughness in exchange for a little wear-resistance. 14C28N manages to gain both wear-resistance and corrosion resistance, all without losing any toughness.

[Gringorican]

22:53 favorite budget knife steals probably 14C28N. It can be heat treated to hold an edge as long as s30v, is way tougher, and cost less. In a way it's budget Magnacut.

[Limicola]

I've long been a fan of Bob Dozier knives and his primary steel was D2. I have a drawer full of Bob's knives and never had a problem sharpening them. Bob often demonstrated how to sharpen his knives and he used diamond sharpening stones which makes sharpening D2 as easy to sharpen any other steel. Also, over the years my D2 knives have showed very little inclination to rust. Most say it is semi-stainless but it takes very little extra care to keep them rust free. Also, I'm loving the popularity of Magnacut because as the clamor increases, the cost of knives with steels that are just as good (or nearly so--we can argue the point) can often be purchased at a bargain. E.g., l love my red-handled Griptillian in 20CV that I paid (IIRC) around $99 for--a great deal from KCI! I also think that there are enough videos out there now showing that Magnacut can be "chippy" when sharpened to a fine edge so I'm not worshiping at that altar just yet. I have one Magnacut knife and that's a good plenty.

[toddp]

In my opinion David is the best knowledgeable personality in the industry and a knife designer too. Keep up all the great work!

[yesh]

Spyderco's premier steel used to be VG-10, and Benchmade's was D2 or 154CM. I still like them and even 440C or ATS34. I find the heat treatment varies on D2. I am just a casual user/collector.

[barrystarr]

Ontario rocks with their knives, just got their new 1.5 with Magnacut Steel and it comes shaving sharp, after stropping just a little it shaves nicely. For a price tag below a 100 bucks it is a nice addition to anyone's collection.

[MrFomhor]

14C28N is still THE budget royalty! Though DC53 & RPM9 are no slouches.

[The_RC_Guru]

I love d2 and 14c. Quick and easy to sharpen on my diamond stone and take a screaming edge that lasts pretty well. And they don’t cost a fortune. I probably have a dozen thatre d2 and 14c.

[blazintahoess]

If you are interested in picking up the Nice Guy by Kizer, it is also offered in D2 and Nitro V at a price range of $29 to $59. I have learned to keep D2 Worker Bee's (highly recommend the Ontario RAT 2) and 154CM EDC (anything Kizer or O'knife has been a phenomenal). Looking forward to seeing more of this series.

[Itrieditathome]

Very good point on carbide size and grindability, stuff like 10v and 15v is actually quite easy to sharpen because the carbides are literally smaller than red blood cells.

[DampActionRC]

I absolutely love my Kizer Cormorant and I'm glad you showcased one for the fidget factor. It is my most favorite fidget knife. Sadly they don't make the fat carbon and elmax version anymore but still a great knife. Sharp out of the box too! Thank you DCA and Thomas

[natebrown]

Man, I've seen quite a few of your videos now, and I really like how you put your words together: articulate, objective, methodical. Also, tell your cameraman he had me rolling when he said "subject to speed."

I'm only recently back to buying knives, and I've never purchased a d2 knife, but I admit I'm a bit cold towards it. I live in an arid climate, so the lower chromium isn't necessarily a deal breaker, but the extra hardness feels like overkill for my needs. I'm far from the best knife sharpener you'll ever meet. I've only used 14c28n and ar9rpm so far, but I probably overall prefer the latter. They're both plenty sharp, but I live in a boring city with a big river, so I spend alotta time on or near the water. All that extra chromium sounds like music to my ears.

[jeffcon]

As a vacuum heat treat specialist… d2 and dc53 are 2 SOLID. If you can get 59-61 hrc… your in business


I prefer it over most

[c.garison]

For yardwork, nothing beats my BK9 to hack small limbs and my 10" Silky saw to cut the bigger stuff. This kit is so handy that I keep it tossed behind my seat in the truck when I am on the road.

[Biomass]

Carried that same R2D2 for about 4 years and replaced it woth a denim Penguin about 4 years ago. Both D2. I always have that Penguin in my left pocket as it's my work knife. My right pocket changes. For the last week it's been my Benchmade 940-2. I like a fine toothy on my D2 for work, works great.

[charlesperry]

I have several knives with D2 steel. If you take care of your knives, the lack of "stainless" is not really an issue. It may take a little more effort to sharpen them, but they perform great once sharpened. I have high tech steels also, but I don't mind D2 at all.