The 3 Best Knife Steels According To Science! || THE Knife Steel Nerd Guide To Knife Steels.

I'm embarrassed to say, but hopefully he's proud to hear, that I was under the assumption Dr. Thomas was a man in his 60s or 70s based on the 3rd party descriptions I've heard and read about his expertise, dedication to his craft and accomplishments. It's exciting to know he's a young man in the prime of his career and not some guy who finally completed Magnacut as the crowning achievement of his career.

Thanks to bring him for this short masterclass. The moment he talked about geometry was a "FINALLY!" moment. Less material hype and more info about geometry applied to everyday life task, that's the only way to get what's truly worth

My Dad was a carver/fisherman/tree man/ all around handy Guy. He walked me through the various edge geometries and uses for them as he trained me in the same fields of study... I have adopted his "Transitional edge" grind for most everything except my razor and my fillet knife. .It starts off Acute at the hilt, good for fine work, stripping wire, ect, and more obtuse as it heads to the point for good chopping and gouging without suffering much damage. I do touch it up nearly every day though. A few of my coworkers have been shocked at how well I can sharpen their knives.. I hook them up with a traditional working edge with a slight taper to the hilt. Not as acute aas my edc..They will say stuff like "I have had this knife for years and its never worked this well" or "I had no idea an edge could last so long.". Its true, geometry makes the knife usable.. I mean, When you can make a dollar store knife slice side walls out of car tires for two hours between stropping's, you know you are onto something. XD

Fun interview! It was great we had time to talk while visiting Buck.

Oh man, anything doctor Thomas does is just pure gold. The man is a font of knowledge, and as a former scientist, I love that he'll get down and dirty with all the details of what's going on in steel. It's such an awesome material, and until recently I had no idea how much it can be played with.

I came out of this really appreciating CPM-154 and 154CM

As a degreed metallurgist, Larrin Thomas absolutely knows what he’s talking about, has done the study, has done the work characterizing knife steels, knows how to get performance out of them and explains it all in simple terms. His book will become the bible for knife makers and manufacturers. It is jam packed with knowledge. Magnacut is a superior knife steel. It is balanced to provide good edge retention, wear resistance,and corrosion resistance. Once you try it, it will be difficult to turn back to other steels. The addition of extremely hard niobium carbides makes it somewhat difficult to sharpen, but investment in a good set of diamond hones in a variety of grits overcomes much of the problem. You will need to sharpen far less frequently and for knives, a quick tuneup on a steel will restore the edge to factory sharpness.

This man has turned me into a knife genius. I’m insufferable now.

Doc Thomas is SUCH a huge asset to the knife community! Thanks for bringing him on. Such a lot of knowledge and wisdom packed onto such a short video.

Larrin Thomas is at another level .. he explains in an easy to understand manner for the regular user✅

Man I'd do anything to get to talk to this man and learn from him. His wealth of knowledge is so immense. Absolutely love this kind of technical videos. Well done!

Thanks for bringing Dr. Thomas into view. These are the kinds of guys who move the state of the art forward. Test, understand theory, re-test, do the homework, repeat.

S35VN is the best steel for smaller knives 🔪. 1055,1080,1085,1090,1095 are best for larger knives. There are variations of these steels as well. A2 and 80Cr2V are great for bigger knives like bowies because it’s super tough but holds its edge.

Thank you Dr. Thomas for all your diligent work to bring this knowledge to all who are interested.

And just like that Larrin dumps on 98% of knife reviewers and knife makers marketing hype bs with facts. Absolutely savage and on the money. Larrin is a national treasure.

I love how honest he is. Never would have thought edge geometry matters more than the steel being used. Good stuff. Learn something new every day! 💚

I rarely encounter a YouTube video that is this enlightening. Thank you for making it, Zac and Larrin. It’s truly appreciated.

I've gone to knife nerds when I have a specific question regarding a steel that I'm interested in for a knife purchase, it is very informative. Thank you, Dr. Thomas, for what you do.

Geometry matters! Truth from knife knerds!

Hello Zac. Thanks for this video. Many years ago, back in the late 1960's, I decided to make my own knife and went to a local Steel merchant. I told him what I was planning on making and he gave me a piece of steel that was the correct size for my intended knife; however, I was planning on making it on a workbench with just a hacksaw, files and grinding wheel, which is when I discovered that it was extremely difficult to file. As it was, I was able to cut it to size and shape easily enough, but after that, I just lost interest. Ironically, I still have that piece of steel, in it's unfinished state. Of most interest, is that after all this time, it only has the slightest amount of surface rust. Ten years later, whilst at an engineering training facility in the UK, one of the instructors was an ex- Royal Navy Artificer and he said the best steel for making a working knife - sheath knife - was steel from a lorry's rear suspension. i.e. Leaf Spring steel. Having managed to find a piece, I realised the effort and work which would be needed to turn it into a knife, would require the use of a Machine Shop, with all the relevant tooling, including a Mill. At that point, I realised that I was on a 'hiding-to-nothing'. There comes a time, when you just have to accept, that you've bitten off more than you can chew, so you just have to call it a day and quit. I'm now a Pensioner/Senior Citizen, so that's one project that's fallen by the wayside, never to be achieved... but, That's Life! Russ. Portsmouth, UK.