Thread: Stainless Steel vs Carbon Steel

I guess for me it depends on whether the difficulty relates to experience in honing, or the metallurgical properties, hardness, etc. of different alloys. For a new honer, stainless might present greater difficulty, but being new to honing, any metal is usually difficult.

As to the hardness of the alloy, it may take more strokes to achieve the desired edge, but I don't equate that as difficult. I think the experienced honer will know the metal they're honing and make the required adjustments.

I voted #3. The disernable difference, IMHO, is the skill of the honer in recognizing the steel and applying the requisite techniques required.

I have honed many stainless razors of various brands. There are variations of how the steel abrades even within the same brand and model. For example with Firodur I have had many that hone very easy, but I have had some that hone pretty slowly. In general, in my experience, stainless is more abrasion resistant and will take, on average, longer compared to average carbon steel. How much loner seems to be very individual and with the better specimen the difference is practically too small to matter.

Originally Posted by SirStropalot

The disernable difference, IMHO, is the skill of the honer in recognizing the steel and applying the requisite techniques required.

Exactly.

--james

I have a few models of Henckels razors where I have one carbon and one stainless, ok maybe more than one in some cases but that is not the point here. In most cases they are pretty similar to hone, however I find the stainless can be chippy at times. Two of my Friodurs just about drove me batty, ok it would have been a short trip but still. They for reasons beyond my knowledge right as I came to the finish, would get chippy. So my answer is they are usually very similar. I should also add that the only stainless razors that I have hone are Friodurs.

As a blacksmith and a honer, my opinion is both/neither.
The composition of the steel is important in hardness and abrasion resistance, but it is by far not the only factor.
Of equal importance are the heat treating process and the grind (not to mention the hone and the honer).
So, it is an over-simplification to categorically compare stainless to carbon steel.

Yup, can be for all three, (harder, difficult, longer to hone) and add, more problematic. But some time the stars, line up and it all goes well.

More like carbon steel takes an edge better, unless it started out as a rusty piece of Styrofoam.

I really, see it in large knives, carbon steel is a joy to sharpen and use.

Both are equally easy to hone or a PITA. I have far more issues when honing with hardness, geometry and grind of the razor regardless of steel choice.

Like several here, I selected harder but it is not 100% that way. Slightly more challenging ON AVERAGE than most carbon blades. Some stainless hones up quickly. Some carbons (Swedish) takes forever.

Preference in shaving? I like the 'feel and sound' of carbon better but they both provide good shaves.

I only have experience of honing my own razors, two of which are stainless and eight of which are carbon. I haven't noticed a difference in either honing or shaving.

One of the carbon steel blades though has taken a few honing and shaving cycles to get where I want it to be (Dovo 6/8, Pearlex, Carbon).

I don't like the options, so I'm not voting. I don't think either is more difficult to hone, they are just a little different.

Honing more makes honing seem easier. So if you honed mostly stainless, you might think carbon is "harder to hone," and vice versa. Most of us hone mostly carbon, so some may think stainless is "harder to hone." If you hone enough of each, neither is "hard to hone" anymore.