Thread: 440 Stainless or Carbon Steel

Which is best?

Before you can get an answer you will have to define 'best'.

If you're talking about for a razor, I'd go with carbon steel any day. There are great stainless steels, but 440 doesn't fall into that category. It's actually a fairly mundane steel IMHO. Butch harner uses s30v for lots of his customs, and it's a fantastic example of a great steel.

By best, I mean the best performance and sharpest.

There is a really good overview here. I am not knowledgeable enough to judge the writer's conclusions but he seems to know what he is talking about. Down page he goes into the individual alloys, both carbon and stainless. The article is on knife steel but some of it at least is applicable to razors.

Originally Posted by Ben325e

If you're talking about for a razor, I'd go with carbon steel any day. There are great stainless steels, but 440 doesn't fall into that category. It's actually a fairly mundane steel IMHO. Butch harner uses s30v for lots of his customs, and it's a fantastic example of a great steel.

The well regarded Henckels Friodurs are made of 440C steel.

Yea, it's not super-sexy, but it works just fine.

I'm not sure what Dovo's SS bladees are made of (I am assuming 440C as well...), but they also perform excellent.

There are other grades of 440 (perhaps what Zeepk uses?), but 440C works fine for razors that I have owned.

Depends on what you mean by "Best"; 440 stainless is a fairly common martinsitic stainless used for edged tools. I carry a folding knife with a 440 blade. It is relatively hard for a stainless steel, typically about 58 RC, and it is fairly corrosion resistent (though not as much as the austinitic stainless steels). It is not as hard as carbon steel, so it will not stay sharp as long. Carbon steels, of course are subject to oxidation. This can be in the form of rust (in extreme cases) or a general darkening of the steel in milder cases. All of my razors are carbon steel. I also have a carbon steel folding knife, but these are getting hard to find.

Like all martinsitic stainless steels, 440 is magnetic; austinitic stainless is not.

From a personal perspective, I tend to prefer high carbon steel.

Originally Posted by netsurfr

From a personal perspective, I tend to prefer high carbon steel.

They both have their strengths and weaknesses.

I really like the ease of care of the stainless, the edge retention is excellent. And they shave quite nice as well.

But, I shaved with my W&B "celebrated fine India steel" the other day, and it indeed had a certain smoothness particular to carban steel.

You're going to have to get at least one of each....