Thread: VG10 steel, good choice?

Hi all,

Would VG10 steel (Japanese hard steel) 62HRC be a good choice for a straight razor? Seem not many (if any) razors have this steel? Is it more expensive / difficult to hone, etc. Kindly advise, thanks.

Originally Posted by Kalecommando

Hi all,

Would VG10 steel (Japanese hard steel) 62HRC be a good choice for a straight razor? Seem not many (if any) razors have this steel? Is it more expensive / difficult to hone, etc. Kindly advise, thanks.

I think cost is the major reason plus it is a Japanese steel so hard to get. That being said, I have it in many of my knives and find it to be excellent in that application. holds an edge fairly well, good rust resistance, easy to hone and takes a wicked edge.

Thanks, I actually received it today. A really nice & affordable VG10 hollow ground. Didn't have the chance to shave yet, but it passed the HHT straight of the box. Great.

Beautiful black ebony scales with metal insides. Double copperheads. Nice heft. I will take a photo soon.

Originally Posted by Kalecommando

Thanks, I actually received it today. A really nice & affordable VG10 hollow ground. Didn't have the chance to shave yet, but it passed the HHT straight of the box. Great.

Beautiful black ebony scales with metal insides. Double copperheads. Nice heft. I will take a photo soon.

Where did you find a razor in VG-10?

I also own many knives in VG10 I like the steel also one of the very best steels if you want to put a mirror polish on a blade, If I'm not mistaken I'm sure Butch Harner makes a few razors using VG10 steel.

It's a quite normal stainless steel, how good it is for razors would depend on the heat treatment.
You want to keep the carbides small.

Originally Posted by celticcrusader

I also own many knives in VG10 I like the steel also one of the very best steels if you want to put a mirror polish on a blade, If I'm not mistaken I'm sure Butch Harner makes a few razors using VG10 steel.

I didn't know butch had access to stock VG-10. Expensive and hard to get. Great steel on my knives. Easy to hone and takes an awesome edge.
I cheat and use the wicked edge system. Bar none the best system I have ever used.

This has always been an interesting topic to me, and I'm sure there are tons of threads dealing with steels...I'm not trying to start something here lol
Unless I'm understanding incorrectly, the only reason to use a stainless (in this application) is to slow down corrosion. Carbon steels seems to set the bar for hardness, and stainless is always trying to get there.
That being said, there are some superb fine grain stainless steels out there that the knife industry takes advantage of (Uddeholm, Crucible, etc). I'm just guessing that if the straight razor industry were huge, we see similar application of these to try and get the best of both worlds.
So congrats on the VG10 blade - it certainly has a good reputation.

I've always fancied a razor made from ZDP 189, that as an extremely high carbon content.

that is NICE!!!!!!!!