Which blade will hold a better edge - D2 or Damascus?

D2 will hold a better (which I mean as more durable) edge if both are heat treated properly.

If this is for a working knife I'd suggest D2 without even thinking about it.

D-2 is tougher than Woodpecker Lips.

Thanks for the input, gentlemen. Therefore: D2 for play, Damascus for display.

"Damascus" is usually used to mean a patterned mix of steels, and its qualities will vary depending on what the components are. You can certainly get a very usable blade from it.

D2 is a good steel but there may be others that are equally good or better, depending on the exact blend of hardness and flexibility you need.

D2 will hold an edge better but it can be a real pain to sharpen.

Damascus has become a general term for forge welded steel. It can be very good or very bad depending on the materials used and the skill of the person who forged it.

There is a lot of crappy imported "Damascus" made from cheap materials (some claim tin cans and car bumpers).

A2 is also a very good steel. Blackjack knives very high quality.

I bought a benchmade folder several years ago. It had a D2 blade. I will never buy another knife that is not D2. Takes a wicked edge holds it well not brittle and with a diamond hone sharpens quick.

quote:

Originally posted by mike7mm08:
I bought a benchmade folder several years ago. It had a D2 blade. I will never buy another knife that is not D2. Takes a wicked edge holds it well not brittle and with a diamond hone sharpens quick.

That's too bad, because there are better steels commonly available out there but as I've said before, very few people use a knife hard enough or often enough, or can sharpen one well enough, to tell the differences.

Most of Bob Dozier's hunting knives are made w/ D2. He heat treats them to 60-62 RC and they hold their edges very well. They are HARD and you better know how to sharpen a knife. Also, D2 is not stainless.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:

quote:

Originally posted by mike7mm08:
I bought a benchmade folder several years ago. It had a D2 blade. I will never buy another knife that is not D2. Takes a wicked edge holds it well not brittle and with a diamond hone sharpens quick.

That's too bad, because there are better steels commonly available out there but as I've said before, very few people use a knife hard enough or often enough, or can sharpen one well enough, to tell the differences.

I use my knife daily for various tasks. I can get them shaving sharp with very little effort. After about six years I returned my knife to benchmade. Through heavy use and subsequent sharpening I worn the blade down more than half it's height. There may be better steels. But D2 fits my needs very well. Don't see a need to try other materials. Hate to spend the money on higher end knifes with materials I am unfamiliar with. Don't care what someone says I believe my experiences over what they say.

quote:

Don't care what someone says I believe my experiences over what they say.

Nothing like experience to know what you're talking about.

Not saying I am expert far from it. Very simple you can tell me all day long something is better than what I am using. You may very well be right. But I could care less if something is better than what I have if what I have fits my needs perfectly. And I for damn sure am not gonna lay down my money on something someone says is better to find out if it really is. Now if I was upgrading from a piece of shit walmart knife to high end I would take all the advice given because I had no experience with high end steels. Kinda like telling me certain cartridge is better than the one I am currently shooting. If I am happy with the performance I am getting why should I listen to you or laydown the cash for a new rifle? Now if you want to send me a knife in your preferred steel so I can see for myself if it fits my needs better without paying for the learning experience I will be more than happy to give you my address.

Not likely. I hate to interfere with experience. It is so tiring.

The "folded steel" can be beautiful to look at and some of it is very usefull, but the D-2 is made for hard wearing long working industrial applications. In a knife format the only drawback i can see would be the sharpening of it, even though it wouldnt need to be touched up that often to start with. Still the "folded steel" looks awesome. Flint is awesome too!!



worked well e

I suggest that the serviceability of a damascus knife edge depends entirely on the steel grade in the core of the blade construction and can be equally as good as D2 ( or even better) and indeed D2 itself............or it can be a poorer grade of steel......or inconsistent down its length depending on the type of damascus patterning.

the serviceability & ease of maintenance of the damascus blade surface is dependent on the steel used to create the differential patterning in the "folding".

there is virtually no limit to the combinations of cores that can be laminated to damascus 'sides' by different techniques

The answer to the question posed by the OP is entirely dependent on details of the "damascus" blade construction.
ie
whether the 'damascus" blade in question is a "true" damascus , an arty damascus , or an arty damascus with a specific core.
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Quite simply, the edge holding capability of a damascus blade can be the same as D2 ( because it is D2).......or better.....or worse, unfortunately there is no simple & general answer to the question.

It totally depends on the material content and temper of the damascus.

A high quality Dam blade is impressive but I won't be paying for one.

For a shorter blade D2 is pretty good stuff if hardened corectly. A2,01, are great also my prefference being 01. In a blade you get what you pay for and few bargains are had.

One key question is what are you doing with it? Nate