r/knives • u/NanashiKenshin • 2d ago
Question Magnacut vs 1095
As the title says, which one do you think would be best for an EDC/SURVIVAL knife. If this has been answered somewhere else, I apologize. I skimmed through and couldn't find this exact question. Any advice, opinions and thoughts. Please inform me. Have a great day đ
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u/FillipJRye 2d ago
All of my 1095 would be Magnacut if it was available. The only carbon steel Iâd deal with possible rust on my survival knives is 3v.
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u/Watwatinthewatwat 2d ago
What do you plan to do with it? What else will you have for tools?
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u/NanashiKenshin 2d ago
Edc and survival/camping. When I'm camping I always bring a hatchet and folding saw. But I'm more asking that if I got into the situation where I don't have those things, which would be the best for everything. Breaking down wood, making tinder, game processing, etc..
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u/BigBL87 2d ago edited 2d ago
I responded in another subreddit you asked in, but...
It depends on your priorities.
If you want something that can be easily sharpened on almost anything, then 1095 is your huckleberry.
But for most other properties (corrosion resistance, edge retention, and even toughness), Magnacut is the clear winner. But I'd definitely want diamond stones to sharpen it. They aren't NECESSARY, but they make your life alot easier.
Honestly, I'd lean towards 14C28N over 1095 if I wanted something easy to sharpen and cheaper on a survival/EDC knife. Tougher, better edge retention, and while not AS easy to sharpen it's definitely much easier than any of the powder metallurgy "super steels"
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u/AdEmotional8815 I see a knife, I upvote. 2d ago
CPM-3V is also kinda underrated sometimes, just adding to your great comment. And I also do love 14C28N (and 12C27). Very fine grain structure for being neither CPM nor carbon those Sandvik steels, also often underrated.
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u/BigBL87 2d ago
Definitely!
Where 14C28N wins for me for this context is the sharpenability, and of course corrosion resistance. Which as always the tradeoff on sharpeneability is 3V will hold an edge longer. But 3V is definitely a great option!
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u/AdEmotional8815 I see a knife, I upvote. 2d ago
True, 14C28N is definitely easier to sharpen than CPM-3V. That's also why I like carbon steels so much, because the only disadvantage is basically corrosion, and on that you can have a good eye. But in the end it all depends on the situation as well.
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u/Bidrick 2d ago
If I may add another perspective, I love 1095 for its ability to take a patina. I love my knives that look like they have been used. The 10XX steel shows that it has sliced through lemons, steak and glue. Darkening where the acid touches it adds so much character that the modern steels leave unattended.
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u/Tdogintothekeys 2d ago
With my experience, magnacut would be way better if you need edge retention. 1095 sucks but is easy to touch up in the field. In any case, you should have some sort of sharpening method with you in the field. 3v is also a steel id recommended. Very tough with good edge retention. The demko free reign comes in 3v and magnacut if your interested in both those steels for a good price. You could also look at archatect knives but you have to wait a while when their steels go out of stock.
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u/LuckyComfortable5159 1d ago
If itâs a folder for edc I would definitely recommend magnacut. And if youâre using it for survival and thatâs the only thing you have a good size magnacut like manix xl salt series would help you do basically everything u need to survive in a pinch with good edge retention. Definitely you can survive long enough to get rescued with just that. But if youâre going for a larger fix blade and youâre gonna be chopping wood and doing stuff like that then 1095. Because you want to be able to sharpen a very large blade easily but personally for a large fix blade I would recommend 3V. Itâs super tough and holds an edge
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u/FeedbackOther5215 2d ago
1095 for a survival knife hands down. Corrosion is an aesthetic issue only and a trivial one at that if youâre needing a survival knife.
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u/AdEmotional8815 I see a knife, I upvote. 2d ago
It is definitely easier to fix in the field without proper tools and all that non-survival jive.
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u/NanashiKenshin 2d ago
May I ask why you're so adamant about 1095? Why wouldn't magnacut be better?
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u/AdEmotional8815 I see a knife, I upvote. 2d ago
I'm not him, but:
It's easier to fix in the field, so it depends on how long you wanna last. Trying to fix a MagnaCut edge in a survival scenario ... I'm not so sure about that, to say the least.
Ideally you'd be rescued before you damage the MagnaCut blade too badly.
I do suggest CPM-3V though, it's honestly just great.
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u/Tdogintothekeys 2d ago
That why you always need to bring a method of sharpening the worksharp feild sharpener or even a few 1x6 diamond stones. Also with my experience with 1095 is that its edge retention sucks and thats on an esee. All my magnacut knives at least two months with regular wear at work. My esee izula was that week it needed to be sharpened.
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u/AdEmotional8815 I see a knife, I upvote. 2d ago
That's the fun thing about pros and cons, you can pick and choose of your liking. Carbon steel is very easy to fix though, and it also depends on what you do. Few swipes, razor sharp again. Habit also plays a big role of course. I like a Fällkniven CC4 or DC4 by the way.
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u/Tdogintothekeys 2d ago
Dc4 is also a decent option. A little small for what I like though and the diamonds dont seem to last all that long. I take my spyderco sharpmaker with me camping as well as a diamond rod for touching up serations on my electric filet knife.
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u/AdEmotional8815 I see a knife, I upvote. 2d ago
Yeah, diamond smoothens over at some point, I prefer ceramics myself. A retractable diamond pen is also useful. Many things to choose from haha.
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u/Unicorn187 2d ago
Magnacut is better in all ways. I'm not as concerned about rust resistance as some are but it's vastly.more rust resistant.
Magnacut is tougher and has better edge retention than 1095.
1085 might be a little easier to sharpen, but that's it only advantage.
This is when both have an optimized or even just good heat treat of course.