In the Knife Magazines thread, Andy presented an article about Swamp Rat knives. In that article they say:
At one time, some Swamp Rat knives were made of D2 tool steel. Jerry had thousands of pounds of the near-stainless steel left over from his custom knife days. He said that D2 is great for hunting blades and “slicing knives.” He indicated that D2 was not as great as SR-101 for heavier chopping blades, however. He recommended that D2 be used only on blades 5” long or shorter.
I think the limits Jerry set for D2 should also apply to 154CM. Certainly when we’re talking about field knives. Compare the torture tests of 154CM with the torture tests of the Dogfather. Sorry, Dan, but there is no comparison. SR-77 is a “stake your life on” steel. 154CM is a “stake your reputation” on steel. I know which one I will pick. When it comes down to the short strokes, you cannot tell what life will demand of your blade. If circumstances require you to do terrible things to your knife because that knife is the only tool you have, it had better stand up to whatever the real life conditions demand.
In the kitchen, the workshop, the gardening shed, it’s a different story. I have plenty of knives in the kitchen. I have plenty of tools in the workshop. I have more than one chopper in the yard tools. If a knife or tool fails, I grab another one and keep going. If it’s a Scrap Yard, I know the warranty is good. So a big chef knife or carver or chopper for domestic use is fine.
If I’m going to depend on what I have with me, and those tools have to work, I only want blades of 154CM that are small and obviously designed for light duty. I’ll throw my Bird Dog in the tackle box. But I’ll wear a Yard Keeper or Ratmandu because—well, just in case.
