Anyone ever play with ZDP-189 steel?

[Fisting_Chili]

How does it compare?
Thanks

[Spoonrobot]

To what, specifically?

Excellent sharpness and edge holding but requires a certain level of sharpening skill to get the most from the steel.

[Fisting_Chili]

To what, specifically?

Excellent sharpness and edge holding but requires a certain level of sharpening skill to get the most from the steel.

How do you think it compares with other steels?  Thanks SR

[Sean]

There are a couple of recent threads on other forums going around you might want to check
out, I think one being on Spyderco's forum regarding zdp-189.
I've been wanting to grab something in it for awhile now.  The general consensus with this steel
is it holds a great edge, some think better than s30v but of course takes a little extra effort to
sharpen it. 

[jekostas]

With the proper steps taken, ZDP-189 can be hardened in the realm of 66-68 HRC without significant loss of strength or danger of chipping.  It is a very difficult steel to sharpen and get a good edge on, but once you do it'll cut like a demon.  12-15 degree edges for a daily use knife are definitely within the realm of possibility, perhaps even smaller.

That said, it needs to be taken care of - ZDP-189 has a massive amount of carbon in it (3% or thereabouts) and needs to be stored, cleaned and protected carefully or that edge will corrode.

[Spoonrobot]

Here's my review thread of the FRN Stretch with ZDP. I've learned a lot about the steel over the past several months. Continuing from the last post of that thread; most of my current observation has been with regard to corrosion resistance and edge strength.

Back at the end of March I took a trip to the white, sandy beaches of Pensacola, Florida.

While I was there I spent most of a day in and out of the seawater with the ZDP S2 clipped to my trunks. After several hours I was able to rinse the knife with fresh water but was not able to fully clean or lubricate the knife until several hours after that. The knife was not treated in any way, there was some residual motor oil (used for lubrication of the pivot) in the pivot area but no other lubricants were present on the knife. The only rust was observed on the liners and a very small amount on the tang of the knife. Overall I was amazed at the lack of corrosion on the actual blade. The edge was completely rust free and did not appear to have lost any sharpness. I did not notice the massive chipping during use after exposure that came from the ACV bath either, it appears that salt-water based corrosion (or the lack thereof) does not affect the edge in that manner.

The corrosion present after exposure.


So, the susceptibility to corrosion is overstated in the very least that seawater appears to have little effect on the blade steel and actually causes more issues with the liners. In this same vein and somewhat anticlimactically, my FRN S2 ended up clipped to my trunks while I went on a swimming trip to a freshwater lake. After an entire day of in and out water activity it was found that there was no corrosion any where on the knife. No as impressive as the beach trip but still quite interesting to see.

Compared to other steels I feel that ZDP is in the top tier with respect to edge holding and sharpness. The steel just cuts and cuts! The trade off, of course, is that sharpening is generally more time consuming and one must be extremely judicious about removing the burr. My appreciation for the toughness of the steel has increased over time. Early in my experience I had some chipping which I took to mean the steel was not as durable, I've since learned that this is more indicative of a lack of proper finishing. ZDP really likes to be stropped to remove the burr, when this is done the burr will snap off in such a way as to take sections of the edge with it and appears as chipping. If properly finished, ZDP is strong enough to reliably hold an edge at very acute angles without any damage during heavy use. I'm currently running mine at @17-18 degrees inclusive and have had no issues during moderate to heavy use and nothing but good performance.

[jekostas]

Good Review

Interesting.  Carried a Delica in ZDP for a bit but was getting corrosion on the edge - I wonder if I had taken the time to strop/polish up the grind a little more I could've avoided that.

Anyways, if you need a hair-popping, tree-topping, SCARY sharp blade and are willing to spend the time and effort in sharpening, ZDP-189 is an awesome, awesome steel.  But, again, you need to be willing to spend the time sharpening.