Knife Steel D2 vs 14C28N

Have a Civivi Elementum 3in blade with D2 as my daily carry. Thin in the pocket, flipper like greased ball bearings and fits the hand nice. D2 seems good with sharpening and edge retention but I am not overly impressed with the corrosion resistance. After a few weeks I got specks of rust on the blade.
Tried a knife with 14C28N and IMHO it's a step up. Same qualities as D2 but much better corrosion resistance. Very easy to sharpen, I think and holds the edge quite well. The knife was a cheap $18 Amazon job but I was not interested in the knife only the steel.
Wish Civivi would put that steel in an Elementum at the 3in blade size as I think that is about perfect for pocket carry

Can you talk about your environment? I have had a Dozier guide knife in D2 for well over a decade and used it even in saltwater fishing without a corrosion problem, just rinse and wipe dry, no special treatment. It’s not an EDC knife though.

I've no real experience with D2 but it's well respected in the knife world. On 14C28N I've used a good bit of it for kitchen knives and skinners with very good luck. The addition of nitrogen to the allow helps with corrosion resistance. As you've found takes a good edge with ease of sharpening.

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Originally Posted by JimB..

Can you talk about your environment? I have had a Dozier guide knife in D2 for well over a decade and used it even in saltwater fishing without a corrosion problem, just rinse and wipe dry, no special treatment. It’s not an EDC knife though.

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Same state as you. I wash and dry my edc after use so I was quite disappointed. I keep it in the pocket and use it for rope, straps and so on.

D2 is an WW2 era tool steel. I have a low cost EDC folder from Amazon with a D2 blade that is holding up very good.
Waiting for a replacement pocket clip for my SOG Terminus XR. They both have D2 blades but the SOG has a nicer lock.

14C28N doesn’t hold an edge like D2 but it sharpens very nicely, so that’s something of a trade off - but its corrosion resistance is better than D2. The original chemistry for D2 was more of a semi-stainless, and extra chromium is needed to ensure against rust spots. Carpenter’s XHP is an example.

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Originally Posted by jonp

Same state as you. I wash and dry my edc after use so I was quite disappointed. I keep it in the pocket and use it for rope, straps and so on.

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I guess folded in a pocket is a very different from on a belt in a kydex sheath. If you can get the knife apart maybe have the blade cleaned up and cerakoted?

Love my D2 steel from Benchmark. No signs of rust or anything else after 5 years in my pocket and getting used lots.

Today everyone wants everything to be so easy. It doesn’t take much time to wipe down a blade with almost any kind of oil after use or returning home. I’ve always favored carbon steel to the stainless alloys. Granted they have probably improved over the years. For me they didn’t hold an edge any longer, but took a lot longer to sharpen.

jmho - if you are satisfied with everything else i would think of the specks as the start of a protective coating that will eventually give the tool more character than a pristine one that looks unused + lacks any character -

The old timers used wax to protect their carbon steel blades. Hornady One Shot case lube is a wax in a carrier and would probably work well. Or just the same oily rag you use on your guns. Letting it develop a bit of patina is not a bad thing either.