Best Steel for EDC Knives
Which knife steels suit everyday carry: steels that balance edge retention and toughness and resist rust, by price tier, with knives that use them.
An everyday-carry knife gets pocket sweat, opens packages and food, and is rarely babied. That favours steels that resist rust, survive the odd twist or tip impact, and still hold a working edge. Here, steels qualify if they rate at least 6/10 for corrosion resistance and 4/10 for toughness; they are then ordered by edge retention plus toughness.
Shortlist
| Steel | Edge | Toughness | Corrosion | Sharpening | Tier | Knives |
|---|
| MagnaCut | 7 | 8 | 9 | 5 | Premium | Zero Tolerance 0562CF, Chris Reeve Knives Large Sebenza 31, Hogue Deka, Benchmade Adamas 275GY-03, Kershaw Link 1776OLSW |
| 20CV | 8 | 4 | 9 | 3 | Premium | WE Knife Elementum Titanium, Demko AD20.5 20CV Clip Point, Fällkniven G1z Garm Fighter |
| AEB-L | 3 | 9 | 6 | 9 | Mid-range | Bradford Knives Guardian 3 AEB-L, Bradford Knives Guardian 3.5 XL AEB-L |
| Elmax | 7 | 5 | 8 | 4 | Premium | Fällkniven F1x Elmax, Fällkniven R2 Scout, Fällkniven U2 Elmax |
| M390 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 3 | Premium | Benchmade Narrows, Microtech Ultratech Gen IV S/E, WE Knife Suisei |
| 14C28N | 3 | 8 | 8 | 9 | Budget | Kershaw Leek 1660, Kershaw Blur 1670BLK |
| LC200N | 3 | 8 | 10 | 8 | Premium | Spyderco Native 5 Salt LC200N, Spyderco Caribbean |
| Nitro-V | 3 | 8 | 7 | 9 | Mid-range | Civivi Button Lock Elementum II, Civivi Baby Banter Slip Joint, Civivi Zygon |
| S35VN | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5 | Mid-range | Zero Tolerance 0450CF |
| S45VN | 6 | 5 | 8 | 5 | Premium | Spyderco Para 3, Spyderco Paramilitary 2 |
| SG2 (R2) | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | Premium | Miyabi Birchwood SG2 8" Chef's Knife, Miyabi Artisan SG2 8" Chef's Knife, Shun Hiro 8" Chef's Knife |
| CTS-XHP | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | Premium | Spyderco Techno 2, Spyderco Chaparral Lightweight |
| S30V | 6 | 4 | 7 | 4 | Mid-range | Benchmade Bugout 535, Benchmade 940 Osborne, Benchmade Griptilian 551-S30V |
| 154CM | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | Mid-range | Benchmade Barrage, Benchmade Mini Barrage, Pro-Tech Godfather 951 Tuxedo |
| 420HC | 2 | 7 | 7 | 9 | Budget | Buck 110 Folding Hunter |
| AUS-8 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Budget | Ontario Knife Company RAT 1 AUS-8, SOG SEAL Pup Elite, CRKT M16-14SF Tanto |
| N690 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 6 | Mid-range | Fox Knives FX-604 Core OD, Fox Knives FX-599 XT Karambit, Fox Knives FX-534 CF Pelican |
| VG-10 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | Mid-range | Spyderco Delica 4 Lightweight, Spyderco Endura 4 Lightweight |
| 8Cr13MoV | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | Budget | Spyderco Tenacious |
By budget
Budget
14C28N (3 edge / 8 tough / 8 corrosion); 420HC (2 edge / 7 tough / 7 corrosion); AUS-8 (3 edge / 6 tough / 7 corrosion); 8Cr13MoV (3 edge / 5 tough / 6 corrosion).
Mid-range
AEB-L (3 edge / 9 tough / 6 corrosion); Nitro-V (3 edge / 8 tough / 7 corrosion); N690 (5 edge / 4 tough / 8 corrosion); S35VN (6 edge / 5 tough / 7 corrosion).
Premium
LC200N (3 edge / 8 tough / 10 corrosion); MagnaCut (7 edge / 8 tough / 9 corrosion); 20CV (8 edge / 4 tough / 9 corrosion); Elmax (7 edge / 5 tough / 8 corrosion).
What the shortlist leaves out
D2, CruWear, CPM 3V and CPM M4 are popular EDC steels too, but they rate 4/10 or lower for corrosion resistance, so they need wiping down and do better in dry climates. Very hard steels such as ZDP-189 hold an edge for a long time but rate low for toughness, so tip and edge chips are more likely with careless use.
Ratings are relative 1-10 scores at typical knife hardness; see the methodology. Updated 2026-10-14.