The knife industry seems to have blossomed into something of a monster over the last decade. With a glut of new companies, sub-brands and manufacturers producing an enormous selection of fixed-blade and folding knives, we’re spoiled for choice now more than ever.

Our local sporting-goods stores have entire aisles dedicated to a multitude of amazing-looking sharp and pointy things, from celebrity-endorsed hunting tools to sleek black tactical offerings — and every one of these knives has a little jumble of letters and numbers on the blade.

Testing the edge and thinking to yourself, “Yup, that’s sharp,” doesn’t cut it anymore — pun intended — and for those of us looking for a new knife, the selection can be a little overwhelming.

There are plenty of resources out there that will guide you through the dizzying world of knife steels and their various pros and cons, but I’m approaching this subject from the perspective of personal protection, and I’m aware that that sentence alone probably isn’t going to make me many friends.

If you’re reading this magazine, it’s fair to assume that the right to defend yourself is something you don’t take lightly. You’ve probably invested a great deal of time and thought into personal defense and the protection of your loved ones. This usually involves a significant further investment in tools, training and research, and, for a lot of us, this is predominantly firearms-based. For some people, however, this thought process expands to the use of edged tools as well.

This mindset could be born of any number of things. Maybe you’re thinking about layering your use-of-force training or having backups for your backups, or maybe you’re living or working in a place where firearms carry is restricted in some way.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve walked and talked my way through enough gun shows to know that this concept is sometimes met with scorn and even derision by guys who tell me not to “bring a knife to a gunfight” — and I’ll admit that a blade is far from ideal — but I’d also be willing to bet that many of those gentlemen carried something sharp every day, and felt perhaps even a small amount of comfort and reassurance knowing that they had it with them.

Personal defense is just that — personal — and, if you train for the worst, then you have my utmost respect and admiration, whatever tool you choose.

Self-Defense With a Blade

Let’s be honest, what does the quality of the steel have to do with blade-based self-defense? Globally, kitchen knives are probably the most commonly used edged weapons in violent altercations, and do they have superior edge-holding abilities? Mildly facetious, perhaps, but it’s a fair point. There might be some guy out there with $1,000 worth of perfectly engineered razor-sharp “super steel” sitting in his tactical pants, ready to deploy in a flash, but I also wouldn’t underestimate that old boy at the back of the room with his 30-year-old Buck 110 and a smirk on his face. An old instructor of mine used to say, “Steel meets skin, steel’s gonna win,” and he wasn’t wrong. Sharp is sharp, right?

Well … what if it isn’t sharp?

Unless we’re talking about a fight on the beach (or an attack at the hands of a PCP or other dissociative anesthetic drug user), there’s a good chance that your attacker will be wearing several layers of clothing of various densities and thicknesses.

Do you carry a dedicated blade for personal protection, or do you carry a tool? For most of us, it’s going to be a tool. Our knife performs a multitude of duties. It’s almost certainly opened its fair share of boxes, and it’s possibly even covered in the gunk from thousands of yards of packing tape. For a lot of us, that is the reality. The blade we carry is a tool first and a weapon second (if at all).

That said, if things went bad right now and all you had was that knife in your pocket, how confident are you that it could actually cut?

Unless we’re talking about a fight on the beach (or an attack at the hands of a PCP or other dissociative anesthetic drug user), there’s a good chance that your attacker will be wearing several layers of clothing of various densities and thicknesses. All those “knife guy” videos with serious-looking dudes slicing lumps of meat wrapped in denim have a point. I’m not sure that the same pocket knife I’ve been using to open my Amazon packages for the last three months is going to make it through a leather jacket, and that’s where, for me, those numbers on the side of my blade become a little more important.

Steel Types

I could ramble about blade size and shape, deployment and lock strength for dozens of pages, but, right now, I’m talking about a multi-purpose pocket knife: something you carry every day, your “EDC” — and something that, in a pinch, might have to serve as a personal-protection tool. As a quick and basic rule, softer steels are durable, they can take a beating (though admittedly, sometimes, getting bent or warped in the process) and they keep on truckin’. However, they rarely hold an edge. My Pop’s old folding knife got the job done every day, but he was always sharpening that thing.

Steel is basically all about compromises. I’m not sure there is a “perfect steel” for a defensive knife, but there are some excellent options.

Harder steels run the risk of being brittle or chipping, and they aren’t as durable when subjected to shock or impact; the trade-off is that edge retention is often considerably better. Simply put, they take a sharper edge and hold it for longer. They can be a pain to re-sharpen, but keeping that edge might be worth the extra effort, especially if you want a knife that’s “ready to go” in your pocket at a moment’s notice.

Steel is basically all about compromises. I’m not sure there is a “perfect steel” for a defensive knife, but there are some excellent options. The following steels distinguish themselves in the fields of durability and edge retention, two key properties in a folder that you might have to use in a self-defense situation.

420J

This is a high-carbon steel that I still see a lot, usually at the lower end of the price point. It’s probably the steel in your dad’s old Buck knife: It’s pretty tough, it rarely rusts and it can put in work. However, it’s not going to hold an edge very well at all, and it’s going to need regular re-sharpening.

440C

Way back in the day, this was a great steel for folding knives, and I’d argue that it still is if you’re on a tight budget. It will take a good edge, but it won’t hold it forever. There are some great smaller, inexpensive pocket knives that still feature 440C.

AUS-8/AUS-8A

This is still a very common steel for inexpensive folders. When it comes to AUS-8, it’s all about the heat treatment, and, when done well, this can be a decent everyday choice.

In my personal experience, I’ve found AUS-8A blades in particular to give a lot of bang for the buck when you are on a budget. They are tough, durable and can hold an edge reasonably well.

BD-1

This is a great American steel by Carpenter that I’ve found to be a significant step up from the likes of AUS-8. It’s tough, stainless and it has much better edge retention. It’s become more widespread in recent years, and I’m seeing several really great and relatively inexpensive folders in this steel.

VG-10

This is where things get a little more expensive. This is a high-end stainless steel out of Japan, often used in kitchen cutlery, with a solid reputation for edge retention and durability. A lot of people like this steel, and I can see why. But there’s no doubt you’ll pay a little more for a VG-10 folder.

CPM-S35VN

Made in the U.S. by Crucible, this is a fantastic all-around steel with great edge retention. It’s also surprisingly easy to sharpen, which becomes more and more of a challenge when we head into the world of “super steels.” It’s often used in higher-end knives, and therefore it’s understandably a pricier investment. I like it.

CTS XHP

Another quality entrant from U.S.-based Carpenter, I’ve found this to be an excellent steel that takes a great edge and holds it very well indeed. I’ve heard stories of some blades being brittle or prone to chipping, but it’s not something I’ve personally experienced. I like this steel a lot, and many of my personal carry choices feature XHP. Be warned, though: It’s no fun to re-sharpen.

Investment

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I’m sure many knife aficionados out there will disagree with some of my choices. Your experience might differ from mine, and I hope that you share those experiences and that knowledge in online forums and groups as well as in conversations with your friends. The more we talk about this stuff, the more educated we all get and the better choices we all make.

If budget allows, I heartily recommend investing in a knife crafted from steel that will take and hold a sharp edge for as long as possible. If you’re on a budget, invest in a decent knife sharpener and the time to learn to use it. Money spent on a quality knife that fails to stay sharp isn’t necessarily wasted, but it’s not exactly used to its fullest potential either.