Carbon vs stainless steel knife – the fight goes on! Let us first know what they actually are?
An entire batch of metal alloys is described by the word “steel”. Types of steel depend on the alloy content.
When it comes time to buy a knife, one of the things that make us doubt the most is what material it is made of. What you should buy a carbon knife or a stainless steel one?
We can help you make this decision, and be clearer about what material to choose when buying a knife. We are going to discuss what are the attributes of each of these types of knife steel so that you can choose the most appropriate according to each use or need.
Before directly facing these two types of knives: carbon vs stainless steel knives, we will start by explaining what the differences are between these two types of knives.
Find the best knives for cutting raw meat here.
Differences between carbon and stainless knives
- Composition: Stainless steel knives are made of an alloy of iron, carbon and chromium, so they have great resistance to oxidation or corrosion. This resistance is due to the fact that chromium has a great affinity to oxygen, reacting with it to form a film or layer that prevents corrosion. Carbon steel knives are made up solely of iron and carbon. This alloy gives them greater hardness and flexibility, although they have less resistance to rust.
- Sharpening: Regarding the sharpening system of both knives, we must point out that carbon steel knives are easier to sharpen than stainless steel knives, although the edge of the latter will remain as new for a longer time.
- Sheet type: Regarding the characteristics of each type of blade, the user will be the one who must determine which one best suits his needs, without forgetting that carbon steel blades, as they present less resistance to corrosion, require greater maintenance.
Advantages of carbon steel over stainless
Previously, we have talked about the differences between stainless vs carbon steel knife. To make it much clearer for you, we are going to tell you the advantages of both types of knives.
Carbon steel knives are very popular in the craft cutlery industry, mainly because they are so easy to forge. This type of knife has certain advantages compared to stainless steel knives, such as greater hardness and finer edges.
Another advantage of buying carbon knives is that they are easier to sharpen, so you can extend their life for longer.
In the meantime, if you wish to learn about all the knife metals you can read a detailed guide on different kitchen knives here.
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Advantages of stainless steel over carbon steel
Now that you know the advantages of carbon steel knives, it is time to learn the advantages of stainless steel knives compared to carbon steel.
The main advantage of stainless steel knives is their low maintenance. These types of knives have low oxidation and tend to be very hard and resistant to corrosion.
On the contrary, this resistance to abrasion has disadvantages too. Once it loses the edge, it is more difficult to sharpen. We can say stainless steel knife has a limited life cycle if we use them regularly.
Carbon vs stainless steel knife: Conclusions
After this detailed analysis, as a conclusion, we will say that carbon steel knives are ideal for those people who live in drier environments (where there is little humidity in the environment). It will be easy to maintain a carbon steel knife in dry weather. If you finally choose to buy a carbon steel knife, the only thing you will have to take care of is keeping the knife blade clean and dry, after each use.
On the other hand, if you live in a fairly humid climate or where humidity is constant, it is best to opt for stainless steel knives.
If you still have doubts about what type of knife to buy according to its blade, we invite you to read our article on types of knife steel. You are sure to find the knife that best suits your needs!
