AEB-L

AEB-L was one of the earliest stainless steel, it’s roots dating back 100 years ago. With minor modification, by the 60’s it was the most used steel in razor blades. Unlike most stainless steels it resists chipping very well. Therefore you can make a thinner knife with a more acute cutting edge without risking the edge from chipping.

You might read reviews from people who don’t like AEB-L knives and for good reasons. However, it comes down to heat treatment and edge geometry. If you have identical hardness and edges, other stainless steel will outperform AEB-L. However, you can do things with AEB-L that just aren’t possible with other steels. Let me get a little nerdy and explain…

HRC is a hardness scale used for comparing the hardness of knives (really it’s for any material, but we’re concerned with knives). Knives generally measure between 58 and 62 HRC. A knife as low as 54 to 56 is really soft. Knives from 63 to as much as 65 are super hard.

The common German Henckel knives are 58 HRC. Why on the soft end? Because most knife users are abusive. All things being equal, the softer the steel, the less likely it will chip or snap. However, the softer the steel the thicker it needs to be to support an edge and softer steel will dull faster.

Here’s where AEB-L with a proper heat treatment really shines. AEB-L knives with a standard 58-60 HRC and standard edge geometry do require more frequent sharpening. However, AEB-L in the 62-64 HRC with an extremely thin and acute edge seem to stay sharp forever. Can’t any stainless steel be hardened to 64HRC? Sure, but they become very brittle and chippy. (AEB-L at 62.5 HRC is still tougher than other stainless knife steels at 60.)

You can read all the gory AEB-L details at Knife Steel Nerds.

I harden my AEB-L blades between 62 and 64 HRC. I include a cryogenic phase in liquid nitrogen to get maximum performance from the steel. Finally, I make the edges extremely thin and sharp.