How to choose the ideal stainless steel for your outdoor knife: Complete guide by functionality

At Cuchillería Joker, all our sporting knives are made exclusively from high-quality stainless steel, selected for its exceptional corrosion resistance, durability and performance in real outdoor conditions.

Choosing the right type of stainless steel is crucial to ensure that your hunting, bushcraft or survival knife perfectly meets the demands of each activity. 

This guide details the criteria for choosing stainless steel based on its functionality, hardness (HRC), composition and performance in the field.

Stainless steel in sporting knives: much more than just ‘rust-proof’

When someone chooses a sporting knife, they are not only choosing a blade shape or handle type; they are also choosing how that knife will perform on every outing in the mountains. 

When choosing the stainless steel for your outdoor knife, six key factors must be taken into account: hardness, toughness, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, edge retention and ease of resharpening.

• The hardness of the steel (measured in HRC): indicates how resistant the edge is to deformation. The harder the blade, the longer it takes for the edge to ‘flatten’, but it can also become more brittle if overused as a lever. 
• Toughness: this is the steel's ability to withstand blows, twisting and lateral forces without breaking; it is the property that makes the difference when a knife encounters bone or a wrong move in the middle of a cut. 
• Corrosion resistance: all our steels are stainless, but they all contain carbon, which means that if the knife is neglected, rust may appear over time. The chemical design of the steel and heat treatment help to delay this, but user care is still key.
• Wear resistance: this determines how long the edge lasts when the knife is used on hard or abrasive materials, such as dry wood or plant fibre. 
• Edge retention: a highly wear-resistant steel will retain its cutting edge for longer, even after many days of intensive use. 
• Ease of resharpening: the harder and more ‘resistant’ the steel, the more demanding it will be when it comes to restoring a fine edge, while slightly softer steel loses its cutting edge sooner... but can be sharpened much more quickly, even with simple tools in the field. 

The work we do at Cuchillería Joker consists precisely of balancing these six variables so that each knife has the characteristics it needs according to its function.

Why not all stainless steels are suitable for the same purpose

Although we always talk about stainless steels, there is no single steel that is perfect for all sporting knives. The choice of steel depends on the actual work that the blade will perform. 

Designing a knife that will be subjected to bending and possible side impacts is not the same as designing one intended for repeated cutting and chopping of wood, or one intended for finer, more controlled cuts.

In sporting knives where there is a risk of significant side stresses, stainless steel with moderate hardness and high toughness is preferred. This balance allows the blade to have a certain amount of controlled flex and better absorb punishment, reducing the likelihood of breakage if twisting or a wrong move occurs. In this case, it is accepted that the edge retention will be somewhat lower in exchange for greater structural safety and more ‘elastic’ behaviour.

In knives designed for bushcraft, survival or intensive woodworking, the approach is different. Here, the aim is to find a stainless steel with greater hardness and wear resistance, which will maintain its edge during many hours of use, even with demanding tasks such as batoning, cutting firewood or building shelters. The user accepts that re-sharpening will be somewhat more laborious, but in return obtains a blade that better resists continuous wear.

There are also configurations geared towards fine, controlled work, where steels with good hardness, great homogeneity and excellent ability to take a very fine edge are valued. In these cases, the design focuses on providing a very clean and precise cut, maintaining adequate corrosion resistance for outdoor use and reasonable re-sharpening for the user.

Equip your adventure with the best stainless steel knives from Cuchillería Joker

At Cuchillería Joker, we are experts in selecting stainless steels to offer you sporting knives that exceed expectations in any scenario. From the robust Joker Bowie CN96 for big game hunting to the technical Joker Nomad 6.5" for extreme survival, each model represents decades of craftsmanship.

Need personalised advice? Visit our online shop, contact our experts or discover your ideal stainless steel. Your next adventure deserves the best blade!