Surgical Stainless

The scalpel-blade stock in Havalon, Gerber Vital and Tyto blades. Ground thin enough to be startlingly sharp and brittle enough to snap if twisted.

Typical hardness

Not published

Edge retention

1/5

Toughness

2/5

Corrosion resistance

4/5

Ease of sharpening

Not rated

1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other.