← Steels
Carbon steel
XC90 Carbon
Opinel's carbon steel. Almost pure iron and carbon, which is why it takes a screaming edge off a simple stone and why it stains the first time you cut an apple. That patina is protective once it forms. Cheaper and sharper than the stainless Opinel, and useless if you will not dry it.
- Typical hardness
- 57-59 HRC
- Edge retention
- 2/5
- Toughness
- 4/5
- Corrosion resistance
- 1/5
- Ease of sharpening
- 5/5
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.
The knife in XC90 Carbon