Three stainless steels, three different knives
Most people building their first few knives end up choosing between 1.4116, N690 and AEB-L. All three are stainless, all three are made by Voestalpine, and all three make excellent knives — but they are not interchangeable.
Here is what actually separates them, with the hardness figures we run.
1.4116 — 54 to 57 HRC
A German stainless steel, sometimes sold under the X50CrMoV15 designation. Around 0.5% carbon, 15% chromium, with molybdenum and vanadium.
The character: forgiving. It sharpens on almost anything, resists corrosion very well, and takes abuse without chipping. The trade is edge retention — it will dull sooner than the harder steels here.
Where it wins: a first build, a knife that will be used hard and touched up often, anything living in a damp environment. It is also the most affordable, which matters when you are learning and might ruin a handle.
Where it loses: if you want to sharpen once a season rather than once a month.
N690 — 58 to 60 HRC
Böhler's N690, sometimes called N690Co for its cobalt content. Around 1.07% carbon, 17% chromium, plus molybdenum, vanadium and cobalt. Broadly comparable to VG-10 in composition.
The character: the all-rounder. Genuinely good at everything without being outstanding at any one thing. Holds an edge notably better than 1.4116, still sharpens on ordinary waterstones, and the corrosion resistance is excellent.
Where it wins: as a default. If you want one steel that handles kitchen work, outdoor use and everything between, this is it. Our kitchen profiles in N690 run at 58 to 59 HRC; outdoor profiles go slightly higher.
Where it loses: against the powder steels on pure edge retention, and against AEB-L on ultimate fineness of edge.
AEB-L — 60 HRC
Originally a razor blade steel from Uddeholm. Around 0.68% carbon, 13% chromium. Lower alloy content than N690, which sounds like a disadvantage and is not.
The character: exceptionally fine grained. Because it has fewer and smaller carbides, the edge can be taken thinner at the apex without the microscopic tearing that coarser steels suffer. The result is a keenness that steels with better paper specifications cannot match.
Where it wins: kitchen knives, above all. If you care how a knife feels going through a tomato, AEB-L is the answer. It is also surprisingly easy to sharpen for a 60 HRC steel, again because of the fine grain.
Where it loses: corrosion resistance is good but slightly behind N690. Edge retention in abrasive use is lower than the powder steels.
Side by side
| |
1.4116 |
N690 |
AEB-L |
| Hardness |
54–57 HRC |
58–60 HRC |
60 HRC |
| Edge retention |
Fair |
Good |
Good |
| Ultimate sharpness |
Good |
Very good |
Excellent |
| Corrosion resistance |
Excellent |
Excellent |
Very good |
| Toughness |
Excellent |
Very good |
Very good |
| Ease of sharpening |
Very easy |
Easy |
Easy |
| Best for |
First builds, hard use |
Everything |
Kitchen knives |
Choosing between them
Building your first knife? 1.4116. Cheap enough that a mistake does not hurt, forgiving enough that the knife works anyway.
Building a knife you will actually rely on? N690. It will not be the sharpest or the longest-lasting blade you ever own, and it will never disappoint you.
Building a kitchen knife for someone who cooks seriously? AEB-L. The edge is the point, and this is where it shows.
Building for salt water or constant moisture? None of these — look at Vanax, which is nitrogen alloyed specifically for corrosion resistance.
Want maximum edge retention? Also none of these. That is what the powder steels are for.
A note on steel specifications
Composition tables are useful and they are not the whole story. Two blades of the same alloy can perform very differently depending on heat treatment — the temperatures, the quench rate, whether retained austenite was dealt with.
This is why we publish hardness figures and say where our heat treatment is done. Our blades are hardened at Voestalpine, in industrial vacuum furnaces, by the mill that made the steel. It is also why we are cautious about steel comparisons that rely only on published composition: the number that matters is the one the finished blade actually reaches.
You can see the hardness on every product page in our blade blank range. For the full picture of what hardness means, read blade hardness explained; for how these steels are treated, why we send blades back to the steel mill.