I doubt in a blind test with V2 and White no.2 hardened and tempered the same anyone could tell the difference. Variations on heat treatment and glade geometry would be the major differences knife to knife. V2 compared to HD steel in edge holding is easy, HD wins. HD wins because it is so much more corrosion resistant and has much greater chromium carbide volume. Now I'm no steel expert, but the addition of Chromium .30-.50% in V2 is mainly to ensure deeper hardening.
well kochi also makes gyutos in blue 2. which i know ill like alot. so theres something for everybody.
I didn't mean to come off argumentative. I think they are all good steels. I'd be happy with a Kochi made from any flavour of steel.
At .30-.50% the corrosion resistance between the two steels would be pretty much identical because there wouldn't be enough free chromium in the V2 steel to provide any corrosion resistance
Where are the steel experts?
I'm done hijacking this thread.
there are many small composition issues in the two steels, beyond the small chromium difference. i'm just going by experience with knives of the two steels, here. it's somewhat subjective, obviously, but a knife either keeps cutting or it doesn't. when cutting a lot of tomatoes, something i do fairly regularly, my white steel knives start struggling on tough skins before my V2 knives do. it's part of why i don't have white 2 gyutos, anymore. i don't have the issue with Blue 2 and Blue AS knives, either.
I really like the V2 used in Yoshikane.
But I basically like every carbon.
Thanks chinacats, nice read. Could use more photos though![]()