A Few Bits of Magic Steel

I haven't encountered many pieces of steel that live up to their hype. Most marketing claptrap isn't worth the 1s and 0s beamed into your eyeballs.

For the most part, there's good steel and crap steel. There are a few ways to make good steel (careful alloying and skilled heat treating) and a slop bucket of ways to make crap steel.

Can you detect the differences among varieties of A2 that are put out by different toolmakers? If it's well-made A2, most non-toolmakers can't. The differences are subtle and not worth writing about.

So why are we here? To talk about the magical stuff. The best steel I've encountered isn't Japanese. And it isn't some high-tech powdered metal that is 1 percent militant Schmoo.

It's from Idaho.

Every tool from Barr Specialty Tools I have owned or used has been made of steel that is noticeably – and shockingly – better than all the other steel stuff in my tool chest. The steel takes a fine edge quickly on waterstones and oilstones. And it's an edge that has a wicked clin…