I am buying a knife for my future husband for his wedding gift and I was wondering what is better carbon steel or stainless steel?
Are you going to use it and take care of it? All butchers use the high carbon steel blades. If you want something to shine real pretty then go with the stainless.
The better grade of stainless is the top choice, but it can be hard to find, and expensive. - Surgical scalpels are made of it. (Common '420' stainless will not hold an edge as well as high carbon steel.)
It depends on what your husband plans to do with the knife. In general, stainless steel knives are more resistant to rust and corrosion but carbon steel knives hold a sharp edge for longer. Those are only general statements, because high carbon knives can be coated to resist rust, and some high quality stainless steel knives can hold a great edge. There are many different metal alloys used for knives, and each one has its own properties. If I were you, I would buy a high carbon steel knife, unless you think your husband would use the knife under conditions that might make it rust (fishing or boating, for example).
carbon steel is my choice. googlecarbon steel vs stainless steel knives for more info. If you buy stainless make sure it is an alloy that will hold an edge..many a shiny knife is just a dull dud. Carbon blades don't rust unless they are left laying in the wet. I was having this conversation with a Friend once. So I took his knife and struck his knifes edge against mine with a light blow.. His had a 1/16 dent in it, mine not even a mark on it. I assume this is not a kitchen knife.
