What we carry in 420HC and VG-10
For a hunting or outdoor knife that gets sharpened in the field and does not always get dried, 420HC is the easier steel to live with: tougher, more corrosion resistant and very easy to sharpen. VG-10 runs harder, 60 to 62 HRC against the 56 to 58 HRC of Buck's factory spec for 420HC, and holds an edge longer, at some cost in toughness.
| 420HC | VG-10 |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| stainless | stainless |
| Made by | |
| Generic AISI grade; notably used by Buck Knives with a proprietary heat treat. | Takefu Special Steel (Japan) |
| Composition | |
C ~0.45-0.55%Cr ~13-14% | C ~1.0%Cr ~15%Mo ~1.0%V ~0.2%Co ~1.5% |
| Hardness | |
| 56-58 (Buck's factory spec) HRC | 60-62 HRC |
| Edge retention | |
| Modest by modern standards but reliable and very easy to sharpen. | Very good, a long-standing benchmark premium Japanese stainless, especially in kitchen cutlery. |
| Toughness | |
| Very good, a big reason it remains popular for hard-use fixed blades. | Good, though can be a bit more brittle than tougher modern stainless at the high end of its HRC range. |
| Corrosion resistance | |
| Excellent, among the more corrosion-resistant knife steels in common use. | Very good. |
| Where it sits | |
| Entry to mid-tier; Buck's decades-long proprietary heat treat is the differentiator versus generic 420. | Upper-mid to premium tier; iconic in Japanese kitchen knives, also used in Western folders. |
| On this site right now | |
| 78 listings, 53 distinct models, $20.16 to $179.95 | 11 listings, 8 distinct models, $98.96 to $242.10 |
The first question for an outdoor knife is where it gets sharpened. The 420HC record rates its edge retention modest by modern standards but reliable, and calls it very easy to sharpen. The VG-10 record rates edge retention very good. So VG-10 is the one rated to hold an edge longer, and 420HC is the one rated very easy to sharpen.
The recipes line up with the ratings. 420HC carries about 0.45 to 0.55% carbon and is published at 56 to 58 HRC as Buck's factory spec; VG-10 carries about 1.0% carbon at a published 60 to 62 HRC. The harder, higher carbon steel is the one rated for longer edge holding, and the softer, simpler one is the one rated very easy to sharpen, which is what makes a touch up on a small stone or rod at the tailgate or in the tent a short job. If you would rather sharpen at home and touch the edge up less often on the trip, VG-10 is the one rated for that. If you expect to sharpen mid trip, 420HC is the one that makes that quick. The 420HC steel entry covers what the grade is on its own.
Toughness is the property that decides whether an edge survives a hard moment, and between 420HC and VG-10 the direction favors 420HC. Its record rates toughness very good and names that as a big reason it stays popular for hard-use fixed blades. VG-10 is rated good, with a caution that it can be a bit more brittle than tougher modern stainless near the high end of its hardness range.
In the field that difference shows up at the worst times: an edge that meets a joint, a blade twisted to free it from a cut, a knife dropped on rock. The 420HC record is the one that names hard-use fixed blades, and the VG-10 record is the one that carries the brittleness caution. None of this makes any knife a pry bar. Cut with control, keep your other hand clear of the edge's path, and never twist or lever a blade to force it through. A slipping knife is a bigger problem than a damaged edge.
Corrosion resistance also favors 420HC. Its record rates it excellent and puts it with the more rust resistant knife steels in everyday use. VG-10 is rated very good. Both are stainless and both handle a wet day, but a knife that rides in a sheath that never fully dries, or goes days between cleanings on a trip, has more margin in 420HC.
Neither rating means immune, whichever of the two you carry. Blood, salt and moisture trapped in a leather sheath are what mark a blade over time. Rinse and dry the blade when you get back, let the sheath dry out separately, and a stainless knife of either steel will stay clean. The VG-10 steel entry has more on how that alloy behaves outside the kitchen.
The 420HC record is unusual in naming one maker. It calls 420HC a generic AISI grade, notes that Buck Knives runs it with a proprietary heat treat, and says Buck's decades-long heat treat is what sets its 420HC apart from generic 420. The 56 to 58 HRC range is labeled as Buck's factory spec.
That label matters on this shelf. Buck accounts for 56 of the 78 420HC listings here, Gerber for 14 and Kershaw for 8. The record gives Buck's hardness range; it gives no figure for how other makers heat treat the same grade. So read the 56 to 58 HRC as a Buck number. Knives Now does not test the heat treat of individual knives, and the ranges on this page describe the steel as published, not any one blade.
The 420HC and VG-10 shelves here look nothing alike. 420HC runs 78 listings across 53 models, from $20.16 to $179.95, and 68 of the 78 are marked made in the USA. It includes fixed blades such as the Buck Ranger Skinner at $119.99 and the Buck General Fixed Blade Phenolic, alongside the Gerber Doubledown Machete at $169.95.
VG-10 runs 11 listings across 8 models, all Böker Plus, starting at $98.96 with a median of $134.96, and none is marked made in the USA. For an outdoor buyer, that means the 420HC shelf offers far more choice of shape and far more entry points on price, while the VG-10 shelf is a small group from one brand.
If the question behind this one is really about price, the step from a budget steel is argued in the 8Cr13MoV and VG-10 comparison. Every other steel on this site is on the Steel Lab index.
The figures on this page are the published specification ranges for the alloy, cross-checked against manufacturer datasheets and independent metallurgical references. They describe the steel, not any one knife. Hardness in particular is a range a mill and a knifemaker work inside, and Knives Now does not test the heat treat of individual knives, so nothing here is a claim about what a specific listing measures.
Cross-checked against the sources above. Figures verified 2026-07-19.