D2 vs Sandvik 14C28N.

The Brazen Linerlock in D2 and in 14C28N

The Brazen Linerlock listings in D2 and in 14C28N match on nearly everything the distributor text gives, which makes this pair a clean test of the steel. The Civivi Brazen Linerlock is the D2 listing, and the Civivi Brazen Linerlock Black is the 14C28N one. Each has a 3.5 inch blade, a 4.5 inch closed length, a black G10 handle, a pocket clip, a lanyard hole and an extended tang, and the spec rows list each as a linerlock. The two are priced about the same, and the records place both steels around the middle of the market, D2 at upper-budget to mid-tier and 14C28N at mid-tier, so neither side of this pair is a premium step and cost does not decide it.

The wording differs in a few places besides the steel. The D2 blade is described as black stonewash and the 14C28N blade as stonewash. The D2 text also calls its blade a tanto and lists a black nylon zippered storage case; the 14C28N text mentions neither, which is a gap in the wording rather than proof of a difference. With that much shared, the steel line is where your decision sits.

14C28N is the tougher steel, by D2's own account

Between D2 and 14C28N, the toughness question is answered by the D2 side. The record behind D2 steel rates its toughness moderate and calls it "more brittle than tougher stainless like 14C28N or MagnaCut". Sandvik 14C28N is rated very good for toughness in its own record. No reading between the lines is needed, because the comparison is written into D2's record.

For the Brazen, that settles one kind of owner. A chip takes metal out of an edge, and a tougher steel is the one less likely to lose it. If your edges come back with small chips in them, the 14C28N Brazen is the tougher answer. The D2 Brazen suits the owner who keeps it on cutting work.

Edge holding on the D2 side, sharpenability on the 14C28N side

D2 holds its edge longer, and 14C28N gives some of that up by design. D2 carries 1.4 to 1.6 percent carbon, more than twice 14C28N's roughly 0.62, and its record puts edge retention at very good to excellent for a steel of its tier, on the strength of a high carbide volume. 14C28N's record rates edge retention moderate and says the steel gives up some wear resistance to gain toughness and sharpenability. On the Brazen, that means the D2 blade keeps cutting longer through abrasive material, and the 14C28N blade is the one made for easy sharpening.

Rust follows the same split. 14C28N is a stainless with a very good corrosion rating, and its record calls it "engineered specifically for corrosion resistance and easy sharpening"; it also carries about 14 percent chromium to D2's 11 to 13. D2 is semi-stainless, and its record says most of that chromium is tied up in carbides and that neglect will still leave the steel stained or spotted. So the D2 Brazen suits an owner who wipes the blade dry after wet work, and the 14C28N Brazen is more forgiving of one who forgets.

Kershaw puts the two steels on different knives

Kershaw sells D2 and Sandvik 14C28N too, but on different models, so its shelf makes a looser comparison. The Kershaw Iridium DuraLock Gray puts D2 on a 3.5 inch stonewash blade with a gray anodized aluminum handle and a DuraLock; the Kershaw Leek puts 14C28N on a 3 inch stonewash blade with a black anodized aluminum handle and a linerlock, and its listing gives the origin as USA where the Iridium's gives China. The steel records, and so the trade, are the same as on the Brazen, but choosing between those two also means choosing a size, a lock and a handle. On the Brazen, D2 against 14C28N comes down to the steel.