High carbon steel by far, it is actually quite easy to resharpen. Stainless steel my look prettier, but it does not perform near as good. Carbon steel is stronger, not neccasarily harder, than stainless and throws a good spark.

I think Buckeye got it right on his details.

Anybody else notice that stainless steel is predominant for what you will see in Cabelas, etc., I am thinking nearly exclusively

Excellent stainless knife steels are available, like 440C, AUS8, ATS-34, 154CM, and S30V, but like the non-SS steel blades a lot depends on the treatment by the maker. The same blade material from different manufacturers can have different properties.

There is also VG10 - a laminate that places a tough steel on the outside and a harder more brittle steel on the inside, for a very strong blade with a very sharp edge. I don't have any experience with it. If the edge material doesn't have chromium, like my kitchen laminated knives, the edge can corrode quickly. But it seems most hunting and fishing knife makers would make the edge material somewhat stainless.

I like a good D2 blade - semi-stainless.

A sharp knife is key, but for all this said, unless you have a true appreciation for materials, need a survival knife, need resistance to salt water, or need a knife that will cut long before sharpening, it is hard to go wrong when you buy a good brand name knife and diamond sharpening stones.

High carbon is my favorite. I have an old buck knife I bought in 1968 dressed and cut up hundreds of animals with it.

jerico, Your correct, carbon is more susceptible to rust so you must take care of it. Also it is much easier to sharpen than a stainless. Now the plus side to the stainless is it is easier to care for (prettier), it is harder to sharpen but once sharpened the edge last longer.

Del, Railroad spikes is interesting. I talked to a guy who made quality knives (more than I could afford) and his favorite recycled metal for knives was leaf springs from old cars (think 40's-60's) and old discarded saw mill blades. He said the carbon steel in those things made an unbelievable knife.

Stainless is pretty soft these days

high carbon .

I was under impression that a high carbon presence makes it sharp but also more succeptible to rust?We used to use high carbon hooks specifically so that they come out of sharks mouths quicker if they broke line.Curious.

I agree w/buckeye, it's funny that 20 years ago, most knives were carbon steele, and the pricier ones were stainless, nowadays, stainless knives are dirt cheap, and you end up paying big bucks for most carbon steel blades.

I like the Knives of Alaska knives. Good steel, not necessarily stainless, but will hold an edge better than most and they have some excellent designs. For more money the Busse line of knives is hard to beat for durability and blade strength and sharpness. Check out ...knifetests.com and go look for the Busse Full Battle Mistress...talk about a survival knife!
Then there are the Diamondblade knives...made in conjunction with Knives of Alaska these look to be the ultimate in a hunting knife. Super sharp and durable blade that won't need sharpening for a log time with moderate use. See Diamondblades.com
I gave out Knives of Alaska combo filet knife sets out for Christmas and everyone I gave a set to loved them!...not just for fishing either...they are great to trimm fat off of a brisket before cooking!

High Carbon is better than stainless.