Stainless vs Carbon for Breaking Down COVID Packages

I never thought I would be writing about breaking down packages that are coming from the mail.  But here I am in 2020 after breaking down hundreds of cardboard boxes I am giving advice on small things that may end up helping you do it better.  I have seen so many people struggle because they are not strong enough to break these packages down with their hands and they are using poor choices of tools to do the job.  I have seen old women and men use scissors to break down cardboard boxes and end up with blisters and severely damaged hands.  That is a really bad way to do this and the actual solution is to use the best tool for the job and that is a knife.  The simple truth is that knives are tools just like a hammer.  If you need one for the job then it is the perfect tool for it.  When it comes to boxes knives are generally created with stainless or carbon steel.  There are differences in how these steels are put together and that difference can make your job easier or harder depending on what you plan on doing with it.

 

In 2020 the entire world of steel has changed.  We now have powdered metallurgy which allows the statistics and uses of steels of the past to be irrelevant.  Steels created today can outperform the best of the best by up to 2000%.  No that is not a made-up number and the fact is that the entire industry has become super compared to the 1990's and previous years.  This means that stainless steels and carbon steels are different in this century.  They are tougher and much more powerful when it comes to edge retention.  It is truly incredible to see and if you have tons of packages to break down I want you to get the best steel in your knife for the job.

 

Carbon steels are known to rust more and fast than stainless steels.  Yes, stainless steel will rust, but it takes longer and is more resistant to when water or acid gets put on teh blade.  If may not rust for hours or days where a carbon knife may rust in an hour.  This means that you have to take care of carbon steel more and clean them faster than stainless steel.  But the nature of powdered carbon steels in this century means they are more stain-resistant than they used to be and they are much stronger or tougher than stainless powdered steels.  You can simply make them withstand impact and keep them from chipping easier than stainless steel.  But when it comes to cutting packages toughness is not needed and edge retention is more important.

 

Stainless steels can be created to be better when it comes to holding an edge longer.  You always give and take when you make a knife better at one aspect than another.  If you make it more edge retentive, then it becomes less tough.  Or it may become less stainless if you make it tougher.  This give and take is fine when it comes to cutting up packages because you only want edge retention and that means you want a stainless blade.  So get a nice CPM stainless stell on your knife this year.