Jonas Johnsson

26C3 is one of the most quietly important kitchen knife steels of the past decade. Originally engineered by Sandvik as a razor steel — its lineage runs straight to UHB-20C — it carries about 1.25 to 1.30 percent carbon, very low manganese and sulphur, and a small chromium addition to control grain size. The result is a steel that hardens cleanly into the mid-sixties HRC while retaining genuinely useful toughness for its hardness, an unusual combination outside the powder-metallurgy world.

For the cook, 26C3 sharpens the way the best Japanese white papers sharpen — a quick burr that wipes off cleanly, and a polished edge that holds a screaming apex without microchipping. Toughness at 64 HRC is comparable to or better than 52100 at the same hardness in published testing, which is part of why the Larrin-Thomas-and-friends generation of makers gravitated to it; it lets you grind thinner without paying for it later. Like all clean carbons, it patinas willingly and benefits from a wipe between tasks.

26C3 has become something of a default among UK and European bladesmiths who want a no-compromise carbon edge, and it is the chemical parent of SheffCut, which adds a sliver of niobium to refine grain further. Among the makers Modern Cooking carries, Birch & Bevel, Karol Karyś, Jonas Johnsson, Tobias Heldqvist, Brook Turner, and Fredrik Spåre work in 26C3. It is one of the few non-stainless steels you can recommend to a cook coming from VG-10 without apology.

Aogami #2 — Blue Paper #2 — is the most widely encountered of the blue-paper steels and the one most cooks meet first. About 1.10 percent carbon plus half a percent each of chromium and tungsten is enough to noticeably extend edge retention over the white papers without dramatically changing how the steel feels at the stone.

In a typical clad gyuto or santoku the steel runs at 61–63 HRC, sharpens cleanly on most synthetic stones, and produces a reliable, hard-wearing edge. Toughness is good for the hardness — the lower carbon content compared to Blue #1 helps here — and the patina develops at a moderate, manageable pace. It is genuinely a workhorse: forgiving of slightly imperfect technique, tolerant of a wider range of foods, and broadly available across price points.

Among makers, Aogami #2 is the default blue paper for everyday clad knives, found across the bulk of the Sakai and Tosa traditions' working-cook offerings. Among the makers Modern Cooking carries, Katsushige Anryu and Jonas Johnsson work in Aogami #2. It is perhaps the steel that best illustrates Hitachi's philosophy: clean composition, predictable behaviour, ample room for the smith to leave a fingerprint.