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Vanax SuperClean is a stainless powder steel for readers who want strong corrosion resistance without giving up as much abrasive edge retention as LC200N. It is an appealing balance for regular slicing around moisture. Its lower toughness rating is the other side of that choice, so the edge and the complete knife still need to suit the job.
What Is Vanax SuperClean?
Vanax SuperClean is Uddeholm's nitrogen-alloyed powder metallurgy steel. This profile covers the SuperClean grade, rather than combining it with older Vanax 35 or Vanax 75 compositions. It is also separate from Vancron SuperClean, despite the similar name.
Performance Ratings
For the science, we turn to Dr. Larrin Thomas of Knife Steel Nerds, who has kindly allowed us to share his ratings here.
| Property | Vanax SuperClean |
|---|---|
| Abrasive edge retention | |
| Toughness | |
| Corrosion resistance |
Heat treatment, hardness and geometry affect actual knives.
Explore Vanax SuperClean’s Tradeoffs
Choose a steel above to highlight its position and see all three exact ratings below. The full map fits your screen.
Stainless
Vanax SuperClean
- Abrasive edge retention
- 5.5
- Toughness
- 5
- Corrosion resistance
- 10
Same position; corrosion ratings may differ:
All 48 rated materials. Numbers group steels at identical coordinates; colors describe stainless classification, not corrosion scores. Neither direction means a universally better knife.
Vanax SuperClean’s ratings are shown above. Enable JavaScript to select another steel, or browse the full ratings table.
Edge Retention Around Wet Work
Vanax SuperClean scores 5.5 for abrasive edge retention and 10 for corrosion resistance. Compared with LC200N's wear rating of 3, it offers more emphasis on keeping an edge through abrasive cutting. Both receive the same corrosion rating in this framework.
That combination is useful when the knife sees repeated slicing as well as moisture. The ratings do not set a sharpening interval; the material being cut, edge geometry and heat treatment all affect how long a particular knife remains useful.
The Toughness Tradeoff
Its toughness rating is 5, compared with LC200N's 8.5. If resisting edge damage matters more to you than abrasive wear, LC200N may be the more relevant comparison. With Vanax, choose a grind and edge angle appropriate for the work rather than assuming high corrosion resistance brings high resistance to chipping as well.
Our LC200N profile takes a closer look at that toughness-focused choice.
Sharpening and Corrosion Care
Diamond or cubic boron nitride (CBN) abrasives are useful options for sharpening Vanax. Follow the existing bevel for maintenance and use a suitable starting grit if there is damage to remove. Finish with light pressure and check that the burr is gone.
A corrosion rating of 10 does not mean the complete knife is immune to rust. Rinse away salt and residue, dry the knife and consider the materials used in its pivot, screws and other parts. Those details matter when choosing a knife for repeated wet exposure.
Is Vanax Worth Considering?
Vanax is worth considering when both moisture and abrasive cutting are regular parts of your use. If you mainly open an occasional package indoors, those priorities may not justify paying more for a knife you like less. For wet work, compare the complete construction and grip as well as the steel; for tougher cutting, pay close attention to the edge design. Our knife steel guide puts those choices in context.
Composition
Our steel composition guide explains what the elements do and how to read these values.
Vanax SuperClean: Producer-listed typical chemistry, mass %. Uddeholm: Vanax SuperClean.
| Element | Vanax SuperClean |
|---|---|
| Carbon (C) | 0.35% |
| Chromium (Cr) | 18.2% |
| Molybdenum (Mo) | 1.1% |
| Vanadium (V) | 3.5% |
| Nitrogen (N) | 1.55% |
