High hardness steels used in construction, defense, and pipeline applications are known to be susceptible to environmentally assisted cracking (EAC). It is believed that some brands of steel have better performance than others, but there is a lack of standardized tests to evaluate the EAC of steels in a corrosive environment for direct comparison. This study compares 11 steels with hardness levels ranging from 500 to 600 Brinell Hardness in a 3.5% saltwater solution. A modified tuning fork test (TFT) was developed and applied to place samples under tensile stress while submerged in saltwater and monitor crack initiation and propagation to failure. For the steels tested, the time-to-failure data shows a wide range of EAC resistance. As expected, higher hardness steels were much more susceptible. Importantly, there was also a wide range of results for steels in the same hardness category, supporting the belief that some brands have a much higher resistance to EAC. The clear results, combined with the simplicity and low cost of the TFT, support possible use of TFT in steel selection. Our addition to the TFT method of using strain gauges to track the load under test is a promising way to better understand the nature of the fracture as well. The results also highlight the significance of microstructural factors in EAC resistance, such as grain size, dislocation density, and other factors directly related to steel processing. Overall, our TFT approach could provide guidance for material selection in industries operating under harsh conditions.