154 cm"not what is used to be"?

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brettofthejungle

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May 18, 2008
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Hey everyone. I bought a 154cm benchmade today and came home to read more about the steel. I came across this:



"154CM was considered by many to be super-steel, if you can find some of the old production stock. The new batches are not manufactured to the standards that we've come to expect for knife steel. While excellent in use, 154CM eats up the finest hacksaw blades in one across-the-bar cut of 1-1/2". It's machining and grinding qualities are similar to 440C and won't win it any awards for ease in working. In use though, this alloy has a definite advantage in both hardness and toughness over 440C. 154 CM is not an accepted standard grade designation, rather a manufacturers trade name.

ATS-34 Japanese made stainless considered the equal of 154CM. Import restrictions have been eased somewhat, although they were forced to raise the price by 50%. Cleaner than the 154CM. (154 CM is no longer used in government specified applications and is not the vacuum melt product that we once appreciated.) ATS 34 is virtually the exact same alloy as 154 CM, minus 0.04% of one of the less essential elements. ATS is double vacuum melted and very clean. It also comes with a hard, black skin that will put a shine on your grinding belt before you know it. We recommend knocking the skin off with old belts before tapering the tang or Vee grinding. One fellow tried to take the skin off with an industrial motor driven wire brush wheel. All he did was polish it. We now stock a belt the is specifically designed to remove this scale. ATS 34 is a trade name. The three, 154 CM, ATS 34 and 440-C, all have a small, reddish spark that has a distinct, but hard to see carbon fork. ATS 34 is also a trade name. That super hard black skin on some of these steels, as well as forging scale, can be "pickled" to remove it. Buy a gallon of inexpensive white vinegar, and leave the steel in it overnight. Works like magic. If it doesn't work, or makes the shop smell like a salad, blame Doug Brack, who gave me this hint."



::::::is what this guy says true? is benchmades 154cm not good?
 
That must have been written a few years ago !! While they did have quality problems that was fixed and became better than ATS-34. ATS-34 has had their ups and downs too.So today the quality is fine .There is a new version ,CPM 154 which has the same chemistry but is made with the CPM method and is better yet. This is becoming a favorite for custom makers .I don't know if any factory knives use this yet....You'll like your new knife. Best sharpened with ceramic or diamond.Takes a nice edge and holds it well.
 
The article to me seemed to be saying it was excellent using steel,but difficult to work with.
 
As per mete's post above - what is the date of the article?
 
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Correct, enderwiggin...here's the link to the quote posted above. I didn't see a date on it, but from reading it, it appears to be a few years old at least.
 
I seem to recall reading that very article almost 10 years ago. Current production 154 CM is great stuff, and I prefer it to ATS34.
 
In use any steel is only as good as it's heat treat. The 154CM I have used in the Kershaw ZT's, 0200 & 0500 has been as good as any steel I have used.
 
154CM just may be my favorite stainless steel. It may not hold an edge quite as long as S30V, but it still holds a great edge, is easy to sharpen, tough enough, and probably chips a little less than S30V in my experience. Awesome steel. I dont know how hard it is to work with, as I am not a knifemaker. Unless you are a knifemaker, I dont see how that would really matter.
 
mete said:
That must have been written a few years ago !! While they did have quality problems that was fixed and became better than ATS-34. ATS-34 has had their ups and downs too.So today the quality is fine .There is a new version ,CPM 154 which has the same chemistry but is made with the CPM method and is better yet. This is becoming a favorite for custom makers .I don't know if any factory knives use this yet....You'll like your new knife. Best sharpened with ceramic or diamond.Takes a nice edge and holds it well.
Click to expand...

Mete is correct. That text was written some years ago. I remember a schmoo back in the 90's or maybe late 80's about how 154CM was no longer being made correctly and that the Japanese version (ATS-34) was better. As mete said, this has since been corrected by Crucible. Sometime in the last 10 years folks had a spate of problems with ATS-34 and I believe those also have since been fixed.

Old data can sometimes be erroneous. Especially when it comes to quality or process issues rather than inherent properties of the alloy. The inherent properties don't change.
 
My very nice Camillus folder is stamped 154CM. When I bought it the website said ATS-34. I called them and asked. They said the quality of 154CM had improved and that of ATS-34 had gone down so they went back to 154CM. If you went back a few years in the archives of the makers section you would see comments about cutom makers giving up on ATS-34 because of 'dirty' steel .That is the inclusion content was high and showed up as pits when polished.
 
My Benchmade 154 is flat out great. I sharpens easier than S30V and in the end the edge last just about as long. I personally prefer it over S30V. But that is just my opinion.
 
That very article almost scared me away from buying the swamp rat Hairy carry...but if swamp rat and Scrapyard are using them the steel must be alright...I did get a HC...and never looked back...
 
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