154cm is no slouch!

BMCGear

BMCGear

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It's no longer the flavor of the week but I have no complaints with it. Bought my old man a Mini-Grip a while back. We were visiting tonight and he told me he needed to touch it up and asked me if I had a stone handy? I got a coffee mug, my honing stone, and my strop out and sharpened it. The knife has cut everything from food (steak, pork chops, apples) all the way to being used pretty hard cutting rubber and cardboard. I had the edge hair popping sharp within a few minutes.
 
I totally agree. 154CM is a very good steel. And I'd add that BM does it particularly well too.

I always say, there might be better out there but if all I had was a blade in 154CM I'd consider myself very well equipped and completely set. I've carried and used 154CM probably more then any other steel as far as folders and have never been disappointed in it.
 
I have always considered 154cm and VG10 both to be very good EDC users with very similar characteristics. I'm a welder and my work knife is a Delica in VG10 and my EDC knife is a first gen BM 940 in 154cm. I absolutely love both steels.
 
I think 154CM is still one of the best overall steels for a pocket knife. I love super steels and tool steels, especially M390, S90V, D2, and M4, but 154CM has a great combination of ease-of-sharpening, corrosion resistance, edge retention, and toughness. I've never had a 154CM knife chip during normal use, but I cannot say the same about some "super steels", such as S30V. 154CM will tend to roll rather than chip, which is preferable.

I also have no problem sharpening very hard steels; they take longer but that is okay since they hold an edge longer. But there is something to be said for having good edge retention, and still being able to quickly get an edge back with very light stone work or stropping. This is especially advantageous when in the field or at work. Time can be a factor.

I put VG-10/ATS-34 in the same category as 154CM. These steels leave very little to be desired, but the knife nut in me just loves the idea of having the newest super steel, or a blade made from tool steel designed to drill into other steels like M4, or to sheer other steels like D2. When it comes down to it though, that doesn't make them better steels for a knife.
 
With so many super steels out I still love my Torrent with 154CM! Leatherman an also use 154CM on their premium multitools.

They are easy to get mirrored edge and extremely sharp.

Over the years I am accustomed to slice rather than push cuts or chop with the 154CM and it stays sharp for a long long time.

It has a well rounded all purpose blade characteristics, it doesn't chip, it's tough enough for cutting down a tree (well,.. branches...) and easy to get crazy sharp
 
My old man loves his Mini Grip! I haven't had a Benchmade in my pocket in a while. Mainly because I've been experimenting with fixed blades. Touching up his Mini made me miss the ones I've owned. I bought a 556 and Mini Ritter this morning. :)
 
Between my 2 EDC knives in normal EDC steels, my BM Rift in 154CM is used and carried more than my Native 5 LW in S35vn, and while the S35 has a tiny chip in it, the 154CM has yet to do anything but get dull slowly, and that can be fixed very quickly, quicker than the S35.

I'm a fan of 154CM.
 
:thumbup: I carry Emersons and I've always been very pleased with 154cm's performance; it keeps its edge very well (even at the lower RC), it's quite tough, and easy to maintain and sharpen--at home or on the go. Other than infi on my favorite fixed and 1095 on my GEC's it is my most used knife steel.
 
I carry a Grip and the 154 holds up very well under hard use. I have a Rift that I carry more than use but I can get an edge on that knife that makes me look like I know what I am doing. Great steel and agree with all the previous comments.
Frank.
 
BM's 154 is very good, and even though steel snobs consider it obsolete junk, their 440C is very good as well...

I bought my first Mini Grip just after they were first released roughly 18 years ago, and back then they were 440C. I carried that knife daily for a number if years, and used it hard. I never had a complaint with the steel. I've had a couple other early version Mini Grips over the years, and they have been great too...
 
I love 154CM as well. IMO, 154CM is one of those things that's good at everything, but doesn't particularly stand out in any one area. I've only got it on 1 knife (555hg) but man does it get sharp. It's the first blade I got "hair-whittling" sharp, and the one I go to for lots of my everyday cutting tasks. If it gets dull, it's super easy to touch up. I really just love that knife.
 
I bought a Grip (home) and a Mini Grip (office) yesterday because I needed some 154cm in my life. ;)
 
154CM is one of my favorite steels in an EDC knife. I've been carrying S90V (940-1) for a while now, which is an amazing blade steel. BUT, when it gets dull, I need to put 2 hours aside to bring it back to what I consider sharp. 154CM is 20 minutes tops to get it terrifyingly sharp, and it takes a finer edge than S90V.
 
Cypress said:
154CM is one of my favorite steels in an EDC knife. I've been carrying S90V (940-1) for a while now, which is an amazing blade steel. BUT, when it gets dull, I need to put 2 hours aside to bring it back to what I consider sharp. 154CM is 20 minutes tops to get it terrifyingly sharp, and it takes a finer edge than S90V.
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Yea man, I haven't really dabbled with many of the "super" steels for that reason.
 
bluemetalchurch said:
Yea man, I haven't really dabbled with many of the "super" steels for that reason.
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I keep my 940-1 touched up with a Spyderco Double Stuff stone and a leather strop. The key is not to let it get dull and you can keep it arm shaving sharp in 10 minutes. It would probably be a PIA if I actually let it go dull.
 
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