154CM vs. VG10

154CM, as heat-treated by Benchmade, is easier to sharpen than VG-10 as heat-treated by Spyderco.

I haven't finished reprofiling my Delica, so I don't know the answer to your second question.
 
I don't really find VG-10 noticeably harder to sharpen, but since VG-10 is a little more wear-resistant than 154CM, you'd expect it to be a little more trouble, so I have no trouble believing thrombrogan sees a difference. What I do notice about VG-10 is that it takes an obviously, measureably sharper edge than 154CM. My experience with VG-10 is that no matter how sloppy I am on the sharpener, when I'm done I end up with a screaming sharp edge anyway. My preference for VG-10 (and for 8A in the cheaper class) is based mostly on how easy it seems to be to put a really really sharp edge on it.

Joe
 
I suck at sharpening, but I can get a pretty dam sharp edge on my vg-10 Mouse. It just seems to snap right back into shape with a few licks on ceramic sticks.
I can't get my cm-154 BM's nearly as sharp. Or my mini griptilian's 440c for that matter.
 
I have knives with both, and much prefer the VG-10. Seems to take a sharper edge, and during use seems to look cleaner (my CM appears to smudge with finger prints).
 
Joe,

I use the Sharpmaker with Sal's instructions (light alternating strokes) as I'm too ham-handed to lightly abrade burrs off with it. Vanadium and tungsten carbides are my friends when I get down to the ultra-fine hones, but until then, VG-10, D2, and M2 are my adversaries, 154CM and AUS-6 are my allies, and AUS-8 is an occasional turncoat.
 
I've found VG-10 to be more or less equal to ATS-34 or 154CM as far as ease of sharpening. I also agree with a few others here that it just seems to take an incredibly nice edge. A very "forgiving" steel in the sharpening arena.
 
I feel that VG10 takes a better edge than 154CM/ATS 34. Given the proper heat treat VG10 supposedly is supposed to hold an edge better than the 154CM.
 
I find VG10 to be much easier to sharpen than ATS-34 or 154CM. It surprises me that thombrogan finds the opposite to be true. My perspective is that I almost always reprofile blades to thin razor edges. Alloys with a lot of chrome and molybdenum like ATS-34/154CM have large hard carbides that are very difficult to hone to this type of edge without using a fine diamond hone. Alloys like VG10 or AUS-8 with vanadium in them have very fine carbides. Although the vanadium carbides are harder than chromium or molybdenum carbides they are so fine that you shape a razor edge without having to split most of the grains. The vanadium also reduces the size of the iron and chromium carbides in the alloy. I am never fully satisfied with the edge I get with 154CM. I would rather sharpen D2.
 
hey thanks guys, lots of interesting answers- i'll soon figure out myself what it takes to sharpen vg10, as a shabaria will be on it's way to me soon.

thanks everyone...

cheez
 
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