810 contego cpm-m4

B

bertosknives

Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
390
this knife has become one of my favorites the cpm-m4 holds an edge longer than my s30v knives and I herd its really tough steel but how tough is it is it tougher than s30v? If so this is my new favorite steel.
 
it has become my favorite steel as well, and should be tougher in regards to edge stability and the like compared to s30v, though for the average Edc user you might not be able to quantify the added strength. The added wear resistance is quite noticeable though. Tremendous steel and I'd love to try out a bm with this steel, but they coat them all, which I hate.
 
I dont know why they coat them spyderco doesn't on the gale bradly but I cant stand carbon fiber stickers and its made in taiwan but costs more than the contego wich is made in the usa with perfect fit and finish.
 
Carbon fiber sticker? There are no stickers on the GB. The carbon fiber has a different base material but it is still carbon fiber.

I'm not real big on coatings either, but I won't let them stop me from getting a great knife with a great steel.
 
I'm glad to hear this about cpm-m4. I just purchased a Contego so that I could use this steel for awhile. In the few days that I've had the Contego, I am really liking it. It is a big folder and I have read all the horror stories of how the handles are too agressive. It sounded like the handles would draw more blood than the blade. But I find the handles to be fine the way they are, and I won't be changing them. I think this knife is a keeper!
 
I'm glad I came across this thread. So when I got my 810 I didn't like the obtuse edge. Even after Benchmade honed it (for free, without asking ... their service is top notch), but I've been kind of stressed out about rebeveling the m4. The last cpm blade that I rebeveled was s30v and it was a nightmare.

This time I used a 120 grit SiC (Edge Pro stone) and I'm sure the guided system was a big part of it (although I did the Native on a Lansky) but it was so easy to do I would have sworn it was 1095. I mean really, really easy. I followed up the coarse stone with a ceramic (I think 1200 grit, a huge jump I know) then a green compound loaded strop and I've got a near mirror polish. If I had my phone on me I'd prove it, but I'll do that later.

I'm amazed at how great this steel is...
 
Why do you guys prefer non coated M4? My Gayle Bradley started staining after using it to cut up one meal.

I actually like the gray coating on the Contego, I have no idea how durable it will be though.
 
some of us don't mind a little staining. and when I say a little I mean a little. cpm m4 is still very stain resistant compared to carbon steels.

bertosknives said:
ok not a sticker but a paper thin layer of carbon fiber glued to a g-10 handle.
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um, pretty positive you have your facts wrong there. I don't own one, so I can't confirm, but it should be steel liners with a full piece of cf acting as the scale. not that it really matters, IMO, I'm not a huge fan of cf scales. but it's certainly not "fake" as you are seeming to imply.
 
goodeyesniper said:
some of us don't mind a little staining. and when I say a little I mean a little. cpm m4 is still very stain resistant compared to carbon steels.



um, pretty positive you have your facts wrong there. I don't own one, so I can't confirm, but it should be steel liners with a full piece of cf acting as the scale. not that it really matters, IMO, I'm not a huge fan of cf scales. but it's certainly not "fake" as you are seeming to imply.
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it's not a full piece of carbon fiber. it's "peel-ply" carbon fiber laid on g10. jdavis882 on youtube (crimsontideshooter here) has done a video proving this. it's a REAL carbon fiber strip placed on g10.
 
longun said:
I'm glad to hear this about cpm-m4. I just purchased a Contego so that I could use this steel for awhile. In the few days that I've had the Contego, I am really liking it. It is a big folder and I have read all the horror stories of how the handles are too agressive. It sounded like the handles would draw more blood than the blade. But I find the handles to be fine the way they are, and I won't be changing them. I think this knife is a keeper!
Click to expand...

That might be because you got on of the newer Contegos. Benchmade listened to their customers and took the jimping down on the later models. The first version had really aggressive jimping and sharp edges.
 
bertosknives said:
I dont know why they coat them spyderco doesn't on the gale bradly but I cant stand carbon fiber stickers and its made in taiwan but costs more than the contego wich is made in the usa with perfect fit and finish.
Click to expand...

It's a carbon fiber laminate, as stated by Sal G after the incredible witchunt that occurred some months back. The coating is a preemptive measure to made sure the chances of rusting are minimized as much as possible, not everyone cares and maintaines their knives to the same degree. The quality of the manufacturer producing knives for Spyderco in Taiwan is nothing short of exceptional (I'm sure you've read the threads by now). The materials are manufactured in the US (CPM-M4 isn't made anywhere but in the US) as an example. The Gayle Bradley folder is also consistently made with "perfect" fit and finish.
 
Actually it isnt 'peel ply' CF. It has some texture, but not like peel ply. If you don't mind G10 and you like the look of CF, I don't see why anyone can't stand the scales. Plus it is one of the very few knives, if not the only one, to use scales made like this. It certainly isn't common.

I have one of the first run batches with a higher hardness blade. I like the knife OK, but not real big on liner locks.
 
I'm terrible at taking pics of edges, but here's my 810's

IMAG0960_zps7ee8bc61.jpg


IMAG0959_zps829aa27c.jpg


IMAG0961_zps5169a83a.jpg


Yes it could use a lot of refinement, but for 3 minutes off the 120 grit stone I'm happy.
 
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