advice on M2 blade steel

[orange1872003]

O.K. I would like to know what the opinions on m2 are. Anyone out there have this steel on their knife? I currently own a griptilian with s30v on the blade, and I have to say I'm not really that impressed with its performance. It seems to chip a lot. I will say that it is very easy to sharpen. I also own a griptilian with d2, but I haven't really put it into rough use. I have found a 710 with m2 blade steel and I just want to know if I will have similar issues with it chipping. Are blade steels with hardness above 60/Rc prone to being too brittle? Should I be content with ats34 or 154cm?

 

[thombrogan]

Although brittle in its own right, M2 is better than S30V for taking and holding fine edges for use in light-duty and medium-duty cutting. While the stock edge of Benchmade's 710HS folder is too thick for the differences to be noticed, thinning that same edge reveals the cutting wonderland within. According to Alvin Johnston, the heat-treat selected by Benchmade for their M2 gives it the maximum torsional strength it can have. In English, that means if the blade twists within a cut, its edge will suffer less damage than otherwise.

So if you're going to buy a Benchmade, get one with M2. If you can find an M2 Ritter Griptillian, that might be an even better buy.