AR-RPM9: Well, is it PM steel? Finally some testing.

The takeaway I got from this is I have no problem on a budget level knife with this steel somewhere in the 50 to $100 range. I did not expect state-of-the-art at the price point they're running them at. I would rather them figure out the difference of sprayform verse powdered.

As with most steals, I still think the blade profile matters to overall edge stability and longevity. The new Pyrite Bowie has been taking chores with no problem, feather sticks, styrofoam pool noodles, box break downs, and dog food bags have all been done nicely with the rpm9 not needing any touch up yet. Time will tell more as I plan to use it all summer and not care about it, we'll see.
 
Great video. I remember being excited about y'all know I'm a fan of 9Cr18Mov in budget knives. I sent multiple knives in AR-RPM9 and 9Cr18Mov to Outpost 76 for testing when they were new. At 15dps, sharpened the way to 1200 grit on a KME, and tested over multiple edges against standard cardboard; the AR-RPM lasted longer than the softer 9Cr18Mov from Real Steel but fell significantly short of the harder 9Cr18Mov on Civivi and Sencut knives. (The latter seems an industry-best for 9Cr18Mov. Kizer just started using 9Cr18Mov in a recent budget line and I'd be curious to see a comparison.)

So is AR-RPM9 an okay steel on some of their knives relative to the price? Sure. Was the initial hype a nasty wet fart? Yes. Does this kind of stuff make me like the steel less than I should based on its properties? Absolutely.

It's almost as disappointing as my unrelated experiences with Artisan's customer service...
 
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Well done investigation! Truth in advertising is important, and not as common as one would hope.
 
Call me a bit skeptical of their response. I know that marketing departments make honest mistakes. It happens. But what's harder to accept is that for four years this steel was being touted as powder metallurgy all across the internet and no one at Artisan notices the discrepancy? Maybe the language barrier can explain that. Maybe. But this was their proprietary steel that they designed. You would think they would be well acquainted with its properties.
 
Maybe I’m just cynical, but the response reeks of having their hand caught in the cookie jar. I am glad to read about their willingness to continue conversations with Mr Thomas, however much damage control is involved.
 
So..either they knowingly lied, or simply misrepresented their product thru ignorant negligence ? 🤨

Neither is appealing behavior for a maker , IMO .
 
DocJD said:
So..either they knowingly lied, or simply misrepresented their product thru ignorant negligence ? 🤨

Neither is appealing behavior for a maker , IMO .
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Isn't it standard practice to play dumb now?

Next comes victim hood posturing then hints of xenophobes and racism conspiracies. Nobody defaults to " Yeah, we got caught " anymore.
 
HexY3co said:
The funny thing is pyrite pretty much breaks just like that too.
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My wife makes jewelry and says that under normal conditions, pyrite jewelry disintegrates over time due to oxidation. The usual way to inhibit the oxidation is to coat it with nail polish.

Wikipedia says, "Iron pyrite is unstable when exposed to the oxidizing conditions prevailing at the Earth's surface: iron pyrite in contact with atmospheric oxygen and water, or damp, ultimately decomposes into iron oxyhydroxides (ferrihydrite, FeO(OH)) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4)."
 
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