Ats-34

[Buffalohump]

Been meaning to pose a question here regarding steel choices. I have noticed that on a great deal of custom traditionals, ATS-34 appears overwhelmingly to be the steel of choice.

I was wondering why this is? Why not 154CM or CPM-154 (Crucible's updated verson of 154CM which is even better and is held in high esteem by a lot of custom makers.)

Just curious....

 

[zerogee]

For quite a while 154CM was unavailable - so they had to use ATS-34. Once 154CM became available again a few years ago, a lot of makers started using it -- you can see this in the steel used in Case-Bose Collaborations thru the years. Also, a lot of makers don't have a surface grinder - nor do they have ready access to one -- so they depend on what steels they can get in precision ground flatstock of the right thickness (not always easy to find thin enough precision ground flatstock for traditional blades in many steels - typically 3/32" and 5/64"). At least from what I've seen, ATS-34 is rather more available in precision ground flatstock of the right thicknesses. As for CPM-154, it's only been available for a few years, it's expensive, and its availability has been spotty - plus it's even harder to get in the proper precision ground flatstock dimensions (usually you have to pay thru the nose to get it custom ground - on top of already being expensive steel)

 

[Blues]

Dwight pretty much said it all.

Some makers I talk to feel that they can get a better "finish" with ATS-34 but that is not necessarily a consensus opinion. In any case, ATS-34 and the related steels mentioned by Dwight are all excellent steels that provide a very good balance between edge holding, corrosion resistance, ease of sharpening and taking a beautiful finish.

 

[Buffalohump]

Great, thanks guys...