Best blade for maintaining edge Benchmade, Spyderco...

[bdmicarta]

I had the idea that rex45 has the best combination of edge holding and toughness but in general toughness and edge holding are opposites and you can’t have both- pick which one you want the most.

 

[ferider]

So which of the knives you own (since it looks like you own most of the steel I’m looking at) holds a sharp edge the longest? Which is your favorite and why? Thanks

My Cruwear Manix 2, that I used for 2 weeks on a camping trip once.

 

[ktataragasi]

I was cutting some conveyor belt at work with my maxamet Manix and it snapped. I was pulling it back out of the cut I just made because it was stuck. I twisted a little bit and it ended up snapping. I had done this job hundreds of other times with my other knives and they fared just fine.

Ah that sucks man. I know the early reports of maxamet had some issues. I guess it's just the territory for near 70 hrc.

 

[nattynarwhal]

I had the idea that rex45 has the best combination of edge holding and toughness but in general toughness and edge holding are opposites and you can’t have both- pick which one you want the most.

Yeah either rex 45 or k390 imo has the best characteristics. Once magnacut comes into the market let's see if the production companies can pump out magnacut at ~65 HRC to match the properties of rex 45.

 

[Bob Denman]

M4, M390, S90-V, and K390...
There's nothing wrong with ANY of these...
And that's getting the list started!
(Just got some S110-V blades, and am looking forward to seeing how they hold up.)

 

[Alberta Ed]

There a lot of premium steels that excel at edge retention but lack in toughness (durability/freedom from fracture/breaking).

However, M4 and Elmax both get high marks for edge retention and toughness w/the nod going to Elmax for ease of sharpening and corrosion resistance.
I don't believe that you can go wrong w/either of these steels but M4 will require a bit more care/attention than Elmax will.

Both are pretty widely available among many brands and types of knives (especially those offered by Spyderco in M4 and ZT in Elmax) and cost less than other premium steels that lack a balance in the 4 main qualities mentioned.

See: BHQ's Best Knife Steel Guide for further information.

I haven't given my GB2 with M4 any special treatment, and it shows only a few tiny blemishes after 8 or 9 months of regular use in the kitchen and around the house mainly. I just rinse it off and dry it. A few swipes on the DMT keeps it hair popping sharp.

 

[sgt1372]

I haven't given my GB2 with M4 any special treatment, and it shows only a few tiny blemishes after 8 or 9 months of regular use in the kitchen and around the house mainly. I just rinse it off and dry it. A few swipes on the DMT keeps it hair popping sharp.

All of my M4 Spydercos (which include but are not limited to a GB 1 & 2, Advocate & Mantra 1 & 2 are still "like new" because I don't use them and because I lightly coat them w/Breakfree while in storage.

That said, it doesn't take much "care/attention" to keep them looking "like new" even if used. Like a fully carbon blade, you just need to clean off the blade and coat it w/oil after use, which is all that I meant by a "bit more care/attention."

BTW, I clean but do not coat w/oil all of the carbon knives that I use. They're stained and sometimes they show some rust but they all still hold and edge good enough for kitchen use that can be easily touched up w/a steel "sharpening" rod and work just fine after many, many years of use.

 

[clemsondds]

Thanks everyone! I decided to just jump on the spyderco pm3 with the maxamet steel. I know it’s a little more maintenance but hopefully the edge will be worth it. I’m pretty easy on my knives…no crazy twisting or bending. Just use it for basic cutting so hopefully it will hold up foe a long time to come. Thank you again for all the advice! I really did look to buy some of the recommendations, but they just weren’t available right now for what I am looking for. I’ll keep my eye out for when they do become available again!

 

[clemsondds]

Ok so I got the pm3 maxamet in the mail today. Man is it sharp! It’s definitely heavier than I thought. Not terrible but a little on the heavy side for scrubs. I might still keep it though just bc it’s such a great looking knife! If I wore jeans all day it would be a no brained. Quick question: I do love how when I clip my bugout to my pants, nothing is sticking out. The clip is at the very end of the knife. On the pm3, 1/3” or so is sticking up past the clip. Any thoughts on how to make this more inconspicuous? Thanks!

 

[Bob Denman]

You could always buy a deep carry pocket-clip for it...

 

[clemsondds]

Any thoughts on the mxg gear deep carry for pm3? Any other recommendations?

 

[SCTorrero]

Any thoughts on the mxg gear deep carry for pm3? Any other recommendations?

I like the Lynch clip because it offsets around the lanyard hole. Not that I really use the lanyard hole, but my brain doesn’t like it being covered. Some cool color options on the LynchNW website, and Casey is a good dude from my experience and from every account I’ve heard. If you have the maxamet, but like lighter weight, you can swap that blade into a LW. I did this to my LW and there are no issues.

 

[Bob Denman]

I get mine from MXG...

 

[clemsondds]

I like the Lynch clip because it offsets around the lanyard hole. Not that I really use the lanyard hole, but my brain doesn’t like it being covered. Some cool color options on the LynchNW website, and Casey is a good dude from my experience and from every account I’ve heard. If you have the maxamet, but like lighter weight, you can swap that blade into a LW. I did this to my LW and there are no issues.

Is it possible to buy the blades of the LW? or do I have to buy the entire knife? Thanks

 

[chalby]

There a lot of premium steels that excel at edge retention but lack in toughness (durability/freedom from fracture/breaking).

However, M4 and Elmax both get high marks for edge retention and toughness w/the nod going to Elmax for ease of sharpening and corrosion resistance.
I don't believe that you can go wrong w/either of these steels but M4 will require a bit more care/attention than Elmax will.

Both are pretty widely available among many brands and types of knives (especially those offered by Spyderco in M4 and ZT in Elmax) and cost less than other premium steels that lack a balance in the 4 main qualities mentioned.

See: BHQ's Best Knife Steel Guide for further information.

I wish people would stop recommending these "best knife steel guides". For example S110V 6/10 for corrosion resistance???

The only one I would recommend is Knife Steel Nerds

 

[SCTorrero]

Is it possible to buy the blades of the LW? or do I have to buy the entire knife? Thanks

I totally wasn’t clear. Although blades may be available through Spyderco or custom makers, it’s the other way around. You would need the frame of the LW to install the blade from the G10 version. So, yes. You would need to buy a LW. You could probably look for a cheap user on the exchange.

What I did was pick a LW in a complimentary steel. For example you could go for a stainless version. That way, you could have one for pure cutting performance, and another version you could throw in a backpack and not worry about corrosion.