Can You REALLY Tell A Diff. Betw. 154CM and CPM154?

redsquid2

redsquid2

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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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I have owned and used knives made of both. I never did any standardized comparisons, but for my everyday purposes, I don't notice a difference, except maybe 154CM sharpens up faster.
 
I've had a dozen or so Grips with 154CM and 2 Striders with CPM154. Not a ton of difference, but the powdered metal does seem to hold an edge a bit longer and (to me) does not really take any longer to sharpen.
 
I have a hard time telling the difference between N690 and S35VN:D
The stuff I cut is too abrasive to appreciate high-carbide steels. That doesn't mean I don't seek them out though!
 
I understand 154CM is essentially ATS34 made in USA rather than Japan. That being said, I find my ATS34 knives are much easier to sharpen than my 154CM examples (Benchmade vs Emerson) and, no, I don't
find a huge difference in CPM154.
 
I don't see how anyone would even think you could tell the difference. They are the exact same steel, CPM just has a finer carbide structure.
 
Nope. From the reading I've done CPM154 should be tougher, so I suppose it should chip less at the same hardness, but I doubt I could pick which was which in any kind of blind comparison test.
 
Does the heat treat differ at all?

I know they are the essentially the same alloys, having the same composition, just differing construction methods. Due to that, I wouldn't think so, but...
 
I am just a casual user and habitually strop my pocket knives after every use (it cleans the gunk off as much as it maintains the edge, imo) so it is very difficult for me to fully appreciate the nuances between steels, to be honest. While I do use my knives to cut stuff, I don't sit around and cut 100' of rope and then go to town on a 3' stack of cardboard. If I did, I suppose I would 'get a clue' but I don't, so... :o

-Brett
 
I was part of some very formal testing a few years back where blade blanks were all ground and heat treated within a very close tolerance of each other. The test used 154cm and CPM-154, the CATRA machine could hardly tell a difference between them.

Both steels also really favor the coarse edge, a Coarse DMT (320 grit) showed vast improvements over finer finishes. All blades were around 61-62 and we were able to go as low as 9 degrees per side without failure.
 
I can tell the difference between a Strider or Survive! in CPM-154 and an Emerson or Benchmade in 154cm, but I don't believe it's because of the steel. Strider and Survive! have a better heat treat than more 'off the shelf' production knives....Or maybe the steel is tougher and holds an edge better. There's just too many factors that go into a blade's performance (steel, heat treat, cutting edge angle, thickness behind the edge, angle and type of primary grind, etc.) to narrow it down unless you had two knives produced identically from different steels.
 
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If you use the steel a lot, you can tell the difference.

It's one of my top three favourite blade steels, and I have used both a ton.

The only thing I have noticed is that the CPM version takes and then holds a finer edge longer. It's quantifiable, but not in any way a "major" difference.

Generally though, if you haven't used both a lot, you won't be able to tell either from each other, or while we're at it, N690 or CPM S35Vn.
 
JR88FAN said:
Generally though, if you haven't used both a lot, you won't be able to tell either from each other, or while we're at it, N690 or CPM S35Vn.
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I've used N690, S35VN, 154CM, CPM154, etc. a ton! I can't tell a difference because the stuff I cut basically destroys my edges daily.

Just today I was using CPM154 to cut a bunch of snow fence covered in mud, sand, dirt, concrete dust, and other abrasive junk. Also needed to chop some vines and branches in my way. The blade in question was sharpened last night and will need to be resharpened tonight already.

I have yet to find a steel that stays sharp after a full day's work. Your occupation may have a different standard though:thumbup:
 
No and I ATS34/154cm have been my favorite stainless steels. Wish they were used more often
 
Blues Bender said:
I've used N690, S35VN, 154CM, CPM154, etc. a ton! I can't tell a difference because the stuff I cut basically destroys my edges daily.

Just today I was using CPM154 to cut a bunch of snow fence covered in mud, sand, dirt, concrete dust, and other abrasive junk. Also needed to chop some vines and branches in my way. The blade in question was sharpened last night and will need to be resharpened tonight already.

I have yet to find a steel that stays sharp after a full day's work. Your occupation may have a different standard though:thumbup:
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Hey blue, how about giving M4 a try? I heard it last an edge for a long time... Man I can't imagine you chopping branches and cutting fences with knives like the rockstead

-Kevin
 
sinkrate said:
Hey blue, how about giving M4 a try? I heard it last an edge for a long time... Man I can't imagine you chopping branches and cutting fences with knives like the rockstead

-Kevin
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He doesnt. Check his posts, he is rough on knives though. I don't know how 10v and s110v work cutting dirt
and stuff but they work good for non food use in my days cutting.
Russ
 
I know someone that makes knives that says there can be a difference in HT and final outcome between cpm and non cpm steels, namely D2.
That said, I like cpm 154 and 154cm in a any wrapper/form/flavor.
Russ
 
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