Case CPM20CV traditional

I was hoping for a larger Font, šŸ¤£
I was going to clean it off but decided to just let it wear away with use instead
G2
 
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MattWRog said:
Iā€™m normally not bothered by etchings especially if itā€™s carbon steel, I sure wish theyā€™d chosen something a bit more inconspicuous though for their ā€œpilot test runā€. I might wait until they release more without the etchings like they did with the S35V versions.
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I was thinking the same..:thumbsup: Not too fond of having that etch on the blade..:rolleyes:
John:)
 
jmh33 said:
Now Gary.. You know darn well that that knife knife will be long gone before you wear the etch off!!;)šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚:thumbsup:
John
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That's probably a safe bet, but, this has all the earmarks of a knife that might stay put. The size, shape and new steel add up to a very good addition to the small family of knives that remain in the G2 household.

They certainly could have used a smaller font, or some other means of identifying this special run...but, just glad they got this one started. I'm liking all three blades about equally, the two smaller ones have thinner behind the edge grinds so they slice considerably better than the main blade but the main blade also cuts well and has that slightly longer, narrower reach. Each have their own unique purpose.
G2
 
Out of curiosity, I measured the grinds on mine, with my Gritomatic Goniometer. The primary bevel (flat grind) was 5 degrees per side on the main blade. On the secondary blades it started at 4 degrees per side, and dropped to about 2 degrees per side out near the tip. This is because the spine get progressively thinner as it approaches the tip. The main blades spine also get thinner, but the blade also narrows, and that seems to be enough to keep the grind angle constant.

The secondary bevel (edge grind) was a consistent 22 degrees per side, every where. Except that one side of the spey blade measured 25 degrees. I'll fix that when I get around to sharpening it the first time. The edge angle seems pretty consistent. I measured each blade near the heel and near the tip. I didn't find any differences. Overall it seems a good factory grind. I would prefer an edge angle between 15 and 20 degrees. So I will probably change that when I sharpen the knife; but for now the factory grind will work fine.

O.B.
 
The real question for me is how well they did the heat treat. When the S35VN came out, I emailed them and asked them what their Rc target was. They said 55-56, which just doesn't take advantage of what the steel has to offer. So now I want to know how well they did the heat treat on the 20CV. Can anyone compare edgeholding of this with M390 in the Viper forum knife or any other knives from Lionsteel, Fox, or Viper with M390? If they did a good job with the heat treat I am definitely interested.
 
Ironbut said:
So the stockman arrived today. Nice little knife! It came sharp, but I'll need to give it a few passes on the Sharpmaker to clean things up a bit. That's my usual thing with just about any new knife I get. There are no gaps, fit & finish is good, and the snap is maybe a 5 or 6. I don't mind the cutout nail nicks at all. In fact, it makes the sheepsfoot blade pinchable. I've been a fan of the M390/CPM20CV steels and we'll see how Case's version holds an edge.
View attachment 2126016View attachment 2126017
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I'd really like to hear your impression of performance relative to other M390/20CV knives that you have.

Gary W. Graley said:
This just in, everything was tight no wobbles the main blade is as I had feared it is a bit thick behind the edge but does cut well and the other two blades are thinner ground. It will be a while before I can see how well it does

https://flic.kr/p/2opDqQ2

https://flic.kr/p/2opAXMr

G2

Edited to add that I agree with the favourable comments regarding the cutouts, it makes for a more sure nail nick opening or pinch gripping action. The one thing, I think it must be common on this pattern, the sheepsfoot blade tip is proud when you open one of the adjacent blades. I don't see that it can cause harm, but seeing that tip and edge being up out of the framework, does cause me concern ;) SO, I will be grinding down the kick slightly on that blade to get it to drop into the frame just a little further...

edited yet again ;) one caveat that I find is, IF your fingernails extend in TOO far, you can end up catching on the middle blade at the same time, so...keep those nails trimmed !!! ;)
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I know you have experience with some Italian slipjoints with M390, so I would like to hear how you rank this knife's performance in comparison.
 
lambertiana said:
The real question for me is how well they did the heat treat. When the S35VN came out, I emailed them and asked them what their Rc target was. They said 55-56, which just doesn't take advantage of what the steel has to offer. So now I want to know how well they did the heat treat on the 20CV. Can anyone compare edgeholding of this with M390 in the Viper forum knife or any other knives from Lionsteel, Fox, or Viper with M390? If they did a good job with the heat treat I am definitely interested.
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I really haven't used mine enough to tell. Just the usual opening those pita heavy plastic packages, mail, cutting cardboard, etc. I did shave some wood & cut a few branches with it, but not enough to really test it. I have a couple Lionsteel Barlows in M390, and if this Case comes close to them for toughness & edge holding, I'll be happy. My problem is that I have too many knives. (No! I didn't really say that.)
 
L lambertiana , I pretty much ditto with Ironbut Ironbut post, I've used the folder more than other slip joints so far and nothing note worthy in either direction at this point, the knife just works. As with other folders, most all needed to be sharpened up, some more than others but that is something that happens no matter the maker eventually, all will need to be sharpened at some point.
G2
 
Gary W. Graley said:
The 20cv seems to be a bit harder than their ordinary stainless offering, which is a nice change up, just sharpened up the folder and the blades are nice and keen. The sheepsfoot had a waver along the edge where one side was sunk in further than the other side, that took a little more time to even out but even out it did...
G2
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Agree on the hardness. Soft steels, such as the way Case normally runs TruSharp, feel a bit "gummy" to me when sharpening. These blades did not feel gummy in the least.

I've been using a Work Sharp Ken Onion Angle Set sharpener. Sort of an inverted Sharpmaker deal with set angles but with flat diamond stones. The 20DPS setting on the sharpener was pretty much a dead match for the existing blade angles. I took the easy way out and did not reprofile them. I may leave them that way. So far they are cutting like champs.

The blades are flat ground instead of the standard Case hollow grind. I measured the thickness immediately above the primary bevel at ~0.027" on the clip and ~0.022" on the spey and sheepsfoot blades.
 
Mine just arrived in the mail. It's got some of the same issues Case is known for, plus a new one: a little nub on the spring that sits proud of the bolster. These I can overlook or fix.

https://imgur.com/CcmsDWb

The only thing that actually bothers me is the weak spring on the sheepfoot blade. The rest have good walk and talk with pulls around 6-7 out of 10.

Honestly, I am a little disgruntled with the condition of the knife compared to the cost. However I think I will keep it anyway and save the hassle of returning it and getting a new knife with new or similar issues.

Notwithstanding my initial displeasure I am glad Case is experimenting with updated steels and I want to encourage them to continue to do so. I am excited to see how the 20CV performs.

Edit to add: The sheepfoot blade only stays partially open if I intentionally continue to pinch the blade while closing. It will fully snap shut if I let it do so, but I have a habit of not snapping shut my slipjoints to prevent over-travel and blade rap.
 
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oldmanwilly oldmanwilly if I were you, which of course I'm not ;), but, I would take the time to return it and exchange it for another one, at the cost of it, those things will bug you and keep a sour taste in your mouth much longer than the brief exchange would be, fingers crossed that the replacement is better, maybe they could check before shipping?

G2
 
Well, Gary W. Graley Gary W. Graley I ignored your advice and decided to keep and work it like a borrowed mule. I am optimistic now as the steel sure felt hard when I touched up the blades on my diamond stones. I had to pull out my extra coarse diamond file to whittle down the kick on the sheepfoot blade. We'll see how the edges hold up.
 
Well, I feel more at home now, as my kids, wife, fellow workers and my daughters dogs all ignore me too...oh and my old co-workers, neighbors and the UPS guy...there's probably more but I can't remember

But I get you, I always think about the old saying, don't changes horses in mid stream, you're bound to get wet
;)
G2
 
oldmanwilly said:
Well, Gary W. Graley Gary W. Graley I ignored your advice and decided to keep and work it like a borrowed mule. I am optimistic now as the steel sure felt hard when I touched up the blades on my diamond stones. I had to pull out my extra coarse diamond file to whittle down the kick on the sheepfoot blade. We'll see how the edges hold up.
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I know it is early to make a determination, but where do you rank this 20CV for hardness? I see you have experience with a few that are run pretty hard, especially the Spyderco K390.
 
lambertiana said:
I know it is early to make a determination, but where do you rank this 20CV for hardness? I see you have experience with a few that are run pretty hard, especially the Spyderco K390.
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I'm not really sure yet. This is my first knife in 20CV so I don't have much experience with the steel (although I've had a few in M390 which is pretty close). From what I remember of my experience with a Guardian 3 in M390, this 20CV seemed to take more effort to sharpen. In comparison, my Spyderco K390 knives take very little effort for me to sharpen; but I'm not sure exactly what that means as I've had wonderful edge retention from K390.

For clarity, I'm comparing experiences sharpening with a Spyderco Sharpmaker with the diamond rods, followed by an EZE Lap fine diamond plate, finished with brown Spyderco ceramics.

Gary W. Graley said:
Well, I feel more at home now, as my kids, wife, fellow workers and my daughters dogs all ignore me too...oh and my old co-workers, neighbors and the UPS guy...there's probably more but I can't remember

But I get you, I always think about the old saying, don't changes horses in mid stream, you're bound to get wet
;)
G2
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No offense intended, I was just too excited for my new knife and didn't want to wait for a replacement. But I'm glad I could make you feel at home šŸ˜.
 
The 18 is one of my favourite CASE Stockman, I agree it's good to see CASE branching out to a new steel but I rather wonder if it might be better suited to a large single blade pattern? Large Sodbuster or Tribal Spear could manage the 'Scagel' look with these blade holes. Plus a bigger knife might be used for more demanding cutting hence the upgrade in steel, of course CASE may start extending this steel to these patterns.

I would not be happy with that lame Sheepfoot on oldmanwilly oldmanwilly version, the 18s I have all have loud convincing snap so that's disappointing, so too the look of the rather uneven backsprings. Ah well, it is a Pilot Test Run after all. But credit to him persevering and testing it out :thumbsup: The hardness of this steel is important, smaller blades in harder steel can be more demanding/tricky to sharpen.
 
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