cpm s30v bg-42 cpm d2 military

gine

gine

Joined
Sep 2, 2007
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I am thinking of buying a military in cpm s30v, bg-42 or cpm d2.What would be my best choice for a light user like cutting cardboard,opening plastic packaging and sd ect.??:D

thx
gine:thumbup:
 
For every day stuff I recommend the CPM D-2 or BG-42 versions, CPM D-2 being a little more wear resistant and BG-42 being stainless.
Both take an amazing edge.

S30V will be a little better on cardboard, but won't hold a fine edge as well (it's a tad bit softer than CPM D-2 or BG-42).
S90V is like S30V on steroids, which should be the best option overall if you have the cash.

For SD I would go with S30V (though any version would work).

Not an easy decision by any stretch.
 
For light use, only your wallet can tell you which is best. ;)
You have to use them pretty hard before the steel starts to make a difference. The BG-42 seems to be the easiest to sharpen for me, although none of them have presented any real problems. At least, no problems that the diamond hones couldn't sort out.
 
according to the cpm website, s90v is around the same rockwell hardness as s30v. 56-59.

exerpt from crucible's description:

CPM S90V is a unique tool steel made by the Crucible Particle Metallurgy process. It is a martensitic stainless steel to which vanadium and carbon have been added for exceptionally good wear resistance. CPM S90V offers substantial improvements in wear resistance over 440C and D2, and other high chromium steels, with corrosion resistance equal to or better than 440C. CPM S90V’s high vanadium content favors the formation of hard vanadium carbides instead of chromium carbides for wear resistance, leaving more free chromium available to provide corrosion resistance.
The wear and corrosion resistance of CPM S90V make it an excellent candidate to replace 440C, where increased wear is a primary concern. It can replace D2 or other tool steels in applications where improved corrosion resistance is also of benefit.


from their overall description, im not sure there is any substantial improvement over s30v, d2, or bg42.
 
Very interesting, Mori. Thanks for the post. It makes me wonder sometimes if we're being bamboozled with the steel thing. NO steel I've used over the years has cut better than my favorite "tool-steel" knife. None.
 
I'm impressed with the BG-42 Military. BG-42 holds an edge and is simple to re-sharpen. I like the S30V. It holds an edge forever but takes more work to sharpen. However, the D2 is hard to pass at $117.
 
Lycosa said:
Very interesting, Mori. Thanks for the post. It makes me wonder sometimes if we're being bamboozled with the steel thing. NO steel I've used over the years has cut better than my favorite "tool-steel" knife. None.
Click to expand...

i have found that d2 gets and remains sharper than nearly any other steel i have used. there is some sacrafice in corrosion resistance, but im willing to accept that.

what i think happens is this:

1. new or improved steel is released.
2. some makers give it a try.
3. we see the "new and improved" knife with the new steel, and go nuts, thinking it must now be better.

i think mr. glesser responded to the requests of his customers in offering the military in the various steels, including s90v. what any good businessman would do, especially one as concerned with his customers happiness, as mr. glesser clearly is.

each individual may see various characteristics as more important than others.

they are all good metals, but for me, given the choice between s30v, s90v, bg-42, and d2, i pick d2. not because it is a better overall steel, but because it has worked better for me.


it should also be noted that i have never had an s30v or bg42 blade either chip or rust. my experiences with those metals has also been good.

im tempted to try the s90v, just to see. but the price is a little steep right now.
 
From what I gather from your kind comments.I am leaning towards cpm d2.Now does anyone know what spyderco rockwells it at.My guess would be 62 rc am I close I bet I am?:o:):cool:
Oh ya the cpm s90v would be good but is it worth the sharpening hassle?.I heard you only could use diamonds on it.I like a fine polished razer edge that I can get with my ultra fine stones on the sharpmaker.:D:thumbup:
 
Well, I now have the Military in ATS-34, S30V, 440V (a.k.a. S60V), CPM D2, BG-42 and S90V. I have used all of them at work at least a little. The BG-42 chipped the first day I used it, but I suspect that was a fluke, possibly the edge was overheated during sharpening, as it has not happened again. Overrated or not, the S90V Military has held its edge better than even the CPM D2 so far. This was no scientific test mind you, just side by side use with me doing what I do with a knife. Your milage may vary.

I don't think many people will use a $200 knife hard enough for the steel to matter. There lies the paradox of knife use. The really good hard use steels wind up in knives that people feel are too expensive to use hard, while they beat up the cheap knives with low end steel. Luckily, I have a different philosophy about my knives ;)
 
yablanowitz said:
Well, I now have the Military in ATS-34, S30V, 440V (a.k.a. S60V), CPM D2, BG-42 and S90V. I have used all of them at work at least a little. The BG-42 chipped the first day I used it, but I suspect that was a fluke, possibly the edge was overheated during sharpening, as it has not happened again. Overrated or not, the S90V Military has held its edge better than even the CPM D2 so far. This was no scientific test mind you, just side by side use with me doing what I do with a knife. Your milage may vary.

I don't think many people will use a $200 knife hard enough for the steel to matter. There lies the paradox of knife use. The really good hard use steels wind up in knives that people feel are too expensive to use hard, while they beat up the cheap knives with low end steel. Luckily, I have a different philosophy about my knives ;)
Click to expand...


yeah Yab, I totally agree....and this is why there should be a cpm S90V MuleTeam (as well as a BG-42 one ;)) :)
 
gine said:
From what I gather from your kind comments.I am leaning towards cpm d2.Now does anyone know what spyderco rockwells it at.My guess would be 62 rc am I close I bet I am?:o:):cool:
Oh ya the cpm s90v would be good but is it worth the sharpening hassle?.I heard you only could use diamonds on it.I like a fine polished razer edge that I can get with my ultra fine stones on the sharpmaker.:D:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Yes, the CPM D2 Military was run at RC 62.

Someone in one of these threads explained that the vanadium carbides which are abundant in S90V are actually harder than the aluminum oxide of the Sharpmaker stones. Those carbides are not harder than silicon carbide or diamond, so either carborundum stones or diamond hones should be used. The Sharpmaker rods (except the diamond rods) are just not hard enough to abrade the carbides to form an edge. Instead, they will abrade the matrix until the hard carbides break out.

Is S90V worth that much hassle? It is to me, but I use my knives hard enough to tell the difference.
 
yablanowitz said:
Well, I now have the Military in ATS-34, S30V, 440V (a.k.a. S60V), CPM D2, BG-42 and S90V. I have used all of them at work at least a little. The BG-42 chipped the first day I used it, but I suspect that was a fluke, possibly the edge was overheated during sharpening, as it has not happened again. Overrated or not, the S90V Military has held its edge better than even the CPM D2 so far. This was no scientific test mind you, just side by side use with me doing what I do with a knife. Your milage may vary.

I don't think many people will use a $200 knife hard enough for the steel to matter. There lies the paradox of knife use. The really good hard use steels wind up in knives that people feel are too expensive to use hard, while they beat up the cheap knives with low end steel. Luckily, I have a different philosophy about my knives ;)
Click to expand...


whether a metal is overrated is mostly subjective, in my subjective opinion. ;)

i have no experience with s90v, only what i have read on crucible's sight and on the various experiences voiced here.

i have no doubt it is a fine steel, as are many others. but given the price disparity, and my personal experience with d2, i am currently unable to justify the cost.


i also share your philosophy, i beat the crap out of many of my fixed blades. but folders are generally used for mundane cutting tasks, ie mail, thread, boxes, etc.


your short review of s90v compared with d2 has me more than curious now.
 
If the S90V Military cannot be sharpened with the Sharpmaker, I hope someone from Spyderco gives a more detailed explanation of just how they can be sharpened.
 
It can be sharpened on the SharpMaker...as long as you spring for those expensive diamond rods. It can also be done on the Byrd Duckfoot sharpener, which is also a diamond sharpener, and a lot less money than the diamond SM rods. Personally, I'm using DMT Diafolds, which is what I've been using for all my PE blades for years.
 
yablanowitz said:
Well, I now have the Military in ATS-34, S30V, 440V (a.k.a. S60V), CPM D2, BG-42 and S90V.
Click to expand...

Where did you find the S90V???:confused: I've been trying to find one for over a month and a half, and the dealers always say.....

"Yeah, well, we expect to have them in stock next week!" but after weeks of waiting, I still get the same answer! :mad::mad: Long on promises, short on blades!

Thanks, Ben!
 
MORIMOTOM said:
whether a metal is overrated is mostly subjective, in my subjective opinion. ;)

i have no experience with s90v, only what i have read on crucible's sight and on the various experiences voiced here.

i have no doubt it is a fine steel, as are many others. but given the price disparity, and my personal experience with d2, i am currently unable to justify the cost.


i also share your philosophy, i beat the crap out of many of my fixed blades. but folders are generally used for mundane cutting tasks, ie mail, thread, boxes, etc.


your short review of s90v compared with d2 has me more than curious now.
Click to expand...

No way I'm going to put anyone down for not being able to justify a $200 folder. My problem is I work for a housing authority which falls under HUD rules. No firearms in the common areas, and (at least the way my boss interprets the rules) no fixed blade knives, so I get to do everything with folders. I do a lot of work on abrasive materials, and all that vanadium carbide in the S90V seems to be doing the trick so far. Mind you, I haven't used it a lot yet, I've only had it since Thursday evening, so this is by no means conclusive. It is more of an initial impression, and that impression is very favorable. :thumbup:
 
Ben Dover said:
Where did you find the S90V???:confused: I've been trying to find one for over a month and a half, and the dealers always say.....

"Yeah, well, we expect to have them in stock next week!" but after weeks of waiting, I still get the same answer! :mad::mad: Long on promises, short on blades!

Thanks, Ben!
Click to expand...

I snagged one out of the first batch that New Graham got in. I wasn't even on the waiting list, I just checked the site and found them with a couple still in stock. If I recall correctly, Michael Dye said he was getting 19, and I guess only 17 were spoken for.

I could say something like "ya snooze, ya lose", but in truth I think I just got lucky.
 
yablanowitz said:
No way I'm going to put anyone down for not being able to justify a $200 folder. My problem is I work for a housing authority which falls under HUD rules. No firearms in the common areas, and (at least the way my boss interprets the rules) no fixed blade knives, so I get to do everything with folders. I do a lot of work on abrasive materials, and all that vanadium carbide in the S90V seems to be doing the trick so far. Mind you, I haven't used it a lot yet, I've only had it since Thursday evening, so this is by no means conclusive. It is more of an initial impression, and that impression is very favorable. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

oof. housing authority! not in los angeles, are you? since the pd was disbanded, the projects have been interesting.


its not really that i cant justify 200.00 for a folder, i own several that are quite pricey. just that i cant justify 200.00 for a folder that i can buy for 120.00, albeit with a different steel. yet. :D
 
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