CTS-XHP and cutting

gull wing

gull wing

Joined
May 4, 2002
Messages
2,536
I have three XHP Spydercos that get very, very sharp and hold an edge a decent amount of time. They seem to slice paper, & etc longer.
NOTE I don't work my knives hard.
I also have two Cold Steels in XHP and (it seems) to me they don't perform as well (in those categories). The edges also get dinged more easily. The CS is a fine knife, but isn't razor like as a Spyderco is.
Why is that? HT?
 
Cold steel are budget knives, the heat treat is probably not going to be optimal for edge retention.

Edit: CedricAda youtube channel did a cut test on a cold steel XHP and a spyderco XHP

they spyderco was better but understand they both have different blade geometry. and he sharpened them differently. the spyderco had a mirror V edge while the cold steel was a convex on the work sharp.

 
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Sounds like a difference in geometry, since Spydercos are pretty much optimal slicers. I highly doubt the steel composition or heat treat has as much to do with the final result, but this is just my take. As people much more experienced than me have said, geometry is the most significant factor for cutting performance.
 
Mo2 said:
Cold steel are budget knives, the heat treat is probably not going to be optimal for edge retention.

Edit: CedricAda youtube channel did a cut test on a cold steel XHP and a spyderco XHP

they spyderco was better but understand they both have different blade geometry. and he sharpened them differently. the spyderco had a mirror V edge while the cold steel was a convex on the work sharp.

Click to expand...

Your effort in finding test results for this specific comparison are well appreciated. I have to say though, that test won't give much useful data if the aim is to test only the steel. They left too many other variables in the mix (sharpening style, geometry, blade stock thickness).

That's like testing a chemical reaction without accounting for temperature and pressure.
 
geometry beats all...all else equal. which cold steels are you comparing to spydercos?

cold steels xhp has performed very well for me. cold steels done a whole lot wrong, but their makers heat treats has always been good for what the knife is for etc..
 
I have two Spyderco's with XHP. One is the sprint run Manix 2 CTS-XHP, the other a Domino.

Very similar blade profiles. The Manix outlasts the Domino quite a bit. My guess is that being a sprint run, more time was spent on the heat treat.

Both are phenomenal knives.
 
gull wing said:
I have three XHP Spydercos that get very, very sharp and hold an edge a decent amount of time. They seem to slice paper, & etc longer.
NOTE I don't work my knives hard.
I also have two Cold Steels in XHP and (it seems) to me they don't perform as well (in those categories). The edges also get dinged more easily. The CS is a fine knife, but isn't razor like as a Spyderco is.
Why is that? HT?
Click to expand...
Blade grind Geometry
 
Mo2 said:
Cold steel are budget knives, the heat treat is probably not going to be optimal for edge retention.

Edit: CedricAda youtube channel did a cut test on a cold steel XHP and a spyderco XHP

they spyderco was better but understand they both have different blade geometry. and he sharpened them differently. the spyderco had a mirror V edge while the cold steel was a convex on the work sharp.
Click to expand...

I highly doubt there is any issue at all with their heat treat, in fact i have been extremely impressed with their new XHP and BD1 heat treats, seriously great results from extensive cutting and sharpening. Plus one could say "budget" and another could say "reasonably priced", G10 and steel liners are all the same caliber, and fit and finish have all been on par between Spyderco and Cold Steels latest offerings for 2017 in my opinion, i've had lemons from both, heck i've even had lemons from CRK. Spyderco and CS are two of my favorite companies.

DJC72 said:
Check out Anderson's edge retention tests. Cold Steel cts-xhp was a great performer.
Click to expand...
This, watch his test. I've had nothing but excellent results from Cold Steels XHP, i highly doubt it has anything to do with the heat treat, it's probably more a geometry thing, good cutting geometry will always make any steel perform well above it's expected output. Spyderco's just have some of the best cutting geometry/blade grinds around.
 
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Let me throw in another voice for blade and edge geometry as being the most crucial factor. Noticing a significant decrease in cutting performance simply due to edge degradation is actually pretty hard to do in normal cutting tasks. A knife in XHP with good cutting geometry (like a Spyderco) will perform well in most cutting tasks long after it loses that hair-shaving sharpness, simply due to the good geometry. Thicker grinds like you tend to find on CS knives are just never going to slice as well, simply due to the geometry.
 
Damn spell check and my apologies.. Mr. Ankerson has done extensive edge retention tests for us here on blade forums.
 
K.O.D. said:
I have two Spyderco's with XHP. One is the sprint run Manix 2 CTS-XHP, the other a Domino.

Very similar blade profiles. The Manix outlasts the Domino quite a bit. My guess is that being a sprint run, more time was spent on the heat treat.

Both are phenomenal knives.
Click to expand...
Is this actually a fact ? More time spent on heat treat?
 
I am not a big fan of cold steel that said I picked up a broken skull and i actually really like it. Its huge, super light, dont notice it in pocket. opens nice, strong lock. Ideal for most any larger cutting tasks- I mostly been using it for food prep. Thin FFG excellent slicer. Great for a cheese board knife. It will probably be the folder I take with me on camping hiking trips. The weight to size ratio is excellent and you could baton with it if you really needed to for some stupid reason.
I wanted to hate it, but its actually pretty excellent and the xhp steel is nice and sharp. Dirt cheap i found mine on sale for $63
 
sfrigon1 said:
Is this actually a fact ? More time spent on heat treat?
Click to expand...

Can't say for sure, but this was my guess.

I don't use my folders for any kind of hard use. The edge on the Domino is in need of sharpening, the Manix 2 is still sharp as hell after 3 years, with just light stropping.
 
K.O.D. said:
Can't say for sure, but this was my guess.
Click to expand...

More time spent on heat treat because it's a sprint run? That's absurd.

I've had good experiences with XHP from CS and Spyderco. Also I wouldn't assume that a CS has thicker blade geometry. My Recon1 with hollow grind is thin behind the edge and a great slicer.
 
A speculation that could be a factor is that heat treat could be ruined by factory sharpening on the belt and then restored by the user, with good hands, resharpening it over and over in time after use. I've felt this on a couple of my folders. That hair popping edge on my ckf with m390 seems to last longer now after a couple of sharpening laps.
 
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