CTS-XHP ?

ferider said:
Here is Larrin:

“The edge retention of XHP is good, matching S30V and S35VN. The toughness is good as well, likely being similar to other powder metallurgy stainless steels, though independent testing has not yet been performed. XHP can attain rather high hardness for a stainless steel, about 65 Rc, which gives it some versatility in heat treatment. Despite the results of corrosion testing by Carpenter, I have reason to believe the corrosion resistance of XHP is relatively low compared to other stainless steels. XHP should be easier to finish than other PM stainless steels with high vanadium contents, giving it a good balance of ease in finishing and edge retention.”

(https://knifesteelnerds.com/2019/07/29/xhp-steel-history-and-properties/)
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Here is an excerpt from one of Larrin's tables on corrosion resistance, given as a value out of 10 where 10 is H1 and LC200N.

9.1 - M390
9.0 - BD1N, S110V
8.8 - 14C28N
8.1 - N690
7.9 - VG-10
7.8 - S35VN
7.6 - Nitro-V, S30V
7.5 - 440C
7.3 - AUS-8, 8Cr13Mov
6.4 - XHP
4.5 - D2

So in context, the corrosion resistance is relatively low for a stainless steel. Of course, it's still a solid step up from D2 or K110 and those steels work just fine for a lot of people. It all depends on your environment, what you do, etc.

While I don't know if Spyderco takes their XHP up to 65 HRC, lots of people who own Spyderco knives in XHP seem to love them. Except for occasional corrosion issues, feedback on this and other forums seems to be overwhelmingly positive.
 
Larrin, thanks for clarifying. The page I viewed only referenced XHP, did you update it? It seems clear now, or I accessed a differnt page. Also, Zviad lists both on his app and I presume that the non-powder formula info/data was supplied by you. I'll drop him a line to see what the story is. Thanks again.
 
ElementalBreakdown said:
Larrin, thanks for clarifying. The page I viewed only referenced XHP, did you update it? It seems clear now, or I accessed a differnt page. Also, Zviad lists both on his app and I presume that the non-powder formula info/data was supplied by you. I'll drop him a line to see what the story is. Thanks again.
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I looked at my article on XHP and it started out by introducing it as a powder metallurgy steel. Though it also covers the history of the steel how it started out as a conventional product. The “CTS” does not mean it is a PM product, for example CTS-BD1N is conventionally produced not PM. CTS is not equivalent to Crucible’s CPM branding.
 
One of my favorite steels. I own a Spartan Blades Astor and a few Cold Steels in it. I don't have a problem with the *lower* score on the corrosion resistance scale.

IIRC, one of the reasons Cold Steel dropped it and moved to S35VN is that XHP can be hard to get sometimes. I just checked KC for XHP blades, not many popped up.
 
When Cedric and Ada tested Cold Steel s s35vn against their cts xhp, the cts xhp held its edge well longer. And Cold Steel is reputed to have good, consistent heat treats on their blades.
If I recall, when Ankerson tested xhp on an Ultimate Hunter, he was surprised by the edge retention. He then bought an Ultimate Hunter for personal use.
My personal experience with CS cts xhp edge retention has been excellent. My Spyderco xhp hasn't t gotten as much heavy duty use, but it has been very good also with edge retention.. No personal problems with corrosion in a hot, humid climate.
 
Chronovore said:
Here is an excerpt from one of Larrin's tables on corrosion resistance, given as a value out of 10 where 10 is H1 and LC200N.

9.1 - M390
9.0 - BD1N, S110V
8.8 - 14C28N
8.1 - N690
7.9 - VG-10
7.8 - S35VN
7.6 - Nitro-V, S30V
7.5 - 440C, so no problem.
7.3 - AUS-8, 8Cr13Mov
6.4 - XHP
4.5 - D2

So in context, the corrosion resistance is relatively low for a stainless steel. Of course, it's still a solid step up from D2 or K110 and those steels work just fine for a lot of people. It all depends on your environment, what you do, etc.

While I don't know if Spyderco takes their XHP up to 65 HRC, lots of people who own Spyderco knives in XHP seem to love them. Except for occasional corrosion issues, feedback on this and other forums seems to be overwhelmingly positive.
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My American Lawman has a DLC coating so no problem with corrosion.
 
FWIW, from Wikipedia's List of Blade Materials--
"CTS-XHP, a powder metallurgy, air-hardening, high carbon, high chromium, corrosion-resistant alloy. It can be considered either a high hardness 440C stainless steel or a corrosion-resistant D2 tool steel."
 
To continue....

I had to go back and check to see if my Les George Wilson Combat Eagle was CTS-XHP or -204P. It is indeed -XHP. It's been a frequent work user, though somewhat less-so more recently, for no particular reason other than I just have too many damn knives. It's never developed any corrosion despite being used in our humid, seaside, salty Cape Cod environment and having occasionally gotten at least a little wet from working outdoors. It wasn't particularly sharp when I acquired it off the Exchange back in 2016, but I've since put a re-profiled, polished edge on it that has held up very well over last few years for sharpness without any chipping or rolling.

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I may have another -XHP knife in my stupidly large accumulation, and will go through when I get a chance and report back later if so.
 
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XHP is a favorite of mine. It's often called "stainless D2", but that's an oversimplification IMO. Check out Michael Christy on Youtube - he has a good vid on XHP.
 
I've had this mule since release, I've also used it a ton without ever doing much more than take it to a sharpmaker every once in a while

My only experience, but I like it

View attachment 1650196
 
Chronovore said:
Here is an excerpt from one of Larrin's tables on corrosion resistance, given as a value out of 10 where 10 is H1 and LC200N.

9.1 - M390
9.0 - BD1N, S110V
8.8 - 14C28N
8.1 - N690
7.9 - VG-10
7.8 - S35VN
7.6 - Nitro-V, S30V
7.5 - 440C
7.3 - AUS-8, 8Cr13Mov
6.4 - XHP
4.5 - D2

So in context, the corrosion resistance is relatively low for a stainless steel. Of course, it's still a solid step up from D2 or K110 and those steels work just fine for a lot of people. It all depends on your environment, what you do, etc.

While I don't know if Spyderco takes their XHP up to 65 HRC, lots of people who own Spyderco knives in XHP seem to love them. Except for occasional corrosion issues, feedback on this and other forums seems to be overwhelmingly positive.
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According to the Spyderco HRC database, Spyderco XHP can be between 60.5 and 62.

There is also this google doc with other steels and brands: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OepNr_D4lqbdTFqdqWl1rmAd4bOzPzJe6J0iEWrdJGU/htmlview
 
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I did find one other CTS-XHP knife in my accumulation and it didn't take very long either as it was right next to the Eagle in my American-made mid-tech drawer. This MEFP edition of the RJ Martin designed TRM Machine Flipper is in may ways similar to its neighbor--an all-Ti handled frame lock flipper with extensive exterior milling in the same blade steel. The two are very close to identical in size, but the TRM is thicker with an undulating handle and heavier with a fairly small radius hollow primary grind contrasting with the higher flat grind of the flat-handled Wilson Combat. My broad reprofiling of the edge of the Eagle is in stark contrast the signature convex edge that RJ himself put on all the TRM MF's. The Eagle's blade stock at 1/8" is thinner by a s'teenth than the Machine's .1875". Interestingly, despite that difference and the very opposite primary and secondary geometry of these two, their CTS-XHP blades are both excellent and scary-sharp cutters that hold their edges well. Though the Les George's blade configuration makes for the better slicer, as one would assume, these two quite different applications each serve to show off the quality of their steel.

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