Curious how many people who like super steels that maintenance those steels

[Roikyou]

So, I'm curious. I see a lot of people requesting or looking for the hardest steel they can get. M390, CPM-20CV, Elmax, ZDP-189, CPM-S90V or CPM-110V.

I've worked with M390, CPM-20CV and CPM-S90V. Definitely my least favorite and time consuming to work with.

Do people like the idea of these hard steels because it's assumption you don't have to deal with them as often and they keep the edge longer? When they do dull, you just send them out for someone else to deal with?

Personally, if a company said I'm doing away with any steel software than CPM-20CV or M390, along those lines. I'd find another knife company. I'd rather do the sharpening myself. I enjoy the learning aspect.

I personally shop based on steels around S30V or S35VN.

 

[Jason B.]

I was into high wear steels for a while but found somewhat lower alloy steels to offer the performance I was really looking for. High wear steels might hold their edge longer but they also loose their fine sharpness very quickly and fine sharpness is what I need daily. Of all the PM steels I have used I think CPM-10v has been the only one to keep fine edge sharpness long into the cutting process. The down side to 10v is it's on the extreme end of hardness and alloy content making it difficult to sharpen.

Elmax is not exactly in the same class as the rest of those steels, I would place it more with CTS-XHP, CPM-154 and the like. One of my favorites is XHP because it's fine edge capability is awesome. These also tend to be very tough stainless steels... At least in my experience.

 

[wade7575]

I don't mind dealing with any of the steels mentioned above but then again I also purchased the proper stones to deal with them,it's a fact that if you want to start messing around with steels like S110v you really want to purchase diamond stones because that's about the only thing that's going to sharpen that steel with good result's and not taking forever to sharpen it.

 

[Roikyou]

I use knife informer for a general guideline for steels. I see Elmax is listed among CPM-20CV. I see the CTS-XHP as listed among the the S30V and S35VN group, I'd be okay with working with that steel.

I did use diamond for CPM-20CV but I found if you want to go above and beyond, polishing becomes very difficult with those types of steel.

I guess I'm trying to understand why pay twice the price for small gains when you can get a good performance steel that's easier to work with.

This is just an example. I work close to Benchmade, most of they're steel lately is S30V, are choice to get M390, 20CV or S90V. Honestly, I'm okay with that.

 

[wade7575]

What I would for steels that you want to polish trying get a few different Metallic bonded CBN stones then try some good polishing stones like Chosera and possibly the Gritalon Silicon Carbide stones,I would use the CBN first then go to the polishing stones,I most likely going to try the Gritalons tonight on S110v and M4 if I have time to do both to see how they polish with those steels,so far on S35VN the Gritalons did a really nice job of polishing that steel for sure.

 

[Mo2]

I've got a kme and an edge pro both with sic and or diamonds. It's easy as pie to sharpen them with diamonds. Then strop on a diamond compound strop.

I hate sharpening every week for steel like Aus8, 8cr13mov etc. I do alot of cutting though.

Honestly I've been using maxamet for a while now and just strop it to maintain the edge, it lasts forever.

 

[Roikyou]

I've got a set of the Chosera stones. I enjoy polishing with those on S30 or S35VN. last I knew they wouldn't work on those harder steels. With such a variety of knives using S30 or S35VN and around that grade, I'd rather to stick to those steels.

 

[Wowbagger]

So, I'm curious. I see a lot of people requesting or looking for the hardest steel they can get. M390, CPM-20CV, Elmax, ZDP-189, CPM-S90V or CPM-110V.

I've worked with M390, CPM-20CV and CPM-S90V. Definitely my least favorite and time consuming to work with.

Do people like the idea of these hard steels because it's assumption you don't have to deal with them as often and they keep the edge longer? When they do dull, you just send them out for someone else to deal with?

Personally, if a company said I'm doing away with any steel software than CPM-20CV or M390, along those lines. I'd find another knife company. I'd rather do the sharpening myself. I enjoy the learning aspect.

I personally shop based on steels around S30V or S35VN.

I have found no steel too much fun to sharpen. I haven't tried Maximent; it sounds like it is easy to chip the apex if one isn't light on the touch and patient.

Still :M390, . . . , . . . ., ZDP-189, CPM-S90V or CPM-110V.
and M4.
(I just bought another ZDP-189 knife today.)
All are ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM for me to sharpen and is about as quick as S30V or S35V or any of the plane high carbon steels.
It just takes the right stones. (I have no ELMAX or CPM-20CV)

I would never even contemplate sending out a knife to have sharpened unless it was a safe queen that I wanted perfect looking bevels on.
All of my knives are users except one S30V blade so there isn't much chance of me ever sending out one to be sharpened.

What I like about the super steels is the ability to go days without touch up or more involved sharpening.
My M4 I can go much much longer and the others as well, depending on the quality of the heat treat. I cut abrasive stuff at work, not talking cardboard, and I need the edge to remain very sharp for adequate control while I am cutting.

So yeah . . . just study the info here on Blade Forums, buy the right tool for the job and practice.
I mostly use and Edge Pro with Shapton Glass stones but for reprofiling or the S110V (high vanadium alloys) I use large coarse diamond bench stones and finer diamond plates for the Edge Pro as needed.
The results I get completely satisfy me, can shave curls off a single hair, I couldn't want a better edge. Took many years and a lot of error to get there.

Piece of Pie.
Oh and here it comes again guys (avert your ears) . . . no strops . . . strops suck.

I use these for knives :



For my woodworking edge tools I use these Shapton Pro stones and this Varitas jig. Mostly for A2 steel but some blue paper steel and a fair amount of white paper steel.

 

[Lapedog]

So, I'm curious. I see a lot of people requesting or looking for the hardest steel they can get. M390, CPM-20CV, Elmax, ZDP-189, CPM-S90V or CPM-110V.

I've worked with M390, CPM-20CV and CPM-S90V. Definitely my least favorite and time consuming to work with.

Do people like the idea of these hard steels because it's assumption you don't have to deal with them as often and they keep the edge longer? When they do dull, you just send them out for someone else to deal with?

Personally, if a company said I'm doing away with any steel software than CPM-20CV or M390, along those lines. I'd find another knife company. I'd rather do the sharpening myself. I enjoy the learning aspect.

I personally shop based on steels around S30V or S35VN.

I find the secret to dealing with these highly wear resistant steels is to not let them get too dull. Spend one long session setting a good edge. After that always touch up your edge and do not let it get dull.

If you get home from work spend the 15 minutes you would spend resharpening your dull Aus8 touching up your still quite sharp m390 or s110v. That way it will never get dull and you will never have to spend 8 hours resharpening it.

 

[Wowbagger]

I enjoy polishing with those on S30 or S35VN. last I knew they wouldn't work on those harder steels.

See my photo of the diamond plates. See the little stones in the upper left. I can, with some PITA, put those on my Edge Pro for the S110V. Those stones go from about 220 up though 8,000 so that's how I polish the high vanadium stuff. Not a perfect polish but sure as hell a hair whittling edge. (I'm not a fan of toothy even with the saw tooth alloys)

 

[jbarsquat]

I think I’m a bigger fan of sharpening than most. So of course I like maintaining my “super steels”. I assume you asked in this subforum because the sharpening addicts hang out here. I have found the same as mentioned above. If you take your time and put some effort into putting a great edge on these, you can touch them up indefinitely without having to really resharpen them. M390, D2, CTS 204P are all very easy to maintain after you get that edge established.

 

[Lapedog]

I think I’m a bigger fan of sharpening than most. So of course I like maintaining my “super steels”. I assume you asked in this subforum because the sharpening addicts hang out here. I have found the same as mentioned above. If you take your time and put some effort into putting a great edge on these, you can touch them up indefinitely without having to really resharpen them. M390, D2, CTS 204P are all very easy to maintain after you get that edge established.

M390, 20cv and cts204p are all essentially the same steel just from a different manufacturer. I actually find this family of steels surprisingly easy to sharpen considering their high vanadium content. They do not form a stubborn burr that doesn’t want to come off.

I also find d2 is a very good steel for touching up. Once you get that good edge set just don’t let it get dull and it is a pretty easy steel to maintain. It is reprofiling d2 that is the pain in the ass.

 

[tiguy7]

M390, 20cv and cts204p are all essentially the same steel just from a different manufacturer. I actually find this family of steels surprisingly easy to sharpen considering their high vanadium content. They do not form a stubborn burr that doesn’t want to come off.

I also find d2 is a very good steel for touching up. Once you get that good edge set just don’t let it get dull and it is a pretty easy steel to maintain. It is reprofiling d2 that is the pain in the ass.

The 3 steels listed (M-390, 20CV, and CTS204P) all have 4% Vanadium, the same as S-30-V. I wouldn’t call them high V compared to S-125-V at 12% V. I do prefer to sharpen my 4%V blades on Diamond “stones”.

 

[Lapedog]

The 3 steels listed (M-390, 20CV, and CTS204P) all have 4% Vanadium, the same as S-30-V. I wouldn’t call them high V compared to S-125-V at 12% V. I do prefer to sharpen my 4%V blades on Diamond “stones”.

I guess it is just a matter of terminology. I consider s30v to be high vanadium steel also. As opposed to steels with only trace vanadium where vanadium carbides are not formed and the vanadium mostly helps grain formation.

Steels like s125v, s110v I would consider very high vanadium steels.

M390 seems to do very well in cutting tests though. I find it pretty easy to sharpen up considering its abrasion resistance.

 

[tiguy7]

I see your point. It’s just that I have knives in 30,60,90,110,&125V, and 30 seems to be at the bottom of the ladder (not counting BG-42 at 1.2%).

 

[dkb45]

I would suggest for any super steel over 3% vanadium to use all diamond or SiC stones and stropping compounds. Most other abrasives are not hard enough to abrade the vanadium carbides, and if you can shape them with the rest of the matrix you get am edge that performs way better than without.

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

Jason B.
What is your favorite steel that perform to your liking?

Some recommendations of touching up often. I’m wondering if touching up often is better, what would be the benefit of high wear resistance?

PS:
I’m still struggling with Spyderco S110V & BM HK D2. XHP is good. For my use case of course.

 

[wade7575]

I have more Spyderco's in S110v then I can count off the top of my head and all I can say it's either Venev diamond stones or the Metallic bonded CBN,you can use diamond plates as well but I have found the diamonds tear off of them over time and they lose cutting performance and if you want a polished edge use Silicon Carbide and diamond or CBN stropping compounds.

Jason B.
What is your favorite steel that perform to your liking?

Some recommendations of touching up often. I’m wondering if touching up often is better, what would be the benefit of high wear resistance?

PS:
I’m still struggling with Spyderco S110V & BM HK D2. XHP is good. For my use case of course.

 

[SV-97]

Been doing everything myself since I started collecting, no problem with M4, ZDP, 20CV etc. Maxamet is a bitch but really just takes a bit longer

 

[maximus83]

+1 on the goodness of XHP, I posted here about how I've enjoyed working with it recently as well. I only have 3 XHP blades (2 CS, 1 Spyderco) but all have been excellent at edge holding, and are surprisingly easy to sharpen.

Also like to hear Jason's short list of fave stainless steels to work with, that provide a nice blend of good edge retention, plus good FINE edge retention, while still being tough. So I see XHP, CPM 154, and Elmax are on the short list in this category. I wonder if S35vn fits in there. Others?

Jason B.
What is your favorite steel that perform to your liking?

Some recommendations of touching up often. I’m wondering if touching up often is better, what would be the benefit of high wear resistance?

PS:
I’m still struggling with Spyderco S110V & BM HK D2. XHP is good. For my use case of course.