Current state of Admiral 154CM?

J

Jason Fry

Joined
Jun 5, 2008
Messages
3,224
Any issues with Admiral's 154CM lately? They have the best price I've found on 1/8x 6x 36 for a waterjet project.
 
Jason, I can only speak for myself. I order steel from Pop's knife supply and Admiral. I have ordered from Jantz, New Jersey Steel Baron (Aldo), and one other supplier I forgot. I have ordered ATS 34, 440C, 154 cm, and CPM 154. I get good prices and good service from Admiral and the steel has never disappointed me. I haven't heard any bad comments about Admiral but every one seems to have a favorite supplier. Take a look at Pop's knife supply...not a lot of choices but really good prices in my opinion. Larry
 
No problems for like 15 years or so. As said above everyone has their favorite supplier.
Ken.
 
Thanks. I've not purchased from them, but have met Terry at a couple of shows. They're not on my "favorite supplier" list, but they've got the best price on what I'm after this time. Every supplier has their issues once in a while.
 
If you want a low-cost, high-performance stain-resistant alloy, look long and hard at AEB-L. It's clean, it's tough, and it takes a lovely edge.

Darrin Sanders said:
If its a Crucible product, it really shouldn't matter who the vendor is.
Click to expand...

But that's the problem. There's a lot of so-called "154CM" (and for that matter, "440C" and "ATS-34") floating around out there that is quite frankly not worth the time it takes to grind it... full of visible voids and pits, takes a nasty "orange-peel" finish... blech. Last year I did a grinding job for another maker who supplied "154CM" blanks... they were so bloody awful I couldn't even keep them in spec after trying to grind past the imperfections. Neither he nor I were happy with the results. :mad:

I haven't bothered with "154CM" or "440C" in years. Genuine Crucible CPM-154 or S35VN is really not that much more expensive at the outset, they're a little tougher anyway, they're definitely cleaner and more consistent. And trust me... saving a few bucks per bar is NOT worthwhile when you have to throw even one blade away because it's riddled with inclusions. :grumpy:
 
Last edited:
Just for the sake of discussion... why choose 154CM/440C/ATS-34 anyway? There's a reason other alloys were designed to replace them... even before the knockoffs and crappy quality control became an issue.

If it's strictly for cost reasons... AEB-L is almost certainly the same cost or even less expensive. Without even considering waste.

If it's for marketing reasons (154CM/440C/ATS-34 are "classic" steels, and as such, they infer some panache')... But that's 1970's nostalgia, baby! A quick browse around ShopTalk or any kitchen knife forum will show, AEB-L is only getting more and more popular among buyers and users... because it just plain works! :)

If it's for wear-resistance/edge-retention... Crucible's CPM-154 and S35VN are better, as are many of the Bohler/Uddeholm and Carpenter alloys.

In short, if you want the carbides and corrosion-resistance that made 154CM/440C/ATS-34 famous... there are much better choices available now.
 
Last edited:
james terrio said:
Just for the sake of discussion... why choose 154CM/440C/ATS-34 anyway?
Click to expand...

Well these 2 moose taken in Sweden were processed with one of my ATS34 blades without having to be sharpened and have processed many boar with equal success.

Pretending great steels are no longer great because of other great steels come to market does nothing to decrease their performance.

If you got bad steel that really sucks, but shit happens


VPwBl1g.jpg
 
Yup, "shit happens" indeed. And it cost me a mortgage payment in the blink of an eye.

Shit happens once, shame on "whoever". Shit happens twice, shame on me. Shit happens thrice? Not gonna happen in my shop. I simply don't have the time, budget or patience to "hope" that shit doesn't happen again.

If y'all have reliable, true sources for those classic alloys, by all means stick with 'em. Buy 'em up now, because I can promise you this: it's not gonna get any better.
 
Last edited:
I've ordered 154CM from Admiral many times and have never had any issues whatsoever with the product or the service.

Jesse
 
kc custom said:
Well said, there will be a new steel tommorow and another the day after.
Ken.
Click to expand...
As far as the "new steel of tomorrow" goes, AEB-L (which I continue to use and endorse quite happily) was around lonnng before any of them new-fangled 154/440/34 stainless whippersnappers that popped up in the 1960's and got famous in the 1970's... we're talking way back in the 1920's. So, y'know, there's that ;)
 
Ya, we know

We also use AEB-L
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top