Recommendation? Custom Griptilian for dad. Help w/ steel choice

Lapedog said:
If he cannot sharpen then m4 is your steel. The edge will last longer between resharpenings than s30v. Also I think despite rust m4 is the better steel for hard use around a construction site.
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I'd bet my next paycheck that the guy wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Plus, M4 costs extra money. I'd save the $25 premium for M4 and buy my Pa a big juicy steak to cut with his new knife.
 
For outright hard use and even abuse, it might be best to go for 154CM. A balanced well performing steel that is easy to maintain. Some sort of edge maintenance will probably be needed, a coarse DMT pocket stone would work well. Even a pull through sharpener might be better than nothing. Other then that you're good to go.

M4 is good and dandy if you keep it sharp, but let it go dull and your spending some serious time at the stones. M4 will hold a great edge, but by what you describe it sounds like it'll get dull no matter what it is. So, M4 might be a pain at the end of the day.

As for S30V, it loses to 154CM due to ease of maintenance and the fact S30V will be more prone to chipping.

All this talk about 154CM makes me want my 556 back. Now I also want a 551BK with Igor blue G10 scales. On the other hand, uncoated M4 and natural micarta would look pretty cool. See what these threads do to people?!?:D
 
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Dallas T said:
Don’t discount n680 i use it on a triage a lot and it’s awesome nearly rust proof
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I'll second that too. N690 is pretty damn great. I really didn't expect much out of it, but it can hold a keen edge for quite some time and is extremely easy to bring it back. Tougher than VG10. Plus like you said it has outstanding corrosion resistance. I'd personally go with N690 over 154 four out of five times.

Shit. I meant N690, not N680. Couldn't tell you if there is a difference.
 
N680 is decent if you're worried about corrosion. Tho I'd still go m4 if it were me, but this is for your pops..
Have you thought about the Gail Bradley knives. They are also m4 and a bit tougher of a blade profile and heavier. But more of a heavy duty working knife
 
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Mo2 said:
N680 is decent if you're worried about corrosion. Tho I'd still go m4 if it were me, but this is for your pops..
Have you thought about the Gail Bradley knives. They are also m4 and a bit tougher of a blade profile and heavier. But more of a heavier working knife
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The GB is definitely a tough working knife!
 
Heartland_edc said:
I built a custom grip for my brother a while back, and when my dad got a chance to handle it, he was really impressed. He has handled some of my other knives, and seems to really prefer the thumb hole on a Spyderco, so I figured I'd build him a grip with the sheepsfoot blade and thumb hole. Here's my dilemma. I'm torn between s30v and cpmM4. He's turning 60, and still owns and operates his own construction business. The knife will definitely get used, and used hard periodically. Which of these steels is a better choice? (Either way it'll be coated black, as he is partial to black blades). I know M4 is quite a bit tougher, but it lacks the stainless qualities of s30v. It will most likely be used for cutting paper, plastic, wood, and possibly other things you shouldn't use a knife for. Might come in contact with moisture every now and then.
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Look at the Ritter 552. No black blade, but a excellent choice in M390
 
Blues Bender said:
I'd bet my next paycheck that the guy wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Plus, M4 costs extra money. I'd save the $25 premium for M4 and buy my Pa a big juicy steak to cut with his new knife.
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Well said, Blues is making alot of sense to me. When it comes down to it, Benchmade only offers premium steels that can handle alot of abuse for a knife. And i would have to agree with the 154cm being alot easier to maintain. I've always found that it tends to roll rather then chip, and personally find that easier to resharpen.

And 154 would also be a great steel to learn to sharpen with, very easy to manipulate. Its worth learning to sharpen at a proficient level. It can be just as fun as using the knife and not having to wait to get it back in the mail is a plus. I always suggest starting with a coarse stone and dont overcomplicate it, and dont over complicate the steel decision either ;) There is no wrong answer.
 
I have multiple blades in both steels, from benchmade and spyderco. With the same edge geometry, same tasks, m4 edge holds up better in all regards. If it's used regular, corrosion shouldn't be a problem.
 
I really, really love reading all this feedback. I suppose now i'll have to ultimately decide between 154cm and M4. Lots of justifications for both here.
 
If you go with 154cm, no need for custom unless you want g10.
154cm will require more frequent sharpening than s30v, and the edge will damage easier.
They are all good steels though.
 
Blues Bender said:
Did someone call my name?:D:)

I may be confusing my steel properties, but I'm pretty sure that M4 is actually tougher than S30V with a proper heat treat.
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You may very well be right. In my experience s30V has been tougher, but I can't say that I've compared Benchmade's m4 and s30v so it's not exactly apples to apples.

Really though, you can't go wrong with any of the choices. We're dealing in slight margins here.
 
Sigsog226 said:
Well said, Blues is making alot of sense to me. When it comes down to it, Benchmade only offers premium steels that can handle alot of abuse for a knife. And i would have to agree with the 154cm being alot easier to maintain. I've always found that it tends to roll rather then chip, and personally find that easier to resharpen.

And 154 would also be a great steel to learn to sharpen with, very easy to manipulate. Its worth learning to sharpen at a proficient level. It can be just as fun as using the knife and not having to wait to get it back in the mail is a plus. I always suggest starting with a coarse stone and dont overcomplicate it, and dont over complicate the steel decision either ;) There is no wrong answer.
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While I agree that the end user probably will not notice the difference I still think that the m4 should keep its edge somewhat longer.

As the op stated him and his dad cannot sharpen so the edge will have to last as long as possible between sharpenings. I agree however that if they are going to try to learn to sharpen then 154cm is probably ideal.
 
Lapedog said:
While I agree that the end user probably will not notice the difference I still think that the m4 should keep its edge somewhat longer.

As the op stated him and his dad cannot sharpen so the edge will have to last as long as possible between sharpenings. I agree however that if they are going to try to learn to sharpen then 154cm is probably ideal.
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If he is going to use the knife as the OP describes, no steel in the world will hold an edge for any reasonable amount of time. This is the reason why utility knives are commonly seen in the trades; sharp and thin geometry that is disposable, no sharpening needed.

If you work in the trades and you're not afraid to use your knife, the edge can literally dull after a single cut if you're cutting the wrong stuff. The only guys I've ever encountered carrying a quality knife onsite had Delicas, Enduras, and Griptillians. All VG-10 and 154CM...working steels.

I carried a Grip in 154CM for a long time. My cousin is a carpenter, carries a 154CM Grip. One of our project managers carries a 154CM Grip. I met an electrical foreman, he also carries a 154CM Grip. Need I say more?:D
 
Blues Bender said:
If he is going to use the knife as the OP describes, no steel in the world will hold an edge for any reasonable amount of time. This is the reason why utility knives are commonly seen in the trades; sharp and thin geometry that is disposable, no sharpening needed.

If you work in the trades and you're not afraid to use your knife, the edge can literally dull after a single cut if you're cutting the wrong stuff. The only guys I've ever encountered carrying a quality knife onsite had Delicas, Enduras, and Griptillians. All VG-10 and 154CM...working steels.

I carried a Grip in 154CM for a long time. My cousin is a carpenter, carries a 154CM Grip. One of our project managers carries a 154CM Grip. I met an electrical foreman, he also carries a 154CM Grip. Need I say more?:D
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You're right. In truth if you are going to actually use a knife on a worksite you had better know how to sharpen. Even myself if I am ever doing any kind of reno stuff I like 8cr13mov because I can get it sharp again. Its true that no knife edge, especially a "performance slicing" edge will last a second on a job site.

So sad, :( in my fantasy my latest super steel is strong enough that taking it to a jobsite doesn't mean an 8 hour session with the stones later that night.
 
Lapedog said:
You're right. In truth if you are going to actually use a knife on a worksite you had better know how to sharpen. Even myself if I am ever doing any kind of reno stuff I like 8cr13mov because I can get it sharp again. Its true that no knife edge, especially a "performance slicing" edge will last a second on a job site.

So sad, :( in my fantasy my latest super steel is strong enough that taking it to a jobsite doesn't mean an 8 hour session with the stones later that night.
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Hey, I love my exotic steel knives. Especially my Rocksteads in YXR7, I swear that steel is magic, but the admission ticket to sample YXR7 is so high that the price isn't justifiable unless you have some extra "play money" (for example, not married and single;)).

M4 would not be a bad choice for the chosen knife by any means, but I think 154CM will offer just as much performance given the use. When (and if) the time comes to self-sharpen, the task will be much easier than with "exotic steel".

Like I've said, 154CM is no slouch. I've got a chunk of it in my pocket as I type this. I've made the decision to carry 154CM over much more exotic steel that's in my collection because I know that 154CM will work just fine.:cool:
 
Would your dad be opposed to using an inexpensive "beater" knife? For about $30-35 you can get an Ontario Rat folder or one of a number of Kershaws, CRKT, Cold Steel, etc.

By all means, get him a nice custom Griptilian, but how about also getting a knife that won't make you cringe if he uses it to cut wire, open a bag of cement, trim drywall, etc. Or even a Svord Peasant. $16, easy to sharpen carbon steel, open and close with 1 hand. Abuse is abuse regardless of how much a tool costs, but if abuse can't be avoided, why not abuse something a lot less expensive?
 
Planterz said:
By all means, get him a nice custom Griptilian, but how about also getting a knife that won't make you cringe if he uses it to cut wire, open a bag of cement, trim drywall, etc. Or even a Svord Peasant. $16, easy to sharpen carbon steel, open and close with 1 hand. Abuse is abuse regardless of how much a tool costs, but if abuse can't be avoided, why not abuse something a lot less expensive?
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With this knife, its more about "hey Dad, I think you're great, I had this made specifically for you". I know he'll beat on it, but I want him to have something useful and special at the same time. I want to see it used, scratched up, dirty, nicks, rolls etc, but I want it to have that sort of "my son had this made for he" aesthetic. I want him to hold it up after years of abuse (even if it had to be resharpened multiple times) and think, "damn, this thing is amazing!" With my dad being a practiced carpenter (im sure Blues Bender and many others can relate) he has a tuned sense of what it means to have a "good" tool. Its very hard to get him a gift because it needs to be utilitarian to get him to use it, and it needs to stand out amongst his other options for him to continue to use it. The only thing I can really offer in that sense is an incredible knife that he can have with him at all times. The axis lock coupled with the sheepsfoot blade and thumbhole seems to be one of the best options out there to me, so a custom version should help it stand out (I hope.) I fantasize about one of his employees not being able to cut something, and he offers the services of his trusty Grip to get the job done. Not a likely scenario, but thats my thought process :). Maybe the steel choice is somewhat trivial, but I want it to be as good as it can possibly be for what he'll use it for. He gave me my first pocket knife when I was a kid (it was actually his dad's knife), and unknowingly created my obsession with all things sharp. It seems appropriate to turn 20 years love for the hobby into the ultimate utilitarian gift for him.
 
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I just got one from them in 20CV. It would be the best option if corrosion resistance is important. I have a mini Grip in M4 and love it, but I live in a very wet/humid area, so it only gets carried on dry days.
20CV is good to go wherever you live!! It also has good toughness for the edge holding you get, for a stainless.
 
Not sure a Grippe is the right tool for your Dad. An Emerson might stand up better as an all-round scraper/cutter that's likely to get hard use.
 
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