Does 154CM stand out at anything anymore?

zrfunited said:
It works really well for me as well. I like playing with the supersteels but I honestly haven't carried anything better than s30v or 154 cm for a user.
....edited to add; it excels at being an inexpensive and high performing steel.
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Steels like S30V, 154CM make for great user steels for people who use their knives, same with AUS-8 and 420HC. (Real AUS-8 with a good HT)

S30V will do better holding an edge due to the carbide content if one is cutting a lot of abrasive materials like cardboard, that working edge will hold up for a very long time.

They all will serve well though.
 
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I just read in an AG Russell catalog that the company producing ATS-34 (Hitachi?) has either stopped production on it or will be doing so very soon. If that's the case I wouldnt expect it to get any cheaper, but I imagine demand will increase while people try to get their hands on the last of it. To the OP I'm a big fan of 154CM for the same reasons as most others who have posted, it'll cut whatever I want and I find it much easier to sharpen than many "super steels".
 
ndeezl said:
Production and availablilty I believe.



I thought that Crucible's version was CPM154 which is a powder version of the steel, whereas 154CM is very similar in properties but not made by Crucible. Or maybe they're both made by Crucible but only one is a powder steel? I could be mistaken (probably a good bet :))

Nathan
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The bolded part is right.
 
I don't know if it stands out anymore, but I really like it. I might be behind the times, but I still consider it one of the 'premium' steels, easily.
 
how about it's just works well in the field in real use, or aka user friendly...compared to allot of super steels.

i highly prefer 154cm to s30v in real use of a knife. s30v loses a razor edge instantly and turns into a working edge, for a long time. this annoys me as i need a razor edge for allot of tasks and a working edge is useful, no doubt, but not always.

i own allot of s30v knives, cause i wanted the knife and that was the only choice. if i had the choice between 154cm and s30v ....i'd pick 154cm everytime. i don't care what the tests show, i use my knives...i'm a user, not a collector at all...... and s30v works, but it's not the best, imho....especially for the price point.

just like the comeback of 440c steel happeneing now...154cm will rise again once the novelty of the newer steels wears off and reality sets back in.
 
that is true, 154CM is 440C modified by replacing some chromium with molybdenum, this was how it was made & marketed.
 
Ankerson said:
Steels like S30V, 154CM make for great user steels for people who use their knives, same with AUS-8 and 420HC. (Real AUS-8 with a good HT)

S30V will do better holding an edge due to the carbide content if one is cutting a lot of abrasive materials like cardboard, that working edge will hold up for a very long time.

They all will serve well though.
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Thanks for all the info. Who does a good HT on Aus-8? I had an AlMar falcon several years ago that performed great but haven't really had any other experience with Aus-8 other than in a mini lawman that a buddy of mine gave me. The lawman hasn't seen any real use so I don't have a basis of comparison.
 
zrfunited said:
Thanks for all the info. Who does a good HT on Aus-8? I had an AlMar falcon several years ago that performed great but haven't really had any other experience with Aus-8 other than in a mini lawman that a buddy of mine gave me. The lawman hasn't seen any real use so I don't have a basis of comparison.
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CS really has AUS-8 down very well.
 
From what I know ATS 34 and 154 CM are the same, except one is made by Crucible here in the ConUs and other by Hitachi in Japan, moreover that CPM154 is just the powdered version of 154CM and both are made by Crucible. CPM154 is supposed to be tougher than 154CM because it is finer grained which means more even distribution of the carbides. That equates to greater edge retention and toughness from what I've read.
 
I find your comments VERY interesting. As I own knives in both 154CM and S30V, I overwhelmingly prefer the 154CM. Two of my most used knives are BM 520 Presidio and Emerson A100. Both of them get hard use, hold their edge better, are easier to sharpen than my S30V knives. I am not a metallurgist by any stretch, but have formed my opinions through practical experience.
 
154cm steel holds up very well on my benchmade and I really prefer it to 440 and some of the older steels. It is easy to sharpen and maintain, although mine seems to rust if not oiled a couple of times a month but nothing severe or unusual since I carry it with me everyday and for as much as I use it.
 
zrfunited said:
It seems that a few years ago (early 2000) that ats-34 was more prolific than 154cm. Now it seems to be the opposite. Anyone care to enlighten me as to why this is?
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ATS-34 and 154CM are two trade names for the same steel/alloy formula. As stated above, ATS-34 is made by Hitachi and 154CM is made by Crucible. The alloys are the same, but I believe ATS-34 is vacuum melted and 154CM is not. Vacuum melting prevents contaminants from the air from leaching into the steel when it is in it's liquid form.

When I first started reading about blade steels back in the early 2000's, there were rumors (true or not true, I don't know) that 154CM was "dirty" due to it's open-air melting process. Crucible did have some quality control issues back then which didn't help their reputation. Hitachi (with the help of Bob Loveless) developed ATS-34 during that time to sell as a "clean" version of 154CM. Many manufactures switched to ATS-34 due to the rumors of dirty steel. Since then, 154CM has proven itself to be a good and clean steel and is considered by many now-a-days to be an exact equal to ATS-34. Don't quote me on this, but I believe 154CM is now vacuum melted.

154CM is American made and cheaper than ATS-34
 
Back on topic: I asked if 154CM stood out in any particular area, and everyone's response seems to be: "154CM is decent at all things"... This is the reason I started the thread.
 
hardheart said:
that is true, 154CM is 440C modified by replacing some chromium with molybdenum
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Does the molybdenum increase toughness?

I've heard that the latest version of Crucible 154 has vanadium added for improved wear resistance. Is that only in the powdered metal version?
 
I don't know all that much about the different steels, but in my limited experience, I'll take 154CM over S30V hands down! For me, S30V is a bear to sharpen, in fact, it irritates me to the point that I actually tend to avoid buying knives made out of it. VG10 is probably my favorite over all... easy to sharpen and seems to hold a razor edge for quite a while.
 
draggat said:
I don't know all that much about the different steels, but in my limited experience, I'll take 154CM over S30V hands down! For me, S30V is a bear to sharpen, in fact, it irritates me to the point that I actually tend to avoid buying knives made out of it. VG10 is probably my favorite over all... easy to sharpen and seems to hold a razor edge for quite a while.
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I agree.
The only knife I had in S30V was a Spyderco Native , which I gave to my coworker/buddy. Well he used the everloving heck out of it and asked me to sharpen it - it was near dull as a butter knife - I had a ridiculously hard time getting it anywhere near as sharp as it was when I gave it to him. This would not be the case for any other knife steel in my inventory ( 440C , 154CM , Aus8 , O1 , D2 , ATS34, Aus10, various carbon steels , VG10 ) I also own M390 and CPM-M4 but have not had those go dull to the point of the Native's S30V , although both of those knives were incredibly obtuse Benchmades that I reprofiled by hand , with stones and they were still not as difficult as that particular Native was to get to my standard.
All that said , S30V is off of my list of approved steels for that reason alone. I simply do not see the benefit versus the chore.

Especially if you consider field or other 'away from base' sharpening , I'll take good 'ol 154CM or VG10 anyday over S30V.

I am in the process of reprofiling and modding a TOPS fixed blade in 154CM and so far , I am very pleased with the results.

Tostig
 
154cm From the Scrap Yard is awesome stuff. Once you get the edge you want, it stays. Their testing shows it to be tough, tough stuff! SOme of their knives in it are my favs...the scrap muk and weiner dog...great blades!
 
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