First production run ever! What steel options would YOU like to see? Poll version 2.0

What steel would YOU like to see?

  • CPM-3V Is just fine by itself.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • A2 would be a good, more affordable option.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • CPM-S35VN would be a good option.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 1095 would be an affordable option.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Elmax would be a good option.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Who cares? Just make some knives already!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
I voted for A2 because it is affordable, tough, and fine-grained. I just purchased an aftermarket plane iron in cryogenically treated A2 at Rc 62. Easy to sharpen and holds a fine edge a long time. For a survival knife used for chopping, maybe Rc 60 would be better, but that is higher than many steels would be comfortable going for hard use. M390 was not on your list, but seems like a good candidate alongside Elmax for a stainless high end version.
 
Yeah, I am moving ahead with samples in A2, with an aim hardness of 59-60Rc. That will get some high quality, affordable knives into some people's hands to try out. I am lowering the grind line on the GSO-6 a bit to run the full spine thickness a bit closer to the tip to further increase strength. The GSO-5 and 6 will have the balance point set over the index finger. I couldn't quite get the balance point of the GSO-4 where I wanted while maintaining the integrity of the knife but it is still more balanced feeling than a similar knife with no skeletonizing. The balance point for the GSO-4 is closer to the middle finger but that is less of a factor for the way a bushcraft is used. These knives are designed to be a hard use tool and I can't wait to get them into some hands for testing. I really appreciate all of this feedback. It is going to prove invaluable when it comes time for the production run.
 
Bill1170 said:
I voted for A2 because it is affordable, tough, and fine-grained. I just purchased an aftermarket plane iron in cryogenically treated A2 at Rc 62. Easy to sharpen and holds a fine edge a long time. For a survival knife used for chopping, maybe Rc 60 would be better, but that is higher than many steels would be comfortable going for hard use. M390 was not on your list, but seems like a good candidate alongside Elmax for a stainless high end version.
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M390 would be Excellent if he wanted to do some slicers later on, like hunting knives, run it at around 62 HRC and it will cut for a VERY long time, ELMAX would also be excellent at the same hardness. :)
 
My opinion is that Elmax should be the stainless option. MUCH tougher than S35VN, and just as stainless. 1095 and A2 would be cheaper, but 3V already trumps both of those in non-stainless performance. If I could only pick one, it would be the 3V, but since you said that's already a given, Elmax gets my vote.
 
fielder said:
How tough is S35VN ? And how does it compare toughness wise with Elmax and CPM154?
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Depends on your criteria for tough. As far as stainless steels go it is pretty darned tough. It's tougher than CPM 154 and has higher lateral strength. It's tough as far as lateral strength but for shock resistance it is lacking. Like some others said, Elmax has better toughness and should hold an edge better. None of them can take the shear brutality like 3V will but then 3V isn't stainless. I guess it is all going to come down to how most people see themselves using these designs.
 
Erdbeereis said:
Those look great!
How much are they going to cost?

Erdbeereis
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I still have a few small details I'm working on so I'm not quite able to nail down an exact price. For the first A2 samples I am shooting for the $135-160 range, depending on the model. I will have a few of each model(I'm thinking about 10-15 of each) and will have the GSO-5 and 6 available with or without the breaker tip on the pommel. Some of them will have the tang area powdercoated and the rest will be done in a satin finish. I tried to do a preordering thing on my webpage for a while. Since I'm a new company it didn't spark much interest so I abandoned it. So stand by, these are probably going to go really quickly when they are finished.
 
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