Frustrated by my green PM2

Surfingringo

Surfingringo

Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
3,700
I got this knife a couple of months ago and it has caused me hours of frustration. I love the pm2 design, but I struggle with cts-204p! I am kind of a sharpening fanatic, and I love putting a tree topping edge on my knives. (Freehand diamond stones and sharpmaker) For some reason I have a hard time taking this steel to that level. On the positive side, it sharpens up to shaving sharp easily and holds an edge forever. But my OCD just kicks in when I can't get that last 5% out of it. I'm thinking to do a catch and release on this one and go back to s30v. :).

I know I'm talking more about "novelty" edge stuff rather than practicality, but it still frustrates me. This would be a wonderful steel if I were a sane person who just wanted a really sharp knife that would stay sharp for a very very long time. :o Anybody ever have a similar experience with any of the "super-steels"?
 
Oh yes, I've been beyond frustrated with super steels! There was a point to where I swore off anything but H-1 and/or serrated edges. Slow but sure, I've come back around to the exotic steels. Having a Wicked Edge system and a Sharpmaker have made life with wear resistant steels more bearable.
 
I think it depends on your sharpening philosophy. A lot of folks want a good edge that will last for weeks before it needs any work. So once a month they break out the edge pro and get the edge back, and that works perfect. I want mine to always be hair popping, and I don't mind touching them up daily. So I'm realizing that I might be better off with some of the less wear resistant steels. Like you said, h1 works pretty well for me. I'm getting pretty comfortable with s30v too. I need to try something in vg10 too. I've heard that steel sharpens up nicely and might be a good balance for me.

As I said though, I'm pretty into the whole sharpening thing right now. Once the "new" wears off of my new sharpening hobby I might become less obsessed. ;)
 
I think it is an obsession! I've been there too, that constant thought of "is it sharp enough? Could it be sharper?" Luckily I'm at the phase of it's good enough for what I need it for. It's a much healthier mental place to be! Ha ha
 
I've reprofiled my m390 para 2 with diamonds, so far best edges have come off of moldmasters and the double stuff. Diamonds get me to a very nice working edge though. Do your best to stay calm and don't get frustrated, easy to apply extra pressure that will ruin your hard work. Haven't reprofiled the 204p para yet but have done my southard with great results on the 400 mold master(toothy) or fine side of the double stuff for more refinement.
 
It seemed to me that CTS-204P required a little more work to sharpen and reprofile than some of the other super steels I've tried like M390 and even S110V. It can be a frustrating steel to sharpen and may take a bit more patience than the average steel.
 
I believe CTS-204P is the equivalent of M390? I've not had trouble sharpening the latter. If, as you say: 'I can get it to shaving sharp easily and it holds an edge forever' then I don't see how you can be disappointed in it.
 
Don't give up on it, you will get it, my M390 Millie didnt' make me satisfied till maybe the 3rd time I sharpened it, but once you get it there it's a lot easier to maintain. out of all my knives this m390 is the hardest to sharpen, just because it takes so long.
 
I emphathize with you Surf! Everyone around here talks about how long super steels hold an edge but obsess with maximum sharpness. It's a bad mix in my opinion. Fighting a super steel dailly/weekly for that last little bit is a no go for me. I like s30v for a middle ground of holding and workability. Really though, you haven't tried my favorite yet.

VG10 is my favrorite steel all around. It is corrosion resistant as my daily run soaks the blade and it just shrugs it off. I sometimes wipe it off but rarely rinse the sweat off. Rust is NOT a problem for me, but I'm not near an ocean. It holds and edge just fine for just about any daily duty. AND.... OMG is sharpens so easy. I can easily put a edge on that takes one of my hairs and cuts it three or four times before it's too flimsy. VG10 is cheap on a lot of Spyders. Everyone that has super steels and doesn't have VG10 is missing something.
 
+1 on the VG10, a great all round steel. Gets hair popping sharp easily, is rust resistant and comes at a good price. Some time ago I cut the dog out my thumb with a brand new Delica VG10. Just had to try and work that blade a bit to loosen it up. 6 stitches later I knew how sharp
VG10 could be.
 
The soon to be released super blue stretch might work for ya.

:>)
Meant this reply to go on your Southard post, but works here too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top