Griptilian 154CM... keen, polished, hair-popping edge?

N

nickE10mm

Joined
Mar 17, 2006
Messages
113
Hi all,

I've been trying to figure out what type of blade steel I prefer for my knives. I own or HAVE owned 440A/B, S30V and 440C blades. The S30V blade I had was a BM Skirmish and, while it was a nice design and built like a tank, I was never able to get that dang S30V blade to have the kind of edge I really like - a hair-popping polished razor edge. I've gotten almost all of my other knives to that level and the most recent knife and possibly the sharpest knife I've owned is my new BM Monochrome which has a 440C blade. 440C, in my experience, is a really, really nice steel that seems easy to sharpen and keeps it's edge well. I KNOW, i know... I probably just didn't take the proper time to rebevel the Skirmish to a more narrow profile.... but I could definitely tell that the steel had a different "grain" than this 440C here.

Here's the deal... I've got a BM Griptilian 154CM on the way and was wondering about others' experiences with 154CM and getting a highly polished, keen razor edge. As I understand it, 154CM is basically 440C that has been quenched to a higher hardness. If this IS, in fact, the case, then 154CM will be my steel of choice. If 154CM is a really grainy steel, then I may end up selling the Grip. Most people who comment on their Grips or on 154CM just says "it holds it's edge well" which honestly doesn't sound all that great to me. The quality and keenness of the edge is more important to me than simply not having to sharpen it all the time. I know that edge keenness is also more a factor of the angle, blade width and sharpening ability... but I'm more interested right now in 154CM blade steel's contribution to the formula.

Hopefully that makes sense. I'm looking for real-world experiences with 154CM.... SUPER shaving sharp, just average sharp, or anything in between?

Thanks in advance for your responses! (I'm anxiously waiting on my new knife and thought I'd post)
 
All steels will reach a similar level of sharpness with very few reaching extraordinary levels of sharpness. 154 will be better than 440 but lesser than S30V.
 
knifenut1013 said:
All steels will reach a similar level of sharpness with very few reaching extraordinary levels of sharpness. 154 will be better than 440 but lesser than S30V.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but that's what I'm referring to .... I would think that finer grained steels would have more potential to a fine, razor edge likened to push-cutting whilst some steels produce a more toothy-edge for slice-cutting. Steels with Vanadium (VG-10, N690, etc) or ones made using CPM technology, for example, would be finer edged than 154CM and such.

Does this always hold true....? Or is the assumption still that the sharpening technique and grind angle make the most difference? (I feel like I'm answering my own question lol)
 
For an all around good steel I like 154CM. It will take a polished edge and keep it depending on what you a cutting most. It is easy to touch up. Compared to another knife I had that was S30V I liked the 154CM better. Both steels are great and VG-10 is right up there with 154CM and S30V.
If you have good sharpening equipment and a little sharpening skill they are all good. Don't over look using a strop evey now and then.
 
I sharpen my 154's on my paper wheel system, along with several of my customers 154's I make sheaths for, and can get a pretty darn good polished hair splittin edge. True, it is a little grainy but I do like the steel.
 
knifenut1013 gave you the best responce which was your own reasoning confirmed.

That said, I have a 154 Grip and it's a wicked slicer!!! Mine arrived with a loose adjustment to the pivot. I remember looking at the unusually nice bevel that Benchmade had put on it and how polished & shiny the edge was.

I was holding it - blade up - and pulled back the axis lock lugs allowing the blade to swing down. The weight of it's kinda thin blade, was enough to "push cut" my finger to the bone! Damn that smarted.... :eek:

I think you should wait for your 154CM Griptilian to arrive before you go off worrying about it's edge. 154 is very good steel!

BTW, I don't look at steel through optics or anything - the 154CM Grip that I have has an edge that looks like chrome to the naked eye.
 
cziv said:
knifenut1013 gave you the best responce which was your own reasoning confirmed.

That said, I have a 154 Grip and it's a wicked slicer!!! Mine arrived with a loose adjustment to the pivot. I remember looking at the unusually nice bevel that Benchmade had put on it and how polished & shiny the edge was.

I was holding it - blade up - and pulled back the axis lock lugs allowing the blade to swing down. The weight of it's kinda thin blade, was enough to "push cut" my finger to the bone! Damn that smarted.... :eek:

I think you should wait for your 154CM Griptilian to arrive before you go off worrying about it's edge. 154 is very good steel!
Click to expand...

Ha! I had just got done posting my last post before I got notification of your post.

Sorry to hear about the ol' guillotine move there but at least you know Benchmade can put a nice edge on a knife. ;)
 
Yup! That's an older one. I have a newer Ritter Grip in S30V that is not as spooky as that damn older one in 154CM.

I have it lock-tited pretty stiff now, so that it bounces against the lock springs (or whatever it's called) before shutting unless you really pull the lugs back hard. :D
 
I can tell you I recently purchased 1 full sized mini grip (154cm, combo edge), a D2 mini grip (plain edge), and a 154 CM mini grip with combo edge, and a spyderco VG10 bladed delica (saber ground).

I can tell you that off the three, the 154cm knives were by far the sharpest. The mini 154cm grip came absolutely shave you sharp with little effort from the factory. Out of all the knives I've looked at, probably the sharpest I've encountered recently (no experience with s30v though).

The D2 grip was basically dull from the factory, it couldn't even cut paper. Yet magically it would go through a tomato. The edge was highly polished, and very very smooth. It lacked the rough, scarey edge toothy sharpness that the 154cm's have, and that most spyderco's I've looked at have.

No idea about edge holding, I only cut things when I need to. And unfortunately being in software development, I can't cut things I work on.

Hope this helps,

-Freq
 
Thanks for all the responses everyone. Good stuff. Hopefully I'll have my new klnife tomorrow afternoon and Ill know for sure.

;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top