Having a custom made & need advice on the steel

R

RWT

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Mar 15, 2011
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I am finally going to have a custom made by the end of this year. I have determined what style I want, like and will use it for, but I could use some advice on what steel will best fit my needs. I hunt alot and primarity do ranch work with a blade, lots of cleaning animals, hogs are the worst, cutting feed sacks, using the back of the blade as a screwdriver, cutting bail twine, stripping electrical wire and food prep. My main use is cleaning animals. I am also seriously sharpening challenged, therefore, I need idiot proof with getting an edge back on a blade quickly. I resorted to a worksharp mini beltsander and it has helped me achieve an edge an just finally today after 30+ years of trying I managed to not totally screw up an edge as it was sharper than when I started freehanding on a stone. Regardless, of my mini triumph I still rate ease of sharpening #1. I have chosen for various reasons the 4 steels I would consider having a custom made from. The steel choice is primarily on what I have read here or have limited experience with. I would appreciate any input on the steels based on my criteria below.

In order of importance to me:

1. Ease of sharpening - getting a working edge quickly with minimal effort and tools involved. Stropping would be ideal after 2 animals. Also know I will use the cheap pull through sharpener if I am out in the field.
2. Edge retention- I would like an edge to make it through at least 2 hogs before needing to be touched up. I hit bone all the time so I know I am tough on an edge.
3. Lateral strength - I do use the back of the blade as a screwdriver at times, and will pry apart hip joints etc.

I am looking for 5/32 on a 9.5" knife with 5" of handle and 4.5" blade, a slight drop point recurve style. Roughly a 20 degree per side as per the guides of the sharpmaker, convexed to the best of my ability. ROM $200 for the build.

I am considering:
CPMS35VN - I have a factory S30V blade as the closest comparision and it takes a great edge, but I am unsure if it is easy to sharpen as I have not pushed mine to dull yet. I keep reading it gets sharp and loses the sharp edge quickly, but keeps a decent edge for continued use.
52100- I love SR101 from Scrapyard and believe a few makers here can replicate their heat treatment. I have found it to get very sharp, not as much as the S30V and it dulled quickly
CRU V- heard it was 52100 on roids- I know nothing else about it
CPM3V- read it may be the right steel, but is very difficult to sharpen and is tricky if the RC is incorrect. To high and I read it will chip. If it is a pain to shapen, as in similar to D2 - I don't want it.

I understand grind, edge angle and HT will play a huge role in how the blade performs. As I know nothing of proper HT, enlighted me on each steel as to your opinion on the best RC. I am looking for input from the people who do this for a living on their opinion of what is the best steel based on my cirteria for my intended use.


MODS- If this needs to be moved to General Discussion, that is fine.
 
I would suggest 52100 and if you want stainless I would go with AEB-L or 13C26. The last two are basically the same, just made by different companies. They were formulated for razor blades. They hold a good edge and are easy to resharpen especially if you touch them up after each use.
 
The better the edge retention, the more difficult sharpening will be- at least in the sense that you'll be getting less removal of material per stroke with whatever technique you're using, requiring greater consistency. I would definitely recommend going with a low-alloy carbon steel, 1084 or 1095 (by all reports, there's no noticeable difference in performance between the two). 5160 would serve you well also. You might want to request that the maker add a small protrusion of steel on the butt of the knife, to forgo any chance of damaging the blade when screws need to be driven, etc.
 
Whatever you go with, I would not use the pull through sharpener (the ones with the two rods in a "v" shape), it can ruin an edge real fast.
 
m390, excellent edge and corrosion resistance sharpens super easy, my favorite steel so far.
 
Out of the ones listed, my choice would be 52100. With a good heat treat it is very tough, holds an excellent edge and is very easy to sharpen. A plus of it over any stainless I've used is that when it's dull it'll still cut, where as most stainless I've used just about stops altogether. The downside is it takes a bit more care than a stainless blade, and if not cared for minor rusting can dull it faster than using it. It's not hard to care for, but some people won't even wipe it down.

For stainless, my preference is CPM 154, good edge holding, though not quite where 52100 or CPM S30V is, tough, and for a stainless very easy to sharpen.

S30V will hold an edge for a long, long time, but my experience with it is it's a pain to sharpen in the field.
 
Carpenter XHP would be another good choice for a stainless steel. I find that M4/S690 is pretty easy to sharpen considering the cutting performance and edge holding...which are both excellent.
 
nccole said:
Whatever you go with, I would not use the pull through sharpener (the ones with the two rods in a "v" shape), it can ruin an edge real fast.
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agreed.
These 'tools' tend to enlarge chips in an edge by gouging them out more deeply.
Throw them away and take something else in the field with you so you will be forced to use something better.

Ease of sharpening is the opposite of edge retention. TANSTAAFL.
If you hit bone a lot you may want a convex edge, which suggests stropping as a sharpening technique. a pull-through sharpener will work very poorly if at all (in addition to the above chipping problem) on a convex edge.

-Daizee
 
This a fun thread and a great set of parameters to consider and discuss! Hard-working knives in the size/shape you describe, that will actually be used often, are my main area of interest.
Personally, I like 3V for my EDC's/working blades for excellent durability, but they are somewhat difficult to sharpen.

At first glance, "easy to sharpen" and "good edge-holding" may seem to be contradictory... but not really, if you're willing to compromise a little bit on each extreme. On a scale of 1-10, you can't have both factors in the "10" category, as far as I know... but you can have both factors in the "7-8" range, and that's pretty darn good. Edge geometry will be a big factor; a tough but wear-resistant steel with a fairly thin edge will cut very well, and be easier to sharpen than a thick edge. It kind of balances out.

All in all, my vote is for CPM-154 at 58Rc, based on your needs, including budget. CPM-154 is tougher than it usually gets credit for, holds an edge really well, and is not much more difficult to touch-up than simpler alloys. I've cut/chopped/whittled through a 2x4 twice with a thin-edged, 1/8" thick, 4" long FFG CPM-154 blade of my own and it would still shave arm/leg hair and make thin curliques out of typing paper - no chips in it. I also dug a hole through the same chunk of 2x4 with only the tip of the same knife... no problem. To me, that's a pretty good test of a working blade.

154 at that hardness will not survive being thrown hard onto a concrete floor or being locked in a vise and pulled/twisted on - it will break. I miss that blade, but it was worth it - I know exactly what that steel, with that geometry and that HT can or can't withstand. Don't put your knives in a vice or throw them onto hard surfaces... I do it so you don't have to :)


CTS-XHP and ElMax are both even better steels in my experience, but they're expensive and hard to find at any price. The other respondents' suggestions are definitely worth looking into, as well. There's a lot of ways to skin this cat! :D
 
The ELMAX has me interested. I just picked up a Scrapyard slicer in that steel and it looks promising. I have a Benchmade Nivarus a SOF buddy of mine gave me that is 154CM. I assume the same as CPM 154? I will try it out on a few hogs next chance I have.

Next test will be to put the Elmax slicer up against the Rodent Solution as it looks like 52100 is winning. I'll work both knives to dull if possible and then see how easy they are to sharpen to shaving again. Hopefully I can kill a hog Weds evening.
 
RWT said:
The ELMAX has me interested. I just picked up a Scrapyard slicer in that steel and it looks promising. I have a Benchmade Nivarus a SOF buddy of mine gave me that is 154CM. I assume the same as CPM 154? I will try it out on a few hogs next chance I have.

Next test will be to put the Elmax slicer up against the Rodent Solution as it looks like 52100 is winning. I'll work both knives to dull if possible and then see how easy they are to sharpen to shaving again. Hopefully I can kill a hog Weds evening.
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CPM 154 and 154CM are not the same. Not an expert but I asked the same question and got this from Jim on here, Quote Originally Posted by Ankerson View Post
CPM 154 and 154CM are two different steels, CPM 154 is the powered vers while 154CM is the standard vers.
 
I would highly recommend elmax, it's extremely stainless, very tough, and has decent edge retention. I also find it easy to sharpen.
 
154CM and CPM154 have the same composition but the CPM is the powdered form so performance is better.
 
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