help with cpm steels please

S

scrappy

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Jul 7, 2007
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I have a couple cpm s30 knives and for my birthday am considering a new knife. can any one tell me what has more edge retention, and rank the toughness of cmp s90, cpm s60, cpm d2, and cpm 110 compared to cpm s30?
thank you.
 
Scrappy, of the steels you mentioned, all but D2 are harder than S30V. As the numbers get bigger, the edge retention gets better, the steel gets more frangible (prone to chipping), and the blade gets harder to sharpen.

My personal opinion? I can't imagine a reason in the world why anyone would need anything harder than S30V for normal use. You may be unusually hard on your knives, or be interested in a high-end "boutique" knife that may justify going with the harder steel, though.

I have no experience with the CPM D2, but have heard nothing but raves about it since it came out.

You should also be aware that CPM is in bankruptcy, and these steels may or may not be around in the future. So if you're looking to buy more knives using CPM steels, now would probably be an excellent time to do it.
 
The best all round CPM steel for blades is CPM154.That's becoming very popular with makers and users.CPM S30V is well established and makes a very fine blade.CPM D2 hasn't been around for long so the info is limited. The others, as mentioned, are for special use.Added to that list should be CPM M4.
 
mete said:
The best all round CPM steel for blades is CPM154.That's becoming very popular with makers and users.CPM S30V is well established and makes a very fine blade.CPM D2 hasn't been around for long so the info is limited. The others, as mentioned, are for special use.Added to that list should be CPM M4.
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Great advice.

CPM154 is 154CM with the powdered process. It helps sharpen and define some of the steels better qualities (toughness, ease of sharpening, fineness of the edge).

CPMD2 is D2 without the massive carbides. Keen edges and great edge retention make this a wonderful steel. As far as I know it's only available on the Military and Paramilitary. Not much was made.

S60V is no longer being made, S30V is a great all around steel with excellent edge retention and stainless qualities.

S90V is overkill for the average person. Premium steel and top tier edge retention.
 
I have experience with CPM D2, CPM 154, and CPM 3V.

The 154 is my favorite all around. It's easy to sharpen, takes an amazing edge, and is stainless. Perfect for kitchen cutlery.

CPM D2 also takes a very keen edge. It seems to lose it's incredible edge a little faster than the 154. It does, however keep a "shaving sharp" working edge (almost) forever. Kershaw uses this steel in some of its composite blades. A good working steel.

The CPM 3V is famous for its toughness. I made a thin "chef's cleaver" from it. The thin edge can slice like a pro, but it's still tough enough for clearing brush in the backyard. It does not sharpen up as nicely as the other two mentioned steels. I don't know of any production knives with this steel (unless you count Fehrman). It's a pain to work with.
 
Silly me I forgot CPM 3V !! I just got one , check the Knife Maker's Gallery , 'Camp Knife ". Very tough but at the same time very wear resistant.Not too often you get a combination of these two properties.
 
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