How does Elmax stack up vs other high performance stainless?

[jdm61]

Yea, but the difference is supposed to be fairly significant with Elmax, to the point where some might argue that if you want to leave it "soft" you should probably be looking at another steel. The other thing about Elmax is that you have to use LN because dry ice doesn't get cold enough to work the magic.

haha isn't that the case with every steel? Microstructure , Microstructure, Mircostructure !

 

[FrozenTurtle]

Thanks

 

[Skywalker31]

Yea, but the difference is supposed to be fairly significant with Elmax, to the point where some might argue that if you want to leave it "soft" you should probably be looking at another steel. The other thing about Elmax is that you have to use LN because dry ice doesn't get cold enough to work the magic.

That's pretty interesting - I've got a Bird&Trout from Bark River in Elmax that I like the toughness on but the wear resistance doesn't seem anywhere near M390. Now I'm wondering how soft they ran it.

Never had Elmax by anyone else to compare it to.

 

[ATJ999]

With a good HT and blade geometry, Elmax is a fantastic all around small blade steel. The ones I have are big step ups from S30V/S35VN. It is more user friendly than s90v, but not close in edge retention. M390/20CV is definitely a step up in most areas except toughness. I would only want Elmax for blades 2-5 inch blade length. Anything longer I would want something like CPM 3V or PD1/Cru-Wear, or a tougher stainless steel.

 

[saaz83]

What stainless would you go with for a larger survival type knife?

 

[Alexander3169]

S13v

 

[GutWrench]

I dont have a lot of experience with Elmax. I gifted my girlfriend a Microtech UTX-85 in ELmax and its edge holding ability is fantastic. I have a BRK PSK in Elmax and it gets dull if I take it out the sheath and look at it. So I don't really know what to think.

 

[lambertiana]

I dont have a lot of experience with Elmax. I gifted my girlfriend a Microtech UTX-85 in ELmax and its edge holding ability is fantastic. I have a BRK PSK in Elmax and it gets dull if I take it out the sheath and look at it. So I don't really know what to think.

Yeah, your mistake is believing that BR got it right. It might not even be Elmax.

 

[RousingRabbles]

According to Larrins comparison chart it ranks very closely to S45VN, and according to Bladehq’s it ranks very close to M390 in edge retention and toughness, but is easier to sharpen with slightly less corrosion resistance. As others have pointed out though, heat treat is almost always going to be a more important factor than any steel name written on the blade.

Personally, elmax is becoming one of my favorite steels for folders and smaller fixed blades. It’s extremely well rounded and holds up great to moderately hard use. But honestly for most average use, you won’t be able to tell much of a difference between Elmax and the other super steels if it’s heat treated well other than in sharpening. Which Elmax tends to fair better at than some of the others.

 

[herisson]

It's a fantastic stainless steel. I have just one, a B&T. I use it as a garlic knife. Never had to sharpen it for over a year.

 

[Chronovore]

If you look at the composition of Elmax vs M390 it becomes apparent that Elmax is basically a toned down version of m390. There is an app for phones available that lets you compare and look at the composition of virtually any steel. ...

You can also compare on ZKnives. It's not an issue here but remember that some steels have their compositions given as ranges for particular elements. In those cases, Zknives will use the maximum value in the range for the graph. So always be sure to look at the numbers in the table below the graph when using this tool.

Composition Comparison Graph For The Knife Steels Bohler-Uddeholm Elmax, Bohler-Uddeholm M390 Version 4.36

Of course, composition isn't everything. Other factors like heat treatment and edge geometry always matter for edge retention. Features like the finish will also affect corrosion resistance.