I love Elmax Steel - it's my personal favorite. Why is this steel not used more?

Skar said:
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Elmax is good for me !
Also enjoy hap 40 and m4.
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I have a jungle green version of that knife in M4. Holds an edge like there is no tomorrow.
 
Starmarion said:
I've always been an Elmax Steel fan, ever since the old Zero Tolerance days. Magnacut appears to be the new steel everyone is raving about, and rightfully so, but my personal favorite is Elmax steel. As far as production knives go, there really aren't many folding knives in production that uses Elmax steel except for companies like Kizer and Vosteed. I wonder why that is? I mean, I know it's not cheap, but neither is Magnacut, M390, S45VN, etc. Perhaps I'm missing some that are out there, and if I am, I would love to hear about it, because I'm always looking to add to my Elmax steel collection (Folders and Fixed blades too).
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I have a Kershaw Blur in Elmax. I’d like to see it used more often as well.
 
Danke42 said:
OP asked what happened. I answered.

I love the Angus burger at McDonalds. It is objectively the best fast food burger but it's gone. Why? I love the Whistle Dog from A&W. It's the best and only fast food hot dog but it's not a regular menu item. Why?

Nothing sadder than a Super Steel that's moved onto being cold product but is still trying to hang on.

A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Cutting Edge. Always be cutting edge, always be cutting edge.
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Ah yes, so your post was related to why companies don’t use Elmax as much anymore. Gotcha. 👍🏼
 
The names 'ELMAX' and 'MAGNACUT'...even 'S30V,' might should tell us something. To some degree, always, marketing and 'flavor of the month'...progress third, IMO.

Back to better respilon
 
Elmax is a great steel. I think it’s overshadowed by CPM-S45VN. Per Larrin’s testing they score the same in edge retention and toughness. corrosion is about the same too. It seems the CPM steels are always a little more popular than the Bohler counterparts 🤷‍♂️
Plus it’s newer.
 
I have a Bark River fixed in Elmax. Zero staining even when left bloody for days.

I screwed up and ordered it with a funky plastic handle.
 
I had multiple knives in elmax when it was all the rage, I think heat treat was all over the place, I was underwhelmed. I don't doubt it's capability when done right as many guys I trust have had good experiences.

There's other stainless I'd choose first nowadays.
 
Elmax is a great steel. Like shinyedges shinyedges says, heat treatment matters a lot but that's true for any steel. M390 has been all over the place in that respect but people still seem to love it.

I still haven't tried S45VN but according to Larrin's ratings, it has the same score on properties as Elmax.
 
It's a good steel, but not great. There are others that are very similar so it's kind of a crowded market. It just doesn't really stand out. And S45VN is newer so people flock to it even if it's not any better than what's already there. It's not much better and worse (at the same time, just in different areas) than CPM-154, or even 154CM as it's just not quite as tough. Vanax is also a comparable steel.

It's only ever been a good steel to me. I prefer Magnacut for better toughness and similar edge retention with much more corrosion resistance. Or if rust isn't an issue, Cru-wear for the improved toughness and similar edge holding. It's become a good middle of the road steel that will depend on cost. If someone has a choice of two very similar steels but one is cheaper, most will go for the cheaper option.
 
I've got a Guardian Tactical in Elmax and I love it. I wish I had grabbed more knives when that was the flavor of the month. Sharpens well, cuts wonderfully.

I like Magnacut, but between Elmax and Cruwear, I'm pretty set.
 
scorpnsnake said:
A really well done example of any worthwhile steel can punch out of its weight class. Composition is important but just a piece in the puzzle in my experience anyway. YMMV.

A highly respected maker here told me that makers know D2 done right will cut and cut and cut. Not verbatim but that was the sentiment.
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Yes D2 is definitely a fierce cutter but edge stability lacks for some tasks.

Elmax is the similar, yes a great steel, but there has been improvements and new paradigms.
 
Unicorn161 said:
It's a good steel, but not great. There are others that are very similar so it's kind of a crowded market. It just doesn't really stand out. And S45VN is newer so people flock to it even if it's not any better than what's already there. It's not much better and worse (at the same time, just in different areas) than CPM-154, or even 154CM as it's just not quite as tough. Vanax is also a comparable steel.

It's only ever been a good steel to me. I prefer Magnacut for better toughness and similar edge retention with much more corrosion resistance. Or if rust isn't an issue, Cru-wear for the improved toughness and similar edge holding. It's become a good middle of the road steel that will depend on cost. If someone has a choice of two very similar steels but one is cheaper, most will go for the cheaper option.
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Elmax is generally better than 154CM or CPM-154 on edge retention. Larrin puts it half a point better than MagnaCut there too. Again though, the heat treatment really matters. A production knife at 58 HRC in any of those steels can be disappointing.

While CPM-154, MagnaCut, and Vanax are tougher; Elmax is at least a little tougher than 154CM or some other popular steels like N690 or M390. MagnaCut and Vanax (obviously) are better on corrosion resistance but Elmax is definitely more stainless than 154CM or CPM-154.

Would I generally prefer MagnaCut? Sure. If MagnaCut isn't an option though, I'll happily take Elmax over lots of other choices.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
I've got a Guardian Tactical in Elmax and I love it. I wish I had grabbed more knives when that was the flavor of the month. Sharpens well, cuts wonderfully.

I like Magnacut, but between Elmax and Cruwear, I'm pretty set.
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Three of my favorite steels Elmax, Cruwear and Vanax. All have different purposes.

(Nathan’s D3V is also something quite special)
 
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