least chippy super steel

I am an old knife user and I don't think I have ever had a knife blade chip (excluding infinitesimally small micro chips) while camping or hunting in the woods. Of course I use a bow saw, hatchet, axe, etc. if I am going to work on wood around the camp. It is easier and faster than wailing away with a folder or fixed blade. I have been toting a Gayle Bradley ver 1 since it first came out with no complaints.
 
Awesome, thanks guys, I'm going with the M4, as suggested, and I think the Gayle Bradley. Benchmade would have been a great choice for it too, no doubt, but I already have a lot more Benchmade than Spyderco, and it looks like this knife is really kind of geared/targeted towards my intended desires/purposes. Thank you all!!!
 
Wowbagger said:
You mean like yeh ?

[video=youtube;1w1_WX_fNN8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w1_WX_fNN8[/video]

Personally I have been getting along famously with my S30V Para 2 ; no chips but that's just me. Stays sharp to.
(cough, cough Manix S110V, cough, cough got dull again today after sharpening to hair whittling yet again . . . dull in one day . . . crap).
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Did you (cough, cough, cough) call Spyderco yesterday and inquire about your issue as you indicated you were going to do?

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...uestion-of-Ankerson?highlight=Wowbagger+s110v
 
Most of my outdoor blades are CPM 3V. It is a no-brainer for toughness, better than average edge retention, and available from a variety of makers. If you want to step up from 3V in edge retention, try M4 which is a nice compromise between toughness & retention.

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MAD777 said:
Most of my outdoor blades are CPM 3V. It is a no-brainer for toughness, better than average edge retention, and available from a variety of makers. If you want to step up from 3V in edge retention, try M4 which is a nice compromise between toughness & retention.

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Tell me more about this CPM 3V... What's your favorite folder that utilizes this steel?

There are plenty using M4.
 
My 3V folder...
9cf71e334c09dc5ae0533ab5c6e613a0.jpg


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teudy said:
My 3V folder...
9cf71e334c09dc5ae0533ab5c6e613a0.jpg


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Nice. How much was it? Does it fit within OP's price parameters? I'm thinking no, but I'm hoping yes, because if it does, I'm gonna buy one...
 
I would not approach this question using the word super steel. Sometimes is fogs things up when looking for an answer to wanting a tough steel. Next, you need to start to narrow down certain steels from certain companies. Emerson 154cm is done really well. It will hold an edge and not chip. Same goes for Spyderco vg 10. But those steels from other comapnies might not be the same. Heat treat and blade grind are big factors. 3v is well none for its extreme toughness but i dont see many folding knives made with it.
 
In my mind the super toughness of 3V goes with a robust fixed blade. I don't associate folders with the toughest work. In a folder, I will be looking more for its edge retention. This is probably why we don't see many folders done in 3V.

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AntDog said:
Nice. How much was it? Does it fit within OP's price parameters? I'm thinking no, but I'm hoping yes, because if it does, I'm gonna buy one...
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I think they're ~160 new. Picked mine up used for 100 and had Josh at RE regrind and shoot the scales.

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AntDog said:
Nice. How much was it? Does it fit within OP's price parameters? I'm thinking no, but I'm hoping yes, because if it does, I'm gonna buy one...
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I think that is the Boker Solo by Jens Anso. It does fall within his price range.
Specifications
Blade Length: 3-3/4"
Overall Length: 8-5/8"
Blade Steel: CPM-3V Carbon Steel
Blade Hardness: 62-63 HRC
Handle Material: Aluminum
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That being said, I would go for a Cruwear manix 2 over that Boker. Better edge retention, (afaiac) stronger lock that is less likely to develop vertical play, g10 slabs, Great ergos.
Cruwear is right in the mix with 3V and PD-1 for a nice balance of toughness and wear resistance. PD-1 will hold an edge longer while 3v is a bit tougher.

You drop a knife with Aluminum scales onto a rock or concrete and you will have a sharp burr that you have to sand down, the will be cold in the winter, hot in the summer (if you set the knife down in the sun)...
 
MAD777 said:
In my mind the super toughness of 3V goes with a robust fixed blade. I don't associate folders with the toughest work. In a folder, I will be looking more for its edge retention. This is probably why we don't see many folders done in 3V.
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What you get with 3V in smaller blades, including folders, is the ability to use thinner stock and edges. That is how Nathan Carothers makes his EDC and field knife, and even the light chopper, such excellent cutters without giving up blade toughness / edge durability. It is also why the Cruwear Spydercos are my favorite folders :)
 
summerofgeorge1 said:
Hi, sorry if his has been covered, and it probably has to some extent. I've tried a google search and a search within this forum, and can't find something that will directly answer my question.
I'm looking for a super steel, that's also able to be taken out into the woods, and banged around, without getting chipped to hell. My first super steel ever, was the s30v, and it chipped to hell very quickly and easily.
I'm thinking between S90V, M390, M4, D2, S110, and any others you may suggest. Consider all things equal, same producer of knife/steel, same heat treatment quality, etc. Could anyone give me a ranking of the super steels, in terms of their resistance specifically to chipping/snapping the tip, etc? I don't care about difficulty to sharpen or many other considerations, JUST that the knife isn't going to chip or snap under extreme duress and use. Please any rankings or recommendations on the current leading super steels. Thank you so much!
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You're vague. Ankerson is right, you're not asking for a certain steel but a certain type of geometry. You should realize that what you're explicitly demanding and what you're implicitly demanding are a little contradictory.

The high wear resistant steels can be made relatively tough by being left thick. The cutting performance will decrease because the blade is thick. Sharpening will be a bitch because the blade is thick. But the tip won't snap and it won't chip that easily.

As you go thinner higher wear resistant steels will perform better but then you have the risk of breaking something.

Based on your explicit demands any thick knife with a thick tip with a low alloy, low hardness steel will perform to your expectations.

Or you could try a thick wear resistant steel but you're basically leaving performance behind in favor of break resistance.

Without looking that deeply you could try a ZT 0560CBCF. That's some thick S110V. You could also try to find a strider with pd1.

But really, what you're demanding would take two knives. One thick with basically any kind of steel that's heat treated right and one thin with a high wear resistance steel that's heat treated right. Consider an S110V military and a zero tolerance. Or a Spyderco tuff. There are any combination of knives you can choose from. Based on your demands you could choose a lot. It's up to you.

If I had to read between the lines and make an educated guess, though, I'd find something with maybe CPM154 with a spine thickness of at least .170" and a behind the edge thickness of at least .020" and no more than .030" having no distal taper.
 
Not super steel but very impressive as it shows the knife chopping dried hard bone and steel then clean cutting paper after. Good way to show there are no chips, rolls or severe blunting.

[video=youtube;BJn-6VSE5j8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJn-6VSE5j8[/video]
[video=youtube;fGUneO4TypU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGUneO4TypU[/video]
 
115Italian, wow, my S30V that chipped all to hell was a Buck too. I had been told the "Bos" heat treat was supposed to be excellent. Turned out it is not, just marketing hype and I got suckered. Or it is simply S30V, but many people swear by their S30V, so I dunno.

Ordered the Spyderco Gayle Bradley last night, should arrive tonight actually. I am slightly worried I should have bought the Benchmade Contego instead, but I guess I'll just see how I feel about the Gayle Bradley.
The cru-wear looks interesting, but few reviews, options, and places to find it. I may take a look at some future date.
The Boker is also interesting. I am not familiar with Boker's quality control, parts quality, and warranty however. I may have to look at that as well at a later date.

Bodog, you have some good points and considerations which I'll have to take into account, but for my next knife, as I already made my purchase for this one. Thank you

MichaelMyers, I am pretty sure I do actually see chips in the first vid, and it seems like a tiny bit of the top chipped off in the second vid. Hard to say for sure
 
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