M2 TRYOUT!

[tinfoil hat timmy]

Just received this and boy is this thin stock, garbage day was today so am going to wait on that test. I’m really starting to appreciate a smaller fixed blade lately.

that was my first thought also. I couldnt bend it with my bare hands so in my eyes it was good to go.

that tip is super sharp!

 

[woodysone]

Boy this thin M2 is fun stuff especially when David uses his magic touch to get the edge geometry right. It zipped through card board like it wasn't even there and being this thin i didn't feel any flex to the blade. I for one would love something like this in a paring knife. David I don't know if you can get any more of this but if you can I have a drawing of what I'd like in a paring blade.

Who gets this next?

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Boy this thin M2 is fun stuff especially when David uses his magic touch to get the edge geometry right. It zipped through card board like it wasn't even there and being this thin i didn't feel any flex to the blade. I for one would love something like this in a paring knife. David I don't know if you can get any more of this but if you can I have a drawing of what I'd like in a paring blade.

Who gets this next?

You are kinda killing me with your (obviously deserved love) haha.

My sister was hosting Thanksgiving this year. They are foodies. Making, and cooking all sorts of crazy stuff.
I figured she would like a knife from me.... so I made her a kitchen utility knife. Think of it as an angry paring knife. Made out of This steel.
It had nicely sculpted handles carved out of a pretty grained maple. Matching their beautiful custom maple countertops.
It turned out really nice, and Sharp.

I handed it to her. She unwrapped the package.
"Oh...... it's a knife"...... and Just puts it into their knife block.
I talked to her about it more, obviously showing My excitement, and she says she will use it later to cut some apples.
She didn't. Used some store bought one instead.
It's like she stabbed me in the heart. haha :/

David somewhat scolded me for giving away knives. And now, I think I indirectly understand why?
It's because most people aren't like US.
And they don't Want them like we do..... and it kinda hurts us when they don't show the same level as appreciation, we think they "should"
I think I get it now.

 

[woodysone]

You are kinda killing me with your (obviously deserved love) haha.

My sister was hosting Thanksgiving this year. They are foodies. Making, and cooking all sorts of crazy stuff.
I figured she would like a knife from me.... so I made her a kitchen utility knife. Think of it as an angry paring knife. Made out of This steel.
It had nicely sculpted handles carved out of a pretty grained maple. Matching their beautiful custom maple countertops.
It turned out really nice, and Sharp.

I handed it to her. She unwrapped the package.
"Oh...... it's a knife"...... and Just puts it into their knife block.
I talked to her about it more, obviously showing My excitement, and she says she will use it later to cut some apples.
She didn't. Used some store bought one instead.
It's like she stabbed me in the heart. haha :/

David somewhat scolded me for giving away knives. And now, I think I indirectly understand why?
It's because most people aren't like US.
And they don't Want them like we do..... and it kinda hurts us when they don't show the same level as appreciation, we think they "should"
I think I get it now.

Well I don’t get it, with the thinness there’s no resistance maybe that’s why she had a hard time with it, unable to control cuts. To used to a blade that has some pushback but with the edge retention this is what my wife likes and happy wife leads to easy life.

 

[tinfoil hat timmy]

You are kinda killing me with your (obviously deserved love) haha.

My sister was hosting Thanksgiving this year. They are foodies. Making, and cooking all sorts of crazy stuff.
I figured she would like a knife from me.... so I made her a kitchen utility knife. Think of it as an angry paring knife. Made out of This steel.
It had nicely sculpted handles carved out of a pretty grained maple. Matching their beautiful custom maple countertops.
It turned out really nice, and Sharp.

I handed it to her. She unwrapped the package.
"Oh...... it's a knife"...... and Just puts it into their knife block.
I talked to her about it more, obviously showing My excitement, and she says she will use it later to cut some apples.
She didn't. Used some store bought one instead.
It's like she stabbed me in the heart. haha :/

David somewhat scolded me for giving away knives. And now, I think I indirectly understand why?
It's because most people aren't like US.
And they don't Want them like we do..... and it kinda hurts us when they don't show the same level as appreciation, we think they "should"
I think I get it now.

I'm sorry for your loss.

It seems like we are more and more on islands eh? No matter how hard I try, I cant get ''not at the moment knife people'' in my family to be ''knife people''.

my mom insists that her husbands pull through knife sharpener is just fine and my services arent necessary.



tthays why apples cut with her knives look like they've been sliced with a wrench.

 

[oldmanwilly]

So, I've been reminded that I am next in line for the tryout. I'm a little concerned because my daughter and I are currently covid positive and will be quarantined at home for at least the next 7 days (longer of my wife catches it). The chances may be remote, but I'd hate to inadvertently transmit something to the next member at the end of my turn in ~10 days. I think it would be better for me to skip my turn and add my name back at the end of the list.

Can whomever is next in line after me reach out to Woodysone to take my spot?

 

[David Mary]

There is nobody else. It is coming back to me after you. You are not going to spread a respiratory illness to me by mailing me a knife.

 

[oldmanwilly]

There is nobody else. It is coming back to me after you. You are not going to spread a respiratory illness to me by mailing me a knife.

Well, if you insist... I'll send my info to Woody and give it a thorough cleaning before I'm done with it.

 

[David Mary]

Just don't blow up a balloon to mail me with it and we're good.

 

[oldmanwilly]

Ok, I'll just be sure to lick the stamp. And the envelope.

 

[David Mary]

David I don't know if you can get any more of this but if you can I have a drawing of what I'd like in a paring blade.

Martin, I'd be happy to take that on for you.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

So, I've been reminded that I am next in line for the tryout. I'm a little concerned because my daughter and I are currently covid positive and will be quarantined at home for at least the next 7 days (longer of my wife catches it). The chances may be remote, but I'd hate to inadvertently transmit something to the next member at the end of my turn in ~10 days. I think it would be better for me to skip my turn and add my name back at the end of the list.

Can whomever is next in line after me reach out to Woodysone to take my spot?

All I heard was......... You have A lot of knife testing time ahead of you.......



*hope you and your family get well soon, obviously.

 

[oldmanwilly]

Yep, it cuts.



I got it yesterday evening and cut a few habaneros with it first. I'm going to use it as is until I feel the edge isn't biting well enough, then I'll touch it up and do it again. So far I'm surprised how rigid the steel is despite being from such thin stock. This is going to be a fun week.

 

[tinfoil hat timmy]

Yep, it cuts.

View attachment 2006049

I got it yesterday evening and cut a few habaneros with it first. I'm going to use it as is until I feel the edge isn't biting well enough, then I'll touch it up and do it again. So far I'm surprised how rigid the steel is despite being from such thin stock. This is going to be a fun week.

that was my impression. I was surprised with the rigidity. that tip will go all day

 

[oldmanwilly]

Here's what I did while making supper:



Here's what it felt like:

https://imgur.com/NKAAYHd

It cuts very well but it feels like it's losing its toothiness already. Earlier today it whizzed right through ripe tomatoes, but now it needs a couple of swipes before it breaks the skin. I'll touch it up on a fine diamond plate and some ceramics before I continue.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Here's what I did while making supper:

View attachment 2006610

Here's what it felt like:

https://imgur.com/NKAAYHd

It cuts very well but it feels like it's losing its toothiness already. Earlier today it whizzed right through ripe tomatoes, but now it needs a couple of swipes before it breaks the skin. I'll touch it up on a fine diamond plate and some ceramics before I continue.

Haha.....I love me some Garlic.
Especially with cold season approaching!

I chiseled through 3-4" of ice at my in-laws last weekend.
I needed to get out of the house, and the drama.

My tip blazed through it. I probably shouldn't of done that?
I felt like I was blade testing on the FIF show

 

[000Robert]

I love garlic also. It was fun testing out the M2 Tryout knife.

 

[oldmanwilly]

So, I've had the pleasure of playing with the M2 mule for well over 10 days and it is now time to send it to its maker. I'll try to summarize my thoughts.

TL;DR: It's a decent steel. It is surprisingly rigid and tough for such thin stock, but it is not some hidden gem of edge retention.

As we all know by now, when touting a toothy edge it slices very well. I used the mule in the kitchen for 90% of tasks, primarily as a paring knife.



I noticed straight away that the edge lost its crispness after each use (meaning after preparation of a meal). My primary barometer is the ease of slicing a ripe tomato; it would breeze through a tomato with a fresh edge while making dinner but would take 3-5 swipes to cut through the skin of another tomato when making supper. That's fine, as it still had a good working ede for other cutting. Just not so crispy anymore after one meal prep. Note that I use soft-ish plastic and maple cutting boards.

As for stain resistance: I washed it each night and left it to dry in a rack and it developed some surface rust. I also cut up loads of acidic foods: strawberries, chiles, apples, limes, tomatoes, onions, ad infinitum. A decent patina formed after a few days but honestly, it did not stain or rust as readily as, say, C75, 1075 or 1095.

Fortunately the M2 is easy to touch up. The first time I sharpened it took 10 passes on a medium diamond plate, brown and white ceramic plates, then stropped with green paste on leather. Five minutes of work resulted in a hair popping edge. Subsequent touch ups were done using these:


Next, I cut up a sizable pile of cardboard boxes over the course of two days, cutting up roughly a dozen boxes on each occasion. In case you've forgotten, here's what cardboard looks like when it's cut up (warning: graphic content):



The mule cut through the cardboard very well. As I suspected, the screaming sharp edge vanished quickly. However a decent working edge combined with the thin geometry helped out. After the first few boxes, the cardboard started to bunch up pretty frequently during cuts (see below), but it generally kept cutting well. It did however feel considerably dull after I finished cutting.



I tried to strop the edge back to life after each cardboard session but that really didn't help. I had to resort to my diamond hone and butcher's steel. The good thing about this M2 stuff is that it really takes minimal effort to bring the edge back.

Next, I thought it would be fun to scrape the new, fresh edge against some mild steel to check the toughness. The M2 pulled some decent shavings and, other than being a little duller, the edge held up great and could still cut cardboard. Below: pic #1 shows mild steel shavings stuck to the edge; pic #2 shows the edge after being wiped clean.



It may look like the edge has a bunch of flat spots in pic #2, but that's just my old phone. It really didn't have any dull spots or chips that I could see.

I also tried to dig and pry with the tip. I'm surprised by how little the blade flexed when i tried to pry while refusing to snap, chip, or warp. This thin M2 is remarkably rigid and I'm rather impressed with its stubbornness in surviving the abuse I inflicted.

Now it's got a shaving edge again and is boxed up, waiting on USPS to open up on Monday.

In all, I think it's a good steel on par with any decent carbon steel. I have had better edge retention with 52100, 15N20, and even 1095. I don't think I would ever seek this steel out for any application where I desire edge retention, but I think it would do well in some sort of utilitarian roll where the edge is likely to be frequently scraped against hard materials (like a putty knife or some such). It makes for a decent knife that will work well for general use, but I don't think it's some hidden gem. I would much rather have AEB-L.

Thank you David Mary for letting me try out this knife. It was a fun exercise and I appreciate the opportunity.

*also, thank you to anyone who read this entire post. Give yourself a high five, you've earned it.

 

[David Mary]

I just high fived myself. Okay well I clapped once at a medium height.

Thank you oldmanwilly for a thorough and candid assessment, and for resharpening the edge for me. In my own daily use of my oak handled M2 R&D neck knife, I too have come to about the same conclusions, pretty much in lock step with everything you have said. My knife gets used primarily on cardboard when making boxes to ship my knives in, and for cutting away the cured Gorilla Glue white squeeze-out from the ricassos of my knives. I gave up on stropping stones, or ceramics to bring the bitey edge back, and resort immediately to the fine side on my Worksharp guided field sharpener. Once I get caught up on orders, I will be replacing my M@ neck knife with something in MagnaCut or AEB-L. M2 is a nice steel, and I can see it being a boon for creating solid working knives quickly without the need to heat treat (ie when purchasing M2 saw blades already heat treated), but it's not one I would ever go to when I have access to heat treatment services for steels like 8670, 15N20, AEB-L, or MagnaCut.

 

[oldmanwilly]

David makes a good point. I do not dislike M2. I think it's perfectly fine and, since it's readily accessible and does not require additional heat treatment, I think it makes for great stock to make a tough slicer. It's nothing I would seek out, but I would not hesitate to use the tar out it.