Maxamet long term edge retention testing.

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AwayFromMySpydieHole

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Jan 30, 2017
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Hey guys, been doing some testing over the past few months on maxamet and I figured instead of dropping little tidbits in various threads, I'd compile what I have so far and add more results from today. Below, you will see pertinent posts from other threads which I've added to this thread.

The last quoted post in this original post will get you up to being current with this OP. The next post in this thread will outline the testing I did today.

Needless to say, maxamet is absolutely blowing my mind in regards to edge retention. It just keeps cutting, and cutting, and cutting and after a certain point it just doesn't seem to dull any further. I have done almost 4000 inches of cardboard and it still slices phone book paper.

To put it in perspective, steels like M4 last about 1000 inches and no longer slice phone book paper. S110v goes about 1300.... Maxamet has gone 3,808 inches and still slices PB paper. It's insane.




AwayFromMySpydieHole said:
I have finally "dulled" my maxamet manix a bit. Just a bit. I went out sunday morning and cut up all the cardboard I had, which was a LOT thanks to a newborn. We've been getting so many packages, and they all seem to be in very thick and sturdy cardboard.

Anyway, I spent about 30 minutes cutting. I was literally tired by the end of it. Keep in mind, this is in addition to other long cutting sessions and about 2 months of general use. No sharpening, just stropping on .5 micron diamond.

The knife no longer shaves arm hair. That part of the edge is gone. However, there is absolutely zero edge blunting and I can't see any shiny spots on the edge (from micro blunting, denting, etc). It no longer shaves, but it will absolutely still zip through printer paper with ease. And I mean with ease, every cut. It still slices amazingly well and has TONS of aggression left.

So, all in all this is the longest edge holding steel I've ever used, by far. It still isn't dull, I think it's just now settling into a working edge. I really have no clue how long it would take to get it completely dull, as in blunt with the edge reflecting light. Months. Maybe 6? Who knows. I intend to sharpen it this weekend and start fresh, with zero edge maintenance - just plenty of use. I want to see how far it will go with no maintenance, not even stropping. I'll chime in again whenever it reaches a dulling benchmark.
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AwayFromMySpydieHole said:
Well, sharpened it just now. Used the wicked edge because I wanted to true up the bevels a little. They weren't bad, but they came from the factory a bit off. I could have free handed it, but for the first sharpening I wanted to make sure the bevel was set perfectly straight and true.

This stuff is just strange. Judging by how long it holds an edge you'd think it would be difficult to sharpen, but it isn't. You can tell it's hard when it hits the stones, but as far as removing material it's really not bad at all. I had no issues with chipping at all. The edge is just as clean as any other steel would be.

Also, oddly it takes a polish extremely well. I even skipped the high grit ceramics on the wicked edge and went straight to strops. It polished up very, very well. I actually wasn't even going for a polish. I wanted to keep it a little more aggressive......

Which leads me to the next point. Even when stropped down to .5 micron diamond paste the edge is VERY aggressive. It bites into your skin like crazy but is still very refined. I was able to whittle up the length of a hair 5 times before it got too thin to whittle. That's just as fine of an edge as I get on M4.



So, now the real testing starts. After that last bit of stropping I did nothing else is touching this edge. I'm just going to cut without touching it up to see how long it lasts. I'll report back ever so often.


ETA: forgot to add, I sharpened at exactly 16dps. Was hoping that it would be a good compromise between slicing ability and edge cross section. Wanted to avoid thinning out the apex so much that it would no longer support the carbides.


Here's a pic of the edge. On my phone so can't embed yet, sorry.

https://imgur.com/a/dIG5d


dIG5d
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AwayFromMySpydieHole said:
Cutting so far:

-Broke down small USPS box after a package came in.
- Shredded" a stack of printer paper 4 sheets deep. About 20 cuts into that stack. Didn't need to be shredded, just a habit.
-Cut off excess to a "sit means sit" electric dog collar. The collar material was VERY tough. Some sort of fiber loaded rubber.


After all this, it no longer whittles hair, but that's to be expected. Other than that change, I can't tell a difference. Still extremely aggressive and still slicing phone book paper like it's not even there.

Will report back in a week or so with the rest of the cutting I've done and the edge condition. There will be no touch ups at all.
Click to expand...
 
^^^^^^^^^^^ The cutting outlined in that last post above was pretty current with edge condition up to the point that I did this test today. I think I broke down one more box before doing this test, but for all intents and purposes the edge was in the same condition that it was when that post was made. Still no touch ups, no stropping, nothing.


Today, as in about 20 minutes ago, I finished my next test. I intended to cut as much carboard as I could until the edge dulled. I stopped after about 35 minutes. All the cardboard was the thick stuff that amazon packages ship in. Nice, tough boxes. I cut freely, on all biases and in irregular patterns to make it as real world as it could be. I made a total of 272 cuts, I then measured the longest piece and the shortest piece, and averaged them together. That leaves me with 3,808 inches of cardboard cut.

In reality, it is probably more than that. I made way, way many more long cuts than short little cuts. Let's just call it 3,800 inches to be conservative though. That is way, way, way beyond anything else I've tested. Most 'super" steels fall off (as in feel dull to the touch, won't slice PB paper and barely slices printer paper) around 1000-1500 inches.

Maxamet went 3,800 inches and still slices PB paper, still feels aggressive to the touch, and blazes through printer paper. Keep in mind, this edge wasn't fresh off the stones when I started this test.

Below are some pics of the pile. The pic doesn't do it justice, it's piled about 2 feet high and is a good 3 feet across. It's a LOT of cardboard. I also added a quick video showing the edge sharpness after this test.

I'm not going to touch the edge until it's dull, however long that takes. I'll keep using, and keep testing this knife without any maintenance at all. I will report back in this thread as it progresses. Any questions, feel free to ask.



oxUPpSS.jpg




hARpzxl.jpg



 
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Im really trying to decide if I want to give Maxamet a go with the up and coming PM2 or get the Manix 2 and swap out the blade with a G10 handle. Either way Im looking forward to trying the stuff.
 
That's interesting, thank you.
I've become very keen on trying Maxamet, and you've just raised that another notch for me with your post.
The LW Manix isn't for me but the Para2 sure will be.
I can only hope there will be a Maxamet Manix XL in time.
 
I am getting the same results with my Maxamet use as well. It keeps cutting and cutting and doesn't seem to dull. I did just sharpen mine with the 600 grit DMT and finished off with the green 1200 grit. A few minutes on the strop and this little booger is back to scary sharp again! I've been using mine regularly for about 6 months now and this is the first stone sharpening session it's gone through.
 
AwayFromMySpydieHole - are you liking Maxamet more than the S90V steel you used to grind?
 
I'm a proud Blurple supporter, but if possible do you think Maxemet is easier to sharpen than s110v? I try not to let my knives get dull, but one time I did...it took quite a bit to get it back
Thanks!
 
MattinLA said:
I'm a proud Blurple supporter, but if possible do you think Maxemet is easier to sharpen than s110v? I try not to let my knives get dull, but one time I did...it took quite a bit to get it back
Thanks!
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This is my question as well.
 
I'd say that Maxamet is much easier to sharpen than s110v. Not that s110v is difficult to begin with, it just takes a little longer to get there. Maxamet strops up really well to bring out that last bit sharpness in your edge. It's truly an amazing steel in my experience....
 
91bravo said:
I'd say that Maxamet is much easier to sharpen than s110v. Not that s110v is difficult to begin with, it just takes a little longer to get there. Maxamet strops up really well to bring out that last bit sharpness in your edge. It's truly an amazing steel in my experience....
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Thanks! I'll be putting the new PM2 on my list like most other people...
 
Sold a knife, and a bag, to get a Manix 2 after seeing that pic ^^^ I may blade swap it out for G10, we'll see.
 
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91bravo said:
Nice! I thought about doing this myself, but I can't bring myself to butcher up a perfectly good knife! How was it taking the maxamet manix apart? Did you drill the rivets out?
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No drilling needed

It was surprisingly easy for my first attempt with the LW.

All I did was remove the pivot screw and apply a tiny bit of pressure to pop the blade on each side. It slid right out.

I actually think I could get the other blade into the FRN but haven't tried.

The internals had to be swapped as well as the screws are different sizes.
 
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