Phil Wilson Custom in CPM S110V full test.

[Ankerson]

Completed the battery of tests on the Phil Wilson Custom in S110V today. Started the rope cutting last night since that takes the longest amount of time.

Specs are:

CPM S110V @ 63.5 RC
4 3/4" FFG Blade that is .131" thick with a Distal Taper and .009" above the edge.
9 1/2" OAL.
Green Micarta with a Blue Spacer.

The testing format is as follows:

Stage 1 - 5/8" Manila rope is cut making slicing cuts until 20 LBS of down force is reached checking every 20 cuts.

Stage 2 - Cut cardboard until a specified down force was reached checked on rope.

Stage 3 - Whittled wood testing the cutting ability and strength of the edge.


Rope Cutting:

Was still sharp enough to slice printer paper after the rope cutting.

Cardboard

Edge was stropped on my silicon carbide loaded strop before cutting cardboard. Would still slice printer paper after the cardboard, could have cut a lot more cardboard if I kept going.

Wood

Went straight from the cardboard to wood without touching up the edge, just cleaned the glue off the blade. Cut the wood very clean taking thick and thin slices out of wood and the edge held up very well even in hard cutting. Would still slice printer paper after.

Conclusion

The knife handled extremely well throughout the testing process as expected. CPM S110V holds and edge at 63.5 HRC much longer than most people would ever hope for. The steel and edge held up very well during the testing process with no chipping or rolling.

The knife could be used as a hunting blade, in the kitchen or even as a light duty camp knife to clean game ect. This isn't a heavy duty knife, it's optimised for cutting and slicing.

Another Excellent knife by Phil Wilson.

 

[jimnolimit]

excellent test and excellent knife :thumbup::thumbup:.

who needs a gym membership, just get one of phil's knives, 100' of rope and have at it .

 

[zrfunited]

So are we getting into Vorpal blade territory here

 

[Ankerson]

excellent test and excellent knife :thumbup::thumbup:.

who needs a gym membership, just get one of phil's knives, 100' of rope and have at it .

You would use a lot of it too. LOL

 

[clockman]

Sounds like you got another Great custom from a master knifemaker, Jim. Congrats.

 

[Ankerson]

Sounds like you got another Great custom from a master knifemaker, Jim. Congrats.

This is on loan for testing, the sacrificial lamb if you will.

I do have one coming in S110V to add to my other 2 of his I own.

 

[Gunny Bob]

Don't mind telling ya I am one envious son of a gun, Jim.

 

[CrimsonTideShooter]

How does this steel compare to S90V? I know this is from a custom maker, but about how much longer will the steel at this hardness stay sharp compared to my S90 Para 2?

30% longer, maybe 50? Or am I overreaching?


Either way, it sounds like Mr. Wilson could be setting the benchmark for sheer cutting power with this one.

 

[jimnolimit]

How does this steel compare to S90V? I know this is from a custom maker, but about how much longer will the steel at this hardness stay sharp compared to my S90 Para 2?

30% longer, maybe 50? Or am I overreaching?


Either way, it sounds like Mr. Wilson could be setting the benchmark for sheer cutting power with this one.

spyderco is running that S90V around 60 HRC, the S110V in that phil wilson is 63.5 HRC. im willing to bet that extra 3.5 HRC plus the 2.5% cobalt will give S110V a big jump in wear resistance.

 

[The Mastiff]

Excellent review Jim. Even so it's difficult to quantify or really put into words the performance of a knife produced by a true master of his craft who not only knows how to wring every bit of performance out of the steel, but knows equally the value of geometries, and yes, ergonomics.

The whole package sometimes seems more than the sum of it's parts when you are using it. It is a specialized tool however. I always try to keep that in mind. As high performing as they are they aren't for everybody.

Joe

 

[Ankerson]

Don't mind telling ya I am one envious son of a gun, Jim.

Thanks Bob.

How does this steel compare to S90V? I know this is from a custom maker, but about how much longer will the steel at this hardness stay sharp compared to my S90 Para 2?

30% longer, maybe 50? Or am I overreaching?


Either way, it sounds like Mr. Wilson could be setting the benchmark for sheer cutting power with this one.

Along time lets say.

It's really the whole package that makes the knife, Steel, HT and design.

spyderco is running that S90V around 60 HRC, the S110V in that phil wilson is 63.5 HRC. im willing to bet that extra 3.5 HRC plus the 2.5% cobalt will give S110V a big jump in wear resistance.

S90V is maxxed out at 60-61 RC.

Excellent review Jim. Even so it's difficult to quantify or really put into words the performance of a knife produced by a true master of his craft who not only knows how to wring every bit of performance out of the steel, but knows equally the value of geometries, and yes, ergonomics.

The whole package sometimes seems more than the sum of it's parts when you are using it. It is a specialized tool however. I always try to keep that in mind. As high performing as they are they aren't for everybody.

Joe

It's definitely a slicer and cutter, his knives perform so well it's always hard to put that kind kind of performance into words, photos always tell the story better I think.

 

[Soulrack223]

That's one amazing knife. I like the trailing point design. :thumbup: Thanks for the review.

 

[Ankerson]

That's one amazing knife. I like the trailing point design. :thumbup: Thanks for the review.

Yeah it's a cutting machine, truely a knife that wil cut FOR-EVER...

The trailing point gives more cutting area because of the large belly.

 

[singularity35]

Did you rebevel the knife or did you just use the edge as it came?

 

[Ankerson]

Did you rebevel the knife or did you just use the edge as it came?

All I did was touch it up on my silicon carbide loaded strop, edge is around 12 degrees per side or so.

 

[gomle]

grail knife, not much more to say....

 

[Ankerson]

grail knife, not much more to say....

Yeah I have to give it back to Joe one day.

Not too bad though, he lives close to me so it's just a 10 min drive.

I got to test his before mine are done.

 

[Phil Wilson]

I would say that this is a very comprehensive test on this knife. I certainly shows the edge holding potential of CPM S110V. This knife was pushed to the hardness and edge geometry limit and optimized for cutting abrasive materials like the rope and cardboard Jim used to challenge the blade. The hardness at 63.5 is about as hard as I can get this steel and still allow for a little tempering. Normally RC hardness values are expressed as plus or minus one point and to be correct I should have specified it this way. In this case I am confident the hardness is between 63 and 64. At this high hardness a thin blade like this would not be suitable for chopping or twisting out of the cut. Joe wanted this knife to be bare bones, no upgrades or special treatment. Therefore the Micarta handle, surface ground finish on the flats, belt finish on the blade and no thong hole liner. I guess you could say this is “field grade”. I used a similar blade on an antelope hunt a couple of years ago and field dressed, skinned and quartered 4 antelope and just had to back strop a couple of times to keep the edge biting good. Some would not have touched the edge at all and it would have been fine but just depends on how fussy you are about sharp. Rope cutting is a pretty good approximation of the abrasive effect of animal hair and hide so Jim’s test does give some correlation on what to expect with this steel in the field. CPM S110V is great steel but is still in short supply and is very expensive. I think there is more coming and hopefully it will be available and see more use in the future. It has equal or better performance than CPM S125V and is in the same general category as CPM 10V (K294), CPM 90V. The non stainless (10V and K294) can be pushed to a higher hardness with better edge holding and toughness, but take some care due to the potential for corrosion around salt water and wet environments. I am still working up the best heat treats for the Boher M390 and Uddeholm ELMAX. They don’t have the high carbide percentage as CPM S110V and the others but have very fine structure that can offset some of the difference and make for a great all around stainless blade. Thanks to Jim for the extensive test. I know how much work is involved and the time, effort and expense of the rope is considerable. Phil

 

[Ankerson]

Thanks for the kind comments Phil.

Yes, as you pointed out 10V (K294) at the hardness I tested one at is tougher and will cut longer than S110V will I think given the same edge finish.

M390 and ELMAX have a lot of potential and after testing a few of your knives in M390 and one in ELMAX both are EXCELLENT steels. M390 can cut for an extremely long time as I found out more than once the hard way as you know and works very well at high hardness with a very thin edge as a slicer.

All the steels you mentioned above will serve as well as S110V or better toughness wise I believe, but then your knives perform at such a high level I don't think it will matter that much what steel mentioned above they are.


Jim

 

[Soulrack223]

I would say that this is a very comprehensive test on this knife. I certainly shows the edge holding potential of CPM S110V. This knife was pushed to the hardness and edge geometry limit and optimized for cutting abrasive materials like the rope and cardboard Jim used to challenge the blade. The hardness at 63.5 is about as hard as I can get this steel and still allow for a little tempering. Normally RC hardness values are expressed as plus or minus one point and to be correct I should have specified it this way. In this case I am confident the hardness is between 63 and 64. At this high hardness a thin blade like this would not be suitable for chopping or twisting out of the cut. Joe wanted this knife to be bare bones, no upgrades or special treatment. Therefore the Micarta handle, surface ground finish on the flats, belt finish on the blade and no thong hole liner. I guess you could say this is “field grade”. I used a similar blade on an antelope hunt a couple of years ago and field dressed, skinned and quartered 4 antelope and just had to back strop a couple of times to keep the edge biting good. Some would not have touched the edge at all and it would have been fine but just depends on how fussy you are about sharp. Rope cutting is a pretty good approximation of the abrasive effect of animal hair and hide so Jim’s test does give some correlation on what to expect with this steel in the field. CPM S110V is great steel but is still in short supply and is very expensive. I think there is more coming and hopefully it will be available and see more use in the future. It has equal or better performance than CPM S125V and is in the same general category as CPM 10V (K294), CPM 90V. The non stainless (10V and K294) can be pushed to a higher hardness with better edge holding and toughness, but take some care due to the potential for corrosion around salt water and wet environments. I am still working up the best heat treats for the Boher M390 and Uddeholm ELMAX. They don’t have the high carbide percentage as CPM S110V and the others but have very fine structure that can offset some of the difference and make for a great all around stainless blade. Thanks to Jim for the extensive test. I know how much work is involved and the time, effort and expense of the rope is considerable. Phil

Thank you for posting all of this great material. I hope you open up for more orders soon. One of your trailing point hunters in 10V is now my grail knife. :thumbup: