Photos - Survive - Gear GSO 4.1 in M390 Full review and testing.

Great review as always:thumbup:,definitely a great blade to keep in mind:D
 
Today i had the chance to test the new edge in the woods again;

As expected the knife cuts way better thanks to the reduced edge angle, not only paper & cardboard, but also all kinds of green & dry wood.
Bite is also still very good.

However: after chopping a deep V-notch in the edge of a "forest bench" (a piece of seasoned oak timber on wooden blocks: very hard stuff) there was microchipping (but almost no flattening) almost along the entire edge.
Judging from the scratches in the bevels at least part of it was due to minute small sand particles trapped in the wood surface, so that would possibly also have happened on larger edge angles.
Most of it was only visible when seen through the magnifying glass of my Victorinox SwissChamp, but some of it could also be seen by the naked eye (with good lighting)

Shaving hair on the back of my hand or my calf is also not possible anymore, but the knife still cuts all kinds of green & dry wood very well.
Copy paper can also still be sliced, but you can feel the microchips.

In a few days i will enlarge the edge angle to an even 30 degrees with the same grit 60 Rubber Wheel finish, and then i will find myself a nice piece of seasoned oak again (this time without the sand particles) to do some more testing.
 
kwackster said:
Today i had the chance to test the new edge in the woods again;

As expected the knife cuts way better thanks to the reduced edge angle, not only paper & cardboard, but also all kinds of green & dry wood.
Bite is also still very good.

However: after chopping a deep V-notch in the edge of a "forest bench" (a piece of seasoned oak timber on wooden blocks: very hard stuff) there was microchipping (but almost no flattening) almost along the entire edge.
Judging from the scratches in the bevels at least part of it was due to minute small sand particles trapped in the wood surface, so that would possibly also have happened on larger edge angles.
Most of it was only visible when seen through the magnifying glass of my Victorinox SwissChamp, but some of it could also be seen by the naked eye (with good lighting)

Shaving hair on the back of my hand or my calf is also not possible anymore, but the knife still cuts all kinds of green & dry wood very well.
Copy paper can also still be sliced, but you can feel the microchips.

In a few days i will enlarge the edge angle to an even 30 degrees with the same grit 60 Rubber Wheel finish, and then i will find myself a nice piece of seasoned oak again (this time without the sand particles) to do some more testing.
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Nice. :)

Just took a Congress 400 grit SIC Stone to mine to freshen up the edge on mine, I kept the same edge geometry and I think I will leave it where it is. :)
 
It seems to me that any reasonable knife with a good HT in M390 is going to perform exceptionally well. As long as you don't do something silly with the thickness or grind the steel really seems to perform great in most all blades from a para 2 to a medium/large fixed blade like this. Seems to me it wears just like S90v, but with even more stain resistance from the super high Cr...I'd be surprised to see any blade M390 isn't great in.
 
-Lucky- said:
It seems to me that any reasonable knife with a good HT in M390 is going to perform exceptionally well. As long as you don't do something silly with the thickness or grind the steel really seems to perform great in most all blades from a para 2 to a medium/large fixed blade like this. Seems to me it wears just like S90v, but with even more stain resistance from the super high Cr...I'd be surprised to see any blade M390 isn't great in.
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M390 is an excellent steel, a more complex steel really with a very high alloy content that provides a number of properties such as excellent edge retention, highly stainless and reasonable toughness for a stainless steel.

However is not chippy even at high hardness and will take a very fine edge, it's an aggressive cutter also.
 
Ankerson said:
M390 is an excellent steel, a more complex steel really with a very high alloy content that provides a number of properties such as excellent edge retention, highly stainless and reasonable toughness for a stainless steel.

However is not chippy even at high hardness and will take a very fine edge, it's an aggressive cutter also.
Click to expand...

Sounds right to me. My main user is a M390 para 2, and it cuts forever, plus takes touch ups very easily.
 
Yeah, I'm excited about it. I have several knives in this size but they are all exclusively in high carbon steels - the added rust resistance whilst still being robust in configuration and grind (clearly - thanks Jim!) seems like a great combination.

Additionally, I think for carrying a single fixed blade this sort of size is my personal sweet-spot (YMMV)... :)

Ben
 
I think I am ordering also, however, the GSO 5.1 is also calling my name. I can't get both at this time, only one.
 
Yeah, pretty confident about it having reviewed all your work on it - thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences with us! It is much appreciated...

:thumbup::D:thumbup:

Ben
 
Another try, now with a slightly convex 30 degrees inclusive edge angle, as can be seen in this picture with my Tormek angle measure:



First i removed the old & weakened edge with microchips by slicing several times straight into a silicium carbide stone (tip from Cliff Stamp), and then put on a completely new edge with the hardrubber grit 60 Rubber Wheel.

Now i always use 2 different tests after the deburring process on the Tormek leather wheel:

1) Cut straight into the edge of a piece of underlayment (wooden multiplex) to remove possible miniscule (but sometimes very stubborn) pieces of burr ( with subsequent a few more passes on the Tormek leather wheel, followed by a visual check with the magnifying glass in my Victorinox SwissChamp)

2) Then 1 or 2 forceful cuts straight into the edge of a old piece of desk (wooden multiplex with hard polymer top layer) to test the strength of the new edge. (followed by another visual check with the magnifying glass)

After this the edge must be completely free of damage and should also be able to shave effortlessly the hair on the back of my hand (or calf)

However: after the second test with the GSO 4.1 and with the magnifying glass i still saw a few tiny microchips and also some flattening, so instead of increasing the 30 degrees edge angle i decided to refine it with the soft rubber grit 180 Rubber Wheel.
After the following deburring on the leather wheel the edge passed both tests: seen through the magnifying glass there were no signs of edge damage anymore: no microchips and no flattening.
Sharpness is also more than acceptable i would think:

Treetopping armhair: check
Slicing single layer toiletpaper: check





On of the coming days i will find out how this edge will handle some batoning, and i will also try to locate a nice piece of seasoned oak again.

Wonderful hobby,
 
I just got back from two weeks in the field with my unit and I used this knife as my primary knife. Held up very well and sat for three days in constant rain on my kit with only one small spot of rust on the blade that wiped off with kroil. I battoned my way through a hogs pelvis and ribs with it an the edge was undamaged. Couldnt ask for more from this knife.
 
wyattT said:
I just got back from two weeks in the field with my unit and I used this knife as my primary knife. Held up very well and sat for three days in constant rain on my kit with only one small spot of rust on the blade that wiped off with kroil. I battoned my way through a hogs pelvis and ribs with it an the edge was undamaged. Couldnt ask for more from this knife.
Click to expand...

CPM 3V or M390? From what I have been reading, both would hold up with the factory edge. Until I can do this myself in the fall, I will continue to be curious, I bought M390. Thanks for your input and service.
 
I have been wondering about this knife. Especially if it warranted all the praise some are giving it. Excellenet review, thank you.
 
I though I might add my 2 bob's worth to this thread. The knife I have is in M390 and it certainly lives up to the hype - this is impressive stuff. Thankfully the blade is not too thick to be practical for most real use situations. The grip feels good and the texture of the grip scales is appropriate for an outdoors knife. The sheath holds the knife securely.

Some minor quibbles - mine came with a bow drill pivot that I didn't order and don't like. The sheath rides way too high for me and is unstable on most belts - I am looking at ways to modify it.

Overall I agree with the positive assessment of this knife and recommend it highly.
 
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