PM2 K390 Hardness

My PM2 maxamet had a chip in the middle of the belly. I had done nothing more than cutting a few feet worth of cardboard. No twisting involved at all. I need to buy a fine grit diamond stone before I attempt to sharpen it.
 
Today I used the very tip of my k390 PM2 to cut the nylon locker out of a lock nut. This involved a little cutting, twisting and scraping with thw first 1/8" of the tip. Zero hint of any damage. I wouldn't have even considered that with my old Maxamet PM2.
 
TRfromMT said:
Today I used the very tip of my k390 PM2 to cut the nylon locker out of a lock nut. This involved a little cutting, twisting and scraping with thw first 1/8" of the tip. Zero hint of any damage. I wouldn't have even considered that with my old Maxamet PM2.
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Yeah, your tip would be broken off in the nylock. I just got a K390 PM2, but haven't put it through any major cutting chores yet. Good to hear the positive reviews so far. I've been using REX 45 a lot and that is one impressive steel as well!
 
gwgang said:
My PM2 maxamet had a chip in the middle of the belly. I had done nothing more than cutting a few feet worth of cardboard. No twisting involved at all. I need to buy a fine grit diamond stone before I attempt to sharpen it.
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The first thing I did with mine is a heavy sharpening to get behind any possible fatigued steel.

Virtually all steels from production makers, and probably some custom ones, are a bit distressed at the apex, and the full performance of the steel isnt realized until after a few sharpenings.

With Maxamet being the most difficult to grind, no doubt fatigued steel would be a factor.

I've cut some pretty serious cardboard with mine without any issues.

Ultimately though at work I dont necessarily have the luxury of being careful. With some frequency my apex hits cement, blacktop, tile, metal, or staples and sometimes with a lot of force. I cringe at the thought of doing any of that with Maxamet.

I definitely like Maxamet a lot, but at work I like a relatively carefree steel that can take some punishment. On most days I also need a knife that's smaller than a Native 5 LW, which is the smallest available in Maxamet.

The Lil Native REX-45 is a beast!
 
I think SubMicron SubMicron has a point. 3 or 4 sharpenings get to the good stuff. I know this is my experience with my CRK. Seems like the edge performance has finally gotten decent.

Trouble is with maxamet 3 or 4 good sharpenings is going to take some time, and may be a decade before you ever get there.

EDIT: CRK (not CPK) - I meant my sebenza.
 
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Lately I have been thinking about the ultimate PM2, i.e., if I can only have one PM2 as a user (not safe queen), what would it be? Among all the steels like Maxamet, K390, Rex-45, M4, cru-wear, 52100, 20CV/M390/204P, S30V, S35VN, and S45VN, I think K390 may very well be THE steel of PM2 to have for me. K390 has excellent wear resistance (among top 2 or 3 of all these steels) while being tough enough, which is exactly how I'd like a PM2 to be like. I once bumped the tip of my K390 Police 4 into the cement ground while tackling some really thick cardboard, it suffered ZERO damage. Given the thickness of the cardboard that I regularly cut with K390, I do not have confidence at all to use Maxamet instead, and most other steels will lose their sharpness much sooner.

The range green g10 scales on K390 PM2 is also one of my favorite colors.

Rex-45 PM2 will be a close second, which I regrettably sold.:(
 
sharp_edge said:
Lately I have been thinking about the ultimate PM2, i.e., if I can only have one PM2 as a user (not safe queen), what would it be?
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I think about that kind of thing a lot too. I think for most people it would be Cruwear because it maximizes toughness. Since I use a Manix 2 for harder cutting tasks my PM2 doesn't require as much toughness. I have M4, and also one in K390, but for me I think Rex45 would be the current ultimate.
 
Loving this K390! I felt a little ding, so a little honing on a 800/1200 grit Venev diamond stone, then on to a black and green strop. It went from not quite shaving hair, to making little curls. Easy peasy!

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K390 is probably one of my favorite steel and I love it in my sprint run urban.

Edit- my question was previously answered in this thread.
 
We're really lucky to have Spyderco producing these top tier knives in steels like K390.
 
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