Poll: Stainless Steel - What rocks the most!

What Stainless Steel do you like?

  • CPM S35VN

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • CPM 154

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • CPM S30V

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
Xander, doesn't the CPM process address the carbide cluster issue in D2 though?
 
In steel, I like S110 and S90. In non-steel, I like Stellite 6K, 6B, and Boker Cera Titan.
 
Bako said:
Xander, doesn't the CPM process address the carbide cluster issue in D2 though?
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To a minimal effect, it does however produce a more homogenous alloy and usually eliminates the hard spots you often get with non CPM steels. Ever try to make a long cut in some 1084 and all of a sudden your saw just stops cutting? That's a hardened spot (pearlite I believe). It goes away with HT. But just look at trying to mirror polish (not Polish, Daniel lol) D2, it orange peels badly, CPM D2 does as well, but just slightly less so.

The large carbides are just part of the alloy, how you mix them doesn't make them go away.

Btw Daniel, some Sandvik steel would be nice, 14C28N is fantastic! It was developed for razor blades, it gets ridiculously sharp!


-X
 
Inneresting.

So what happens when you hit one of those clusters and your saw doesn't...saw? Stop and grind around it, then start sawing again?

Hmmmm. Now, when the doctors told my mother I was retarded, they *did* say "Educably Retarded". Maybe I could figure this out and make a knife one day. I'm starting to get that urge.
 
Voted for other on this poll, I see a lot of talk about D2 an nothing about CTS-XHP which I have used and like more than D2. Can take a great edge and hold it through a lot of use. Dunno about how hard it is to grind, although I was able to reprofile the Techno I had in it fairly easily.
 
As a user, I like M390 for tensile strength and edge retention.

On the exotic end of the spectrum, I also like the damascus blades William Henry Studio does, with ZDP-189 cores. He has the 189 HTed to HRC 67, and I have had no problems with chipping. But he has a proprietary agreement with Hitatsu steel, so that may be a dead end for you.

Don't know why, but M390 (which I have in a BM 755) really seems to be a great balance of corrosion resistance, tensile strength, and edge retention. Compared to S30/35 and the other common powder steels. Just some thoughts from a user.
 
Thanks everyone! I'm listening closely!

Great choices all around.

I still consider Elmax, CTS-XHP, M390 and more as well, it all depends what I can get. I have only seen one sheet ever of CTS-XHP and Elmax only comes in the most useless sizes ... I might order direct from the manufacturer or as close as I can to the source so I can get what I need.

I personally have been biased against stainless steels until about the last year. I have been testing a knife in 154CM and am very impressed!

Heat treat is everything, soak times and temps effect the quenched hardness and conversion. The same steel can be correctly heat treated quite a few ways which greatly effect performance.
 
Lycosa said:
Hartsfield knew about HT. Just like Dozier, Busse, Leu...
:D
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Hartsfield was actually who came to mind. His A2 performs better than the math allows.

I usually spend a little of every day learning more about heat treat, there is so much to it! Charts can throw you off too because they are usually comparing the steels at differerent hardnesses. S7 is always on the chart at 56 RC but mine is 58, a 100 fold difference.
 
I voted other for CTS-XHP because it holds an edge and even i can get it sharp, which is saying something. Never had any luck with the s30v or s35vn steels. I'm really liking the xhp but it doesn't seem to be widely available.
 
CPM154 all the way.

And if you want to go with a Dx, go with D6. More "stainless" than D2, and a bit harder for edge retention (tungsten). Also higher C than both D2 and CPM154...

I love me the CPM154, easy enough to sharpen, and the edge you get on it is killer.. seems to hold it nicely too..

On another note, the 1095 knives I use, are easy as hell to sharpen, get sharp, but lose edge really fast...

edit: Lycosa-- add to that Farid.. the chats I've had with him.. he is very secretive about his HT and has his own methods for certain steels..
 
cha-^ And Strider's HT is incredible!
Daniel- There was no damage to your dashi from the penny test. wuts your Rc?
 
Lycosa said:
fwiw- Pohan tested a Hartsfield blade and it was at 65 Rc.
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Wow!

sloth357 said:
CPM154 all the way.

And if you want to go with a Dx, go with D6. More "stainless" than D2, and a bit harder for edge retention (tungsten). Also higher C than both D2 and CPM154...

I love me the CPM154, easy enough to sharpen, and the edge you get on it is killer.. seems to hold it nicely too..

On another note, the 1095 knives I use, are easy as hell to sharpen, get sharp, but lose edge really fast...

edit: Lycosa-- add to that Farid.. the chats I've had with him.. he is very secretive about his HT and has his own methods for certain steels..
Click to expand...

Cool... I really lean to CPM 154 for stainless. It is a standby for a reason.

Lycosa said:
cha-^ And Strider's HT is incredible!
Daniel- There was no damage to your dashi from the penny test. wuts your Rc?
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On that one about 60 RC. I have never sharpened it even after the test and use it almost daily, it is still very sharp.

I usually shoot for 60 RC on smaller knives and 58 on choppers and S7. Lately I have been shooting for higher numbers, 61 on smaller blades and 60 on my latest chopper.

The CPM D2 I am using for the folders will be 61-62 RC, it can handle that nicely.
 
My vote went in for CPM-154, I find it to be the best balance of toughness, ease of sharpening, edge retention, corosion resistance, and it takes a mean polished look. So far this is my favorite stainless when it comes to a user blade. Now this is from my experiences only dare I say its my perfect stainless steel.
 
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