jankerson
Here is my list of steels in order for edge retention cutting cardboard from my testing so far.
ZDP-189
VG-10
CPM 154
CPM S35VN
VG-1
CPM M4
Duratech 20CV
CPM S30V
AUS-8A
SR-101
INFI
I find this hard to believe , the order seems wrong ....... 154 is better than M-4 ???Duratech 20CV ?????
Your results are roughly reasonable, all things considered.
In cutting cardboard you face three issues:
1) Cardboard is extremely variable in composition. So what you are cutting varies in abrasiveness. This leads to misleading results.
2) In cutting cardboard and judging by resistance to cutting, your results are highly dependent on blade geometry. Blade geometry has more impact on cutting performance than blade alloy does. To actually get totally valid results for any method dependent on cutting resistance, you would have to have each blade have exactly the same geometry as the others you are comparing.
3) If you vary the cutting method, you get different results. Slicing does not give the same results as push cutting. If you do not cut exactly the same with each blade, you won't have a valid comparison.
Manila rope is more uniform than cardboard, so there is less variability in the cutting results. When cutting manila rope, blade geometry has somewhat less impact on the resistance to cutting. But, it still has some impact.
BTW, You are also leaving out Rockwell hardness of the blades. Unless you measure the hardness, you don't know what you are measuring. I've tested S30V at both 58.3 and 59.7 HRC. There was a difference in the performance (note: they were both measured on a machine constantly calibrated to the same standard. That made the hardness comparison valid, differences less than ± 1 are not validly measurable on machines calibrated to different standards.)
