Ranking of Steels in Categories based on Edge Retention cutting 5/8" rope

[spydusse]

the gunhammer m390 was definitly run at 62. its a pretty stout blade but im expecting the 0560 to be as well

 

[goodshepherdknives]

were the edges still sharp when you ranked them or was it just a kind of cut untill it shaves thing? i dont know how many points it takes to get a knife through rope is all. im curious how a duller utility edge would hold up in each steel compared to a razor sharp edge

 

[Big Chris]

were the edges still sharp when you ranked them or was it just a kind of cut untill it shaves thing? i dont know how many points it takes to get a knife through rope is all. im curious how a duller utility edge would hold up in each steel compared to a razor sharp edge

He did the testing till a specific downward pressure was reached.

 

[goodshepherdknives]

He did the testing till a specific downward pressure was reached.

yeah im dumb and really tired, i finally figured that out five minutes after i posted that... moving accross country does that i guess. i think there are different kinds of edge holding. and edge stability. also abrasion resistance. but at least this test proves one thing. some steels just dont hold a shaving edge as long as others

 

[Big Chris]

yeah im dumb and really tired, i finally figured that out five minutes after i posted that... moving accross country does that i guess. i think there are different kinds of edge holding. and edge stability. also abrasion resistance. but at least this test proves one thing. some steels just dont hold a shaving edge as long as others

Jim has also stated that the results would change just by giving knives a toothier edge. I think the knives for this test were finished to 6000 grit.

 

[Ankerson]

Jim has also stated that the results would change just by giving knives a toothier edge. I think the knives for this test were finished to 6000 grit.

Exactly, things will change with a toothier edge and will show the smaller differences and increase edge retention because it's much more effective.

 

[Invective]

Hey Ankerson, just wondering, have you tested CTS B75P yet? I have a mule in it so I'm curious to know how well it fares against these other steels. Also, if you need a knife to test, mine sits unused on a shelf most days so I can send you mine if you need a tester. This is a great resource and thanks for taking the time and effort to do this!

 

[chad2]

What knife was tested in vg-10? I would think it would have ranked higher

higher than n690

 

[xuz]

Has anyone tested AEB-L steels? I've heard that they can be hardened to 63+ and has very fine grain structures.

 

[Ankerson]

Has anyone tested AEB-L steels? I've heard that they can be hardened to 63+ and has very fine grain structures.

Yeah, it's in Category 7 (13C26N)..

 

[chad2]

What knife was tested in vg-10? I would think it would have ranked higher

higher than n690

is there a reason like, higher hrc, for n690 out cutting vg-10??????

 

[Ankerson]

is there a reason like, higher hrc, for n690 out cutting vg-10??????

N690 has a higher percentage of carbide formers than VG-10... Although they are pretty close N690 has the edge.

It just did better than VG-10 with a polished edge and it was 2 different knives tested in VG-10

 

[The Mastiff]

Jim, I know this has been expensive. Even when knives are loaned to you. Let me know if you get over in this direction and I'll give you a very modest donation, plus whatever knife you want to test. The Cruwear mule if you don't want to wait for the Millie. It might help Sal sell some when people see how it performs. My prediction is group two.

Joe

 

[nccole]

Jim, I know this has been expensive. Even when knives are loaned to you. Let me know if you get over in this direction and I'll give you a very modest donation, plus whatever knife you want to test. The Cruwear mule if you don't want to wait for the Millie. It might help Sal sell some when people see how it performs. My prediction is group two.

Joe

I have been on the fence about the Cruwear Mili, but your enthusiasm is pushing me to try it. From the charts, its edge retention is just below S30V, but if it is up there with M4, I am in for sure.

 

[Ankerson]

Jim, I know this has been expensive. Even when knives are loaned to you. Let me know if you get over in this direction and I'll give you a very modest donation, plus whatever knife you want to test. The Cruwear mule if you don't want to wait for the Millie. It might help Sal sell some when people see how it performs. My prediction is group two.

Joe

Been meaning to get over that way. :thumbup:

Jim

 

[The Mastiff]

I have been on the fence about the Cruwear Mili, but your enthusiasm is pushing me to try it. From the charts, its edge retention is just below S30V, but if it is up there with M4, I am in for sure.

Well, even at S30V levels that would be nothing to be ashamed of. I predict it will outperform S30V in all attributes except corrosion resistance naturally. It likes to stay sharp if it's ran up around where the mule was ran ( rc 62).

I'm not making any bets about it outperforming CPM M4. That's great stuff especially when it's at rc 62 or better. When pushed to max hardness it gets near S90V. cpm m4 loses some to most of what corrosion resistance it has when run maxed out, but so do most steels.

Joe

 

[Diablo_331]

CPM M4 loses some to most of what corrosion resistance it has when run maxed out, but so do most steels.

Joe

Hello Joe. Why exactly does this happen?

 

[The Mastiff]

Hello Joe. Why exactly does this happen?

I'm not really able to explain like a metallurgist or engineer or even a good knifemaker who understands heat treat can. I can guess that more of the chrome is used making carbides and there is less free chrome available for corrosion resistance. I hope one of our metallurgists reads this and answers because I could stand a little learning on this subject as well.

I do know that some steels, 154cm for example, can temper at two different temp cycles. High temper, and low temper. look here at the heat treat response and see the huge differences in tempering temperatures. http://www.crucible.com/PDFs/%5CDataSheets2010%5Cds154cmv12010.pdf It affects the steel attributes 1) wear 2) toughness, and 3) corrosion resistance as well as final hardness.

Explanations from someone more qualified than me would be very helpful. I don't like the idea of me or anyone else guessing or giving incorrect information here.

I have heard 154cm described as acting like a high speed steel. The Similar BG42 ( vanadium added to 154cm) is a stainless high speed bearing steel, the stainless version of M50. ( here is some stuff about M50 http://www.suppliersonline.com/propertypages/M50.asp

Sorry I can't be of much use here.

Joe

 

[Ankerson]

Well, even at S30V levels that would be nothing to be ashamed of. I predict it will outperform S30V in all attributes except corrosion resistance naturally. It likes to stay sharp if it's ran up around where the mule was ran ( rc 62).

I'm not making any bets about it outperforming CPM M4. That's great stuff especially when it's at rc 62 or better. When pushed to max hardness it gets near S90V. cpm m4 loses some to most of what corrosion resistance it has when run maxed out, but so do most steels.

Joe

To really see what it will do (compared to other steels) I would have to test it with a coarse edge to have more of a direct comparison.

The polished edge testing (This thread) gives more of a general idea of how the steels perform.

 

[Diablo_331]

I'm not really able to explain like a metallurgist or engineer or even a good knifemaker who understands heat treat can. I can guess that more of the chrome is used making carbides and there is less free chrome available for corrosion resistance. I hope one of our metallurgists reads this and answers because I could stand a little learning on this subject as well.

I do know that some steels, 154cm for example, can temper at two different temp cycles. High temper, and low temper. look here at the heat treat response and see the huge differences in tempering temperatures. http://www.crucible.com/PDFs/\DataSheets2010\ds154cmv12010.pdf It affects the steel attributes 1) wear 2) toughness, and 3) corrosion resistance as well as final hardness.

Explanations from someone more qualified than me would be very helpful. I don't like the idea of me or anyone else guessing or giving incorrect information here.

I have heard 154cm described as acting like a high speed steel. The Similar BG42 ( vanadium added to 154cm) is a stainless high speed bearing steel, the stainless version of M50. ( here is some stuff about M50 http://www.suppliersonline.com/propertypages/M50.asp

Sorry I can't be of much use here.

Joe

Thanks for that Joe. I can understand that toughness final hardness ect can all change depending on the HT but since chromium is the main element (I think?) that attributes to corrosion resistance, is some of the chromium lost during some heat treats or? Anyone please correct any of these statements. I'm a noob and only trying to learn.