S30V Vs 154CM

Unbreakable

Unbreakable

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So it's been a long time since I studied up on my steels and I wanted to toss this out there for some of you steel wizards. What would you say the strong and weak points are about the these steels when compared to one another. They are really my favorite small blade steels here at the moment. I've tried many different types these seem to be the ones I always come back to. I like S30V as it easily takes a razors edge and holds it pretty well. But I've heard a lot of people say that they've had edge chipping in S30V blades. 154CM seems a touch tougher to sharpen (Though it's still what I consider easy to sharpen) but it seems to hold a dang edge forever. Seems a little more wear resistant that S30V. But it could just be the handful of blades that I have and not a real comparison of the steels.

Any truth to that edge chipping stuff with S30V. I've had several knife makers tell me it comes down to three things... Heat Treat, Heat Treat, and Heat Treat. You think Benchmade has their heat treat down?
 
Are you talking about Crucible's CPM 154cm or standard 154cm? I would seem that comparing the two CPM steels (CPM S30V and CPM 154), would make more sense.

Having said that, I've made a few knives in CPM 154 and I find it takes a great, polished edge. I can get a finer edge on my 154 blades than any of my others.
 
I suppose I'm speaking about regular old 154CM. The three blades I own in it are my Leatherman, A Benchmade Balisong, and a Benchmade Griptilian. So I don't think they are the other variety you're speaking of. I just compare these two because they seem very common and usually when choosing a good production knife these are among your most common choices.

I'm not very familiar with CPM 154 though I've read they basically took 154CM and refined it. What production blades might be made in this. I'd be interested in giving it a try. Sounds like good stuff. I love 154CM. So refined version can only be better right?
 
The stories of S30V chipping are based on some early HT problems before they sorted out the best way.There were also some dumb knife 'tests' which were abuse . Properly HT'd it's an excellent steel. It's more wear resistant than 154CM because of the 4 % vanadium.
The 154CM is an excellent steel but the newer CPM154 is better.The CPM process produces finer more evenly distributed carbides resulting in tougher more wear resistant blades that are easier to sharpen .It's better for maker and user at some additional cost. I have a fine agrussell One Hand Knife of CPM154 .Takes a fine edge, easy to sharpen and holds the edge very well .One of the best steels !
 
s30v is harder to sharpen, and dosnt take as fine an edge. Has better wear resistance, and good corrosion resistance, though not as good as 154cm. It's also a tougher steal.

cpm 154 is easy to sharpen, holds an edge well, but not as well at s30v, has outstanding corrosion resistance. Very easy to polish aswell, you can almost polish is accidentally
 
I agree with munky. William Henry used 154cm before they got zdp189. When S30V came along, they refused to switch. Their designer explained that they were known for their finish, and S30V was disappointing to them in that regard. S30V is superior in function if not appearance. It is no doubt a little harder to sharpen, but that is not really an issue if you have a spyderco sharpmaker or diamond sharpeners.
 
I have not had any trouble with S30V chipping. It's in most of my EDC knives and I've used it for a couple of years now with no problems. BM, Spyderco, CRK, and Strider all seem to have their HT for S30V down pretty good. Can't speak for anyone else that uses it.

The other two steels I have in my folders are 154CM and VG10. All 3 have been great performers for me. They sharpen up relatively easily, take a very sharp edge, and hold up well to the stuff I do with a folder.
 
Munky88 said:
s30v is harder to sharpen, and dosnt take as fine an edge.
Click to expand...
I find the opposite to be true....
I can sharpen S30V easier than 154CM, and the S30V takes a finer edge too.
I've also experienced no chipping issues with S30V.

But you really can't go wrong with either steel. :thumbup:
 
I find 154CM to be superior to S30V. Tough, easy to sharpen and affordable. I have only 1 knife left in S30V (kershaw Blur) which I just purchased from a forum member. My S30V Microtechs were the worst to sharpen.

It's funny how we all have different opinions of a certain type of steel. I wonder if the steel properties such as heat treat and edge geometry vary from knife to knife on a certain model. I once had 3 MT UMS's but I didn't get a chance to really use them to see if there was a major difference.
 
I've had varying experience. A few of my early Benchmades with 154CM are noticeably inferior to my newer models with 154CM. Certainly HT has everything to do with the quality of the steel. When heat treated properly both steels will perform well and when properly maintained are no harder to sharpen than any other steel.
 
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