Hey guys,
Length of rope: 15 1/2' each knife (213 cuts K390 and 210 S90V)
Cuts on cardboard: 199 for the K390 and 206 for the S90V
Made a couple vids today, just cutting some 3/4" rope and a bunch of cardboard. I wasn't going to make the vids because I knew they would be very long but figured what the hell, if you guys are up for watching some long vids then why not. If you don't to watch I'll give you the short of it. S90V and K390 are unbelievable! I did this test because I wanted to dull them, I mean really dull them to the point of not all that usable. Needless to say I couldn't do it in the amount of time of the video. I would probably need many hours of hard use to dull them.
One thing this test really highlighted was the comfort of the knives. The amount of pressure I was forced to use on the rope was immense and therefore really brought out any possible hot spots. The Military has relatively aggressive jimping which was very painful about half way through the cutting. Normal every day use the jimping is useful and comfortable and even during my 3/8" rope test I completed before the jimping was noticeably there but not painful. Overall the Mili is nice, large, and comfortable. The S90V didn't hold up quite as well as the K390, however that was to be expected because its a production knife and not as high of rockwell hardness. The Mili flew through the cardboard and the full flat grind really shined in the cutting.
As for toughness: although this wasn't a hard use test per say I used almost all of my body weight (220 lbs) to push the knives through the thick 3/4" rope and the edge showed zero deformity or chipping! This was very impressive as I also had to cut at odd angles to get through the rope. I would not be afraid to take S90V out in the woods and have some fun that's for sure. Also with all the pressure I was putting into the rope I was making deep slices into the wood as well and no issues at all.
The custom from OTK in K390 at 64 HRC was a cutting machine and felt like it ripped through the rope. Believe it or not the DC slicer was still able to cut arm hair at the very end of the test. I had to push hard but this thing just stayed sharp forever, I noted in the vid that I really think another 15' of rope it still would have been a sharp edge. This knife was extremely comfortable throughout. The handle is contoured perfectly and shaped just how you would want, literally felt like an extension of the hand! This knife had no jimping which is a personal preference, however in this test it wasn't needed and with the handle shape the knife is locked in your hand pretty well. K390 showed no signs of being a "weak" steel and I wouldn't be afraid to do any light batoning or wood work with it at all.
I love this steel and would pay a premium to have it in a folder. It may very well be my favorite steel right now, although it isn't a stainless steel at about 4.5% chromium it has held up fine for me in Washington state right next to the ocean. I'm not sure why more makers don't use this steel for folder but it would shine in that realm IMO. It is not as hard to sharpen as you would think, maybe slightly harder than M4. I think its easier than 204P and S90V, and definitely easier than S110V.
The best part of all is that the knives touched up very easy! 15 swipes each side on kangaroo leather with 1 micron and then .5 micron diamond spray and both knives were hair popping sharp.
Here are the links, thanks for watching. Also if anyone can embed them I would be grateful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBTVf0668y0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHiNFYgkNUI
Length of rope: 15 1/2' each knife (213 cuts K390 and 210 S90V)
Cuts on cardboard: 199 for the K390 and 206 for the S90V
Made a couple vids today, just cutting some 3/4" rope and a bunch of cardboard. I wasn't going to make the vids because I knew they would be very long but figured what the hell, if you guys are up for watching some long vids then why not. If you don't to watch I'll give you the short of it. S90V and K390 are unbelievable! I did this test because I wanted to dull them, I mean really dull them to the point of not all that usable. Needless to say I couldn't do it in the amount of time of the video. I would probably need many hours of hard use to dull them.
One thing this test really highlighted was the comfort of the knives. The amount of pressure I was forced to use on the rope was immense and therefore really brought out any possible hot spots. The Military has relatively aggressive jimping which was very painful about half way through the cutting. Normal every day use the jimping is useful and comfortable and even during my 3/8" rope test I completed before the jimping was noticeably there but not painful. Overall the Mili is nice, large, and comfortable. The S90V didn't hold up quite as well as the K390, however that was to be expected because its a production knife and not as high of rockwell hardness. The Mili flew through the cardboard and the full flat grind really shined in the cutting.
As for toughness: although this wasn't a hard use test per say I used almost all of my body weight (220 lbs) to push the knives through the thick 3/4" rope and the edge showed zero deformity or chipping! This was very impressive as I also had to cut at odd angles to get through the rope. I would not be afraid to take S90V out in the woods and have some fun that's for sure. Also with all the pressure I was putting into the rope I was making deep slices into the wood as well and no issues at all.
The custom from OTK in K390 at 64 HRC was a cutting machine and felt like it ripped through the rope. Believe it or not the DC slicer was still able to cut arm hair at the very end of the test. I had to push hard but this thing just stayed sharp forever, I noted in the vid that I really think another 15' of rope it still would have been a sharp edge. This knife was extremely comfortable throughout. The handle is contoured perfectly and shaped just how you would want, literally felt like an extension of the hand! This knife had no jimping which is a personal preference, however in this test it wasn't needed and with the handle shape the knife is locked in your hand pretty well. K390 showed no signs of being a "weak" steel and I wouldn't be afraid to do any light batoning or wood work with it at all.
I love this steel and would pay a premium to have it in a folder. It may very well be my favorite steel right now, although it isn't a stainless steel at about 4.5% chromium it has held up fine for me in Washington state right next to the ocean. I'm not sure why more makers don't use this steel for folder but it would shine in that realm IMO. It is not as hard to sharpen as you would think, maybe slightly harder than M4. I think its easier than 204P and S90V, and definitely easier than S110V.
The best part of all is that the knives touched up very easy! 15 swipes each side on kangaroo leather with 1 micron and then .5 micron diamond spray and both knives were hair popping sharp.
Here are the links, thanks for watching. Also if anyone can embed them I would be grateful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBTVf0668y0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHiNFYgkNUI
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