Spyderco CPM M4

Absintheur

Absintheur

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Jan 31, 2008
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I just ordered the second Mule Team knife from Spyderco, I bought the first one out that was done in 52100 and it takes and holds a great edge. Being a nice high carbon steel it is a great cutter as expected and I really like the shape of the blade, it is like a fixed blade Caly.

52100 has been around awhile but the CMP M4 is much newer to the knife making community from what I understand. I have heard it described as M2 on steroids having about the same make-up but with 60% more vanadium and about 40% more carbon. Spyderco is listing this blade having a hardness of Rc 58-63.

Have any of our resident knife makers worked with this steel? How does it stack up against other non-stainless steels?

For those who are interested the Mule Teams knife from Spyderco are available only on the Spyderco website and come fully finished but sans any handle material. Spyderco is planning to release several different new steels a year this way to allow users to try the new steels coming onto the market place. They will only make 600 of each steel and the blade is marked with the type of steel used. Buy one and dress it up however you wish.
 
I've been using my M4 Mule at work for a while now. It rusts more readily than the 52100 did (don't leave it wet, even for a few minutes) and it holds an edge much better than the first Mule in my use. This is good stuff, Maynard.
(I guess that shows my age, most of you probably don't remember those commercials.)
 
Its a really nice steel, it sharpens up with little trouble and gets very sharp. It also holds a edge very well but I haven't used it that much to make a good judgement of how it compares to other steels. Sal tested one and came up with a 62-63 on the RC.
 
Rusts that easily....I am going to have to learn how to make a Kydex sheath I guess, doesn't sound like leather would be as good. I kinda figured with that much carbon it would be prone to rust.

I wonder what steel is up next? I am looking forward to buying each new blade as they are released.
 
Based on composition, it seems like it should be a great steel for a knife that is expected to take a beating yet still have very good wear resistance due to the high vanadium and carbon.
 
Sal Glesser said:
It looks like the next release will CPM-S90V. A very hard stainless steel.

sal
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+1 :D I was expecting that Chinese steel (light on wallet padding atm), but I love my millie, so this would rock. And stainless! No more worries! :thumbup:

I've come to think that I've been spoiled on stainless steels. I recently had a knife rust on me (surface I think, I got it out with a brillo pad). It was shocking. "It rusted. Holy crap. It rusted."
 
S90V sounds like a neat steel. I hope I can get one. I've been carrying my 52100 Mule for a week or two now and like the knife.
 
yablanowitz said:
I've been using my M4 Mule at work for a while now. It rusts more readily than the 52100 did (don't leave it wet, even for a few minutes) and it holds an edge much better than the first Mule in my use. This is good stuff, Maynard.
(I guess that shows my age, most of you probably don't remember those commercials.)
Click to expand...

Wow, interesting. I have been using one of the 52100s and have been very imperssed. If the M4 is that much better, well...it might never need sharpening! ;)
 
CPM M4 is very special stuff indeed. :thumbup:

It has been incorporated into Bradley Knives for a longer period of time than many others, if I recall correctly. There was a detailed article about this steel and its earliest users in BLADE Magazine some time ago.

Enjoy it!
 
What ever happened to the secret hoard of S125V that Spyderco had? Did they ever make any knives with it?
 
What ever happened to the secret hoard of S125V that Spyderco had? Did they ever make any knives with it?
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I believe they sent it back after having some trouble with it. I know Sal has a millie in S125V, but they found it to be troublesome. He has stated a couple of times the wheels ground down faster than the steel. Perhaps it's a joke, perhaps not.

When Spyderco originally began working with super steels ( they introduced T440V/S60V) they had to get new wheels developed to deal with the extra wear involved. Perhaps they reached a limit with what they could grind without developing new, more expensive wheels again. There was also talk about the sheets being rolled incorrectly. Right now we have anecdotes, but no real answer to why nobody ran it.

When custom makers like Phil Wilson give up on a steel, there's got to be a problem with it.

Personally, I'd like to try it but I guess down a couple points in hardness to see it it reduces the chipping. Hopefully that would work as it's some monster stuff.
 
I knew I saw this thread before, cotdt, the great raiser of the old and dead ;)

I think it never was released Because they had problems with cracking. Forum member The mastiff or sal might be better able to answer that though.
 
Thanks guys. It should be a monster of a steel indeed. I bet it's more like solid carbide, but tougher.
 
I know I took a diamond file to it in it's annealed state and quickly found out I would need about 800 more years to do what I needed. :)

BTW, it's headed to the water jet tomorrow. Joe
 
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