sr 101 vs cpm 3v

B

battboy

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Feb 21, 2011
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what im comparing here is the scrapyard 411 to the survive gso 4.1. i really like both knives but is the survive really worth double the scrap yard. this will pretty much be the knife that i would always be taking with me hiking, hunting,camping, etc. thanks
 
I'll preface by saying I'm no steel expert, I know a little bit from my own research. As far as I know Sr 101 is better for hunting because its main selling point is edge retention, 3v is all about toughness and is basically "impossible" to chip. So 3v is a workhorse chopping beast, Sr101 is a sharp slicing steel that won't dull. Someone else may disagree, but this is how I understand the differences in these steels.
 
I disagree... Sr101 is some tough stuff. Scrapyard has released blades ranging from 3-13 inches (excluding the sword they have). Why would someone buy a 9" blade for hunting? On the busse forum a guy chopped a car in half with sr101 if that says anything. 3v is also very good steel from what I read, but I have no experience with it. I don't think you can go wrong with either.
 
In paper 3V should win 52100 in almost every categories. Better wear resistance, better toughness and better corrosion resistance.
 
Why would someone buy a 9" blade for hunting?
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the 411 only has a 4.5 inch blade and would not necessarily use it for skinning tasks when hunting ( as i hunt waterfowl) but more for just basic cutting tasks.
 
You could option the 4.1 in M390 which would be slightly more difficult to sharpen but should out class both 3V and SR101 in edge retention by miles. Plus it is more corrosion resistant too.
 
3v is almost in the shock series category and it has still has enough carbide to be very wear resistant.
 
I have a couple knives in both (and sr77 and INFI) as far as performance these are the closest. I often think I could substitute one for the other and not notice. I have fherman and scrapyard and swamp rat. I don't have a gso(yet) so I can't comment on their heat treat.
 
3v kills sr101 in edge retention and toughness. I prefer it on all my hunting knives by far. Its just a better steel, depending on who heat treats it. No competition in hard cutting tasks.
 
Watch the SURVIVE videos. The guy uses a sledgehammer to pound the 3v through wood, steel, pipe, etc. Still has a sharp edge remaining. It looked like a 5# sledgehammer, and it didn't hurt the spine of that knife one bit. That 3v blade can be flexed through 90 degrees, several times, before it will snap. That is some tough steel.
 
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3V will out perform 52100 (Busse group names its SR101 for some odd reason) in every category there is for a knife steel. The HT on the Survive is done by Peters who does 3V as good as anyone does.

3V is acutally closer to INFI than it is SR101.
 
Both are very good steels. Get whatever knife design you like better.

3V is a better steel than 52100 in every category with the right HT
 
I don't know. I really like CPM-3V. But a through-hardened SR101 knife with roughly the same specs as the GSO 4.1 managed to successfully baton its way through a car door hinge. I can't imagine needing anything tougher and stronger in a knife that size.
 
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