I like CPM-154 too. I would stick with S35VN for general purpose stuff, from kitchen to camp... I find it very similar to CPM-154, and like it for all the same reasons. It may be a little tougher? But I have not measured that in any real quantifiable way. I don't know of any downside to S35VN when comparing it to CPM-154, except some people claim 35 isn't well-suited to high polish. Having not yet polished S35VN above 800 grit, I cannot comment on that. It looks fine to me that way.
Elmax and CTS-XHP have more toughness, and even better edge-holding, with
very good corrosion resistance. They're really pretty dang remarkable for stainless steels in that regard. I've built, tested and abused Elmax and CTS-XHP blades with thinner-than-normal edges in "hard-use", "survival" knife applications (short of actually chopping concrete blocks or slashing car doors) and I am very, very pleased. They did not break or chip out. They held up like we would expect 1095 or O1 to do, but they kept a fine edge much longer. :thumbup: They both do very well in the
"purposely leave the knife in a soaking wet leather sheath overnight" test.
I haven't used M390, but it enjoys a similar excellent reputation among users and makers alike for "hard use" knives.
I also have 154, and although it's not stainless, I'm thinking of getting some CPM 3V. I feel it has enough chromium to where it won't rust in the time it takes to walk to the other side of the shop like 1084, 1095 seems to do to me....
CPM-3V is my single favorite steel. It's very tough like a "carbon" steel, has much better wear-resistance due to moderate carbide content, and resists corrosion about like D2 due to having some free chromium after HT. It will eventually pit and "blossom" orange surface rust if badly neglected, but it does not continue to just rot away like plain carbon steels do.
Run 3V at 58Rc for maximum toughness, but don't expect it to stay razor sharp forever with a very thin edge - it will tend to roll rather than chip. Lately I've been having even my big 3V knives tempered to 60Rc for better wear-resistance, and I can barely tell the difference in toughness.
All those steels need LN cryo or at least a very cold (dry ice bath) cycle to reach their best potential. I have Peters' do all my HT, so I'll leave those details to others to explain. See Nathan the Machinist's posts on Elmax, D2 and CPM-3V; he's done some very interesting - and encouraging - experiments with them.
I use CPM-S35VN 90% of the time for stainless knives, with AEB-L being the only other stainless I currently use.
AEB-L is a wonderful alloy! I describe it as
"the stainless steel for people who don't like stainless steel". It acts just like a classic carbon steel in use... it's very fine-grained, it takes a "scary sharp" edge very easily and it's plenty tough. But it has plenty of free chrome to resist corrosion. It was very literally designed for VERY thin edges (razor blades).
It also holds its edge about like a classic "carbon" steel, which is to say... not nearly as well as alloys with more carbides. But for people that don't mind honing or stropping a thin edge a little more often, it performs very nicely.
My suppliers and HT guy all tell me that AEB-L also needs a cryo/cold cycle to reach its best hardness. I've never used it without cryo, so I can't say how much difference that really makes.
