Suggestions on choice of steel

B

bladesrckool

Joined
Jan 25, 2017
Messages
20
I recently acquired the Cruwear PM2 and am absolutely loving it. I work in the Forestry field so I am out and about in the woods every other day for several hours and also reside in Southern Appalachia so bordering the humidity of a rainforest. Wanting to pick up a Military now to carry so am deciding if I should wait to try to get one in Rex 45 or purchase a S110V now. I'm afraid if I get the sprint that I'll be fighting a losing battle and end up with a "rusty" blade. Am I overreacting here or is this a legitimate concern with both Cruwear and Rex 45? I like a tough tool steel that holds its edge but reality might suggest a more stainless steel. Thank you for all responses.
 
I'd go with the S110V -- have several Spydies in that steel and they're all fantastic!
 
S110V holds an edge for a long time and is super stainless.

If Rex45 is like HAP40 (they have the same composition) then it will be less stainless than Cruwear.

In the end S110V is both more stainless and more corrosion resistant than REX45 or Cruwear.

I would get both but I am a knife hoarder and a Military fan.
 
bladesrckool said:
Thanks for the replies!


I really want both but can really only justify 1 as of now, unfortunately...
Click to expand...
We are taught that we must "Justify" everything we do. It's wrong, Life is measured by accomplishments and also fulfilled desires. Sometimes you need to throw caution to the wind. If you buy both on the secondary market spyderco's are like cash in the bank. Get both and see if you like one more than the other, if you do you can sell it on BF in a day but if you like both keep both and enjoy them. I have 6 PM2's and that is whats left from a collection of 15 I sold all the others and kept the 6 I like the most.I listed all the other ones and they all went in 2 days among some other knives I sold with them. Get them, enjoy them, if you don't just sell them and get something else. Be careful though, I didn't listen to my own advice and somehow ended up with about 90 knives. Easy to buy and hard to sell.
 
The opportunity to get the Rex 45 will not last, while the S110V is regular production.

I also like stainless - I live in TN and if I carry M4 on a hike or when working outdoors in the summer I get sweat condensing on the blade. When I took an M4 PM2 on a backpacking trip there were rust spots on it due to the accumulated sweat. It wasn't bad, but it was there on the flats of the blade where the sweat was, but not on the edge. After that trip I forced a patina on the blade with a vinegar bath and it is much better about corrosion. M4 and Rex 45/HAP40 are fairly similar when it comes to corrosion resistance. They are noticeably better in this regard than simple carbon steels, though not as good as Cruwear.
 
I'd suggest looking into a Pacific Salt in Serrated Edge H1. Exceptionally tough larger knife with the legendary H1 serrated blade. And since it is a Salt model with fully stainless H1 steel, corrosion is a non-issue. You could leave it outside, bury it in mud, whatever, and it will clean up like new. This and the H1 Spyderhawk SE Salt are my two go-to outdoor knives for these reasons. Oh, and did I mention the Pacific Salt is like half the price of a Military? :)
 
I will say this... my downright favorite is the S90V millie from Knifeworks. Followed closely behind by my 204p model, also a KW exclusive. But I can say that the S30V lefty model I have has also been a solid performer. Spyderco gets the most out of their steels. Just remember Millie blades are for cutting. NO PRYING. If you only cut, you will not be left wanting by any of the three i mentioned. That being said... I am still going to try a CPM Rex 45. Variety is the spice of life
 
There really is no question. You need either the S110V or the knifeworks.com forest green 204P. I would probably go for the latter.

knifework-c36ggrp.2.jpg
 
bladesrckool said:
I recently acquired the Cruwear PM2 and am absolutely loving it. I work in the Forestry field so I am out and about in the woods every other day for several hours and also reside in Southern Appalachia so bordering the humidity of a rainforest. Wanting to pick up a Military now to carry so am deciding if I should wait to try to get one in Rex 45 or purchase a S110V now. I'm afraid if I get the sprint that I'll be fighting a losing battle and end up with a "rusty" blade. Am I overreacting here or is this a legitimate concern with both Cruwear and Rex 45? I like a tough tool steel that holds its edge but reality might suggest a more stainless steel. Thank you for all responses.
Click to expand...
I think your overreacting, you're not going scuba diving with them.

Cruwear isn't as reactive as M4 or 1095.

Its not a stainless steel but it's not going to rust before your eyes. Rex 45 should be similar if it behaves like the hap40 on the market.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top