Supersteels. Do we really need 'em?

IMHO steels are to be considered as a couple: steel+how manufacturer heat treat it
I had good experience with s30v from ZT and BM and not from spyderco
I like m390 at ZT but not at BM
S35vn is great at CRK and good at ZT
I have tested s110vn from spyderco on the PM2 and it is great
Elmax at ZT is good
S90v from BM is worth giving it a try but I préfère s110vn over it
I prefer how ZT works in m390 compared to cts204p on the models I have

So... difficult to discuss m390 and s35vn over s30v without discussing manufacturers

But in my experience (speaking of the good ones) s30v is easy to sharpen and take a good edge
S35vn is really similar but seems to keep his edge longer when hard used. When properly done sharpening is even easier than s30v (S35vn from CRK in sebenza and Inkosi compared to s30v from ZT- which I both like)
M390 sharpens easily and keep his edge longer and what an edge! I have hard used it on wood and other similar hard materiAls and it did great
sabre cat said:
I have two knives in S30v and have to admit I am not super thrilled by the steel. I also have to admit that I have not carried either knife very much. Maybe I just never have given the steel a chance.

I would really like to try S35v and M390. Is there much difference between S35 and S30?
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TravisL said:
Ok, how about the powder version
CPM-154. :D
I here you though. I have had my fill with that one.
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Benchmade's 154cm is not bad steel. I have owned a few of their knives featuring that steel. It's decent but, I would like something just a little better.

As for CPM-154, I've never had a chance to try it. If BM would only do a minor upgrade in their steels...
 
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sabre cat said:
Benchmade's 154cm is not bade steel. I have owned a few of their knives featuring that steel. It's decent but, I would like something just a little better.

As for CPM-154, I've never had a chance to try it. If BM would only do a minor upgrade in their steels...
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do you only buy benchmade?
 
Higgs Particle steel said:
How much of this stuff was created for industrial purposes and how much was created for cutlery? Tool steel, bread knives, fabric industry, oil drills, construction equipment, vehicles, etc
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all were created for tools, when it says knives on the company info sheet they mean the kind that turns haddock into fake crab or bulls into bologna or old tires into mulch. the cutlery industry just does not use enough steel to get special products. as a maker, do you want a steel that can be heat treated in an hour or two or one that takes all day? very few consumers know the steel used to make their knife, most want shiny with a pretty handle that matches the kitchen decor.
 
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it is wiki man. the reference for that line is the Crucible data sheet and a 2005 review of a knife. the steel was introduced in 2001, Crucible said this "2001 - Developed stainless tool steel CPM® S30V® for applications requiring improved corrosion and wear resistance." (https://www.crucible.com/History.aspx?c=7)
 
I switched my EDC with a m390 blade to one with a D2 blade last year and didn't notice any problems so far. IMO for most tasks every conventional good steel is sufficient.
 
scott.livesey said:
all were created for tools, when it says knives on the company info sheet they mean the kind that turns haddock into fake crab or bulls into bologna or old tires into mulch. the cutlery industry just does not use enough steel to get special products. as a maker, do you want a steel that can be heat treated in an hour or two or one that takes all day? very few consumers know the steel used to make their knife, most want shiny with a pretty handle that matches the kitchen decor.
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Higgs Particle steel said:
Are you familiar with this?

From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPM_S30V_steel

"CPM S30V is a martensitic (hardened) powder-made (sintered) wear and corrosion resistant stainless steel developed by Dick Barber of Crucible Industries in collaboration with knifemaker Chris Reeve."

"In 2009, Crucible Steel introduced an update to CPM-S30V to meet the needs of renowned knife maker Chris Reeve that they called CPM-S35VN."

I figured someone might know of others and as it turned out, nobody did.
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scott.livesey said:
it is wiki man. the reference for that line is the Crucible data sheet and a 2005 review of a knife. the steel was introduced in 2001, Crucible said this "2001 - Developed stainless tool steel CPM® S30V® for applications requiring improved corrosion and wear resistance." (https://www.crucible.com/History.aspx?c=7)
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Check out from the source
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/the-true-history-of-s30v-development.1015831/


RTBarber said:
By way of introduction my name is Dick Barber and worked as a metallurgist for 25 years with Crucible prior to leaving for my current position.
While at Crucible I was involved with directing our alloy development as chairmen of the technical review committee. During that time I attended the Oregon knife collectors meeting in Eugene where I met Chris Reeve who at that time was using BG 42. I asked Chris why he was not using our materials and he told me that if we made something better he would buy it. This conversation was the beginning of a project that I sheparded through our alloy development process to make a better knife steel. During that time Ed Severson and myself conducted inverviews with many other knife makers but Chris was the only one who had access to the early alloys which were made. In fact material for the first heat of S30V we made in the research lab was given to Chris to work with. From that material he made 4 knives, one was given to me, one to Ed Severson, Chris kept one and Scott Cook who ground the blades kept the fourth. Those knives were tested and compared to other materials and several suggestions were made for improvement in the alloy. From that point a second set of materials were melted and tested in the lab. From that came the origional CPM S30V as well as the later CPM S35VN. As a reward for his interest and feedback on the product Chris was the first maker who had access to commercial quantities of the alloy. Some have said in many posts that Chris had no involvement in the development process. I can say that if you were not there then you should not comment on what did or did not happen. I can say as one who was there that were it not for Chris and his persistance in pushing me there would not have been a CPM S30V or the alloys that followed.
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RTBarber said:
When CPM S30V was concieved we were looking for an improved basket of properties. There are materials that can get harder, some are tougher, some will hold an edge longer and many are much easer to cut grind and heat treat. What we tried to do with this project was to look for an alloy that would workable for the knife makers and give the best combination of toughness edge retention and corrosion resistance. BG-42 is probably a little easier to work with but will not resist edge wear as well since it has fewer and softer carbides.
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l7QdU

I personally like to combine my carry with a high performance steel and grind, with a tough traditional in carbon steel. https://i.imgur.com/d6UxRTY.jpg

 
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