Like 154CM, it’s a good compromise between all three steel attributes. Sharing in-depth conversations between the world's adventurers, athletes, and outdoorspeople, The GearJunkie Podcast is your inside look into the outdoors industry. Topics: Camping, Explainer Series, Knives, Outdoor. Crucible intends SPY27 to be good all-around knife steel. I’ve found S35VN less chippy even at the same hardness. While quite soft, the metal cuts even when it seems dull because, at the microscopic level, it has a roughness that performs much like a serration. Editor’s note: This article was first published in May 2015 and was most recently updated on May 25, 2020. 14C28N is offered on midprice knives and is one of the better steels on a dollar-for-dollar basis. A2 knives need care taken to avoid rust and are often coated to inhibit corrosion. Read our full Sobata 398 review here. Hammering through hickory, digging at roots in sandy soil, and cutting around bone did nothing to chip, dent, or roll the edge of my 3V knives. However, M390, CTS-204P, and CPM-20CV are all pretty difficult to resharpen, so maintain that edge! These cumulatively have a complicated impact on the characteristics of the resulting alloy vs S90V, i.e. There is one exception: Buck’s 420HC (Buck and only Buck) is produced using a proprietary heat treatment. From next-gen tech to ingenious innovation, our weekly peek at emerging products examines the sometimes cutting-edge, sometimes quirky world of gear design. XHP is an exceptionally well-balanced steel with excellent all-around attributes. S30V VS Steel . The heat treatment techniques used by the manufacturer as well as the design of the blade itself play a huge role in the ultimate outcome of knife performance! CRKT and Spyderco use BD1. It’s a good balance between all three attributes, being relatively hard, tough, and corrosion-resistant. This means consumers should be able to maintain these quality knives at home. And while it can be hard depending on the heat treat, I have found it easily chips, causing microscopic dings in the edge when hardened to a high level on a thin blade. Between the CF Native in S90V and the Sage 5, idk what I would choose. CPM 20CV. This is an American-made powder steel produced by Crucible and developed specifically for knives with the aid of the knife guru Chris Reeve (maker of the vaunted Sebenza, among other gems). But we’ve tested this metal in the form of the Sobata 398 for nearly a year and have been continually impressed. Only a few years ago Elmax was pricey, but competition has driven it down to reasonable levels, making it a decent value. May 25, 2020 | By Anthony Sculimbrene & Sean McCoy. And while you’ll find it mostly in expensive knives, quite a few approachable M390 blades exist. M390 vs S110V: I have a knife with M390. Also known as Z-Finit, Zapp produces this steel in America. S90V. REX 121 is a powder steel produced by Crucible. Read more…. As of November 2020, this is Spyderco-exclusive steel. Steels 7Cr and below aren’t worth your time or money. 20cv vs s30v. Note: There is a powder-metal version called CPM154 that’s purer than the non-powder version, making it easier for knifemakers to grind. With a high level of edge retention, corrosion resistance, and toughness, it does most everything quite well. It’s very corrosion-resistant and quite tough. Flashlights run the gamut of price and quality. CPM s90v Corrosion Resistance: Great Corrosion Resistance due to 14% of Chromium, which makes s90v stainless steel (Once steel has more than 10-12% of chromium in it it’s considered stainless steel). Note: Don’t bother with anything less than 8Cr in this series. Its high hardness and relatively high toughness also make it an excellent choice in cutlery. Made by @Crucible CPM 20CV is a martensitic stainless steel high in Vanadium, Chromium, and Carbon for excellent wear resistance and corrosion resistance, it’s used for plastic injection feed screws, barrel liners, screw tips, mold cavities, and premium Knives.. Type 8Cr, the more common formulation, is worse than AUS-8: a little more prone to corrosion and not quite as hard. The CATRA test, which measures the sharpness and edge life of a blade by comparing it to 440C, rates CPM 20CV 180% better. Nitro V is also significantly cheaper than many other steels with this level of performance. A proprietary steel and heat treat developed by Busse Knives, INFI is an excellent performer and one of the best steels for big choppers on the market. The benefit of this, of course, is that the steel holds an edge for a very, very long time. The higher percentage of vanadium in this steel creates a fine grain structure to better hold an edge. Custom maker Brian Trudeau uses Nitro V, and Massdrop’s Perpetua design is the first production knife to sport it. This is a quick comparison between premium steels used in pocketknives. But it doesn’t have great wear resistance and thus doesn’t hold an edge particularly well. INFI is also quite hard and sharpens easily. Rowen’s heat treat on ESEE knives that use 1095 is exceptional; Ka-Bar’s is less so. The Sage is cheaper, not fluted CF, and has S30V, a compression lock, and wire clip. That’s a little too far, but you get the point.). In use, it’s very similar to 440C and VG-10. Chris Reeve’s version, which is about two points less hard than others, is quite good. Short of purposeful abuse, it’s all but impossible to chip an edge on an INFI blade. Here, read on for an in-depth look at common knife steels as well as the best knife steels around. It won’t hang long with high-end powder metal steels (a method of making steel using ultra-pure micrograins of steel that are heated and pressed together). But in use, I’ve found nothing that withstands the abuse that 3V can take. S90V could be called a super steel (at least thats what I call it) while S30V is a great steel and better for ease of sharpening, you will however have to sharpen it more and it wont take as good of an edge as S90V. Enter before February 8th for your chance to win. S110V has a similar Mo content as well so it should still have better corrosion resistance than S45VN. Though technically not a stainless steel — at least 14% chromium, and D2 usually has 12% — it’s relatively corrosion-resistant. It’s very hard, tough, and corrosion-resistant. We did the research to help you find the best hunting knife for your needs and budget. 420HC doesn’t hold an edge well, but it’s relatively stain-resistant and tough. Alongside edge geometry and design, blade steel is a critical element that determines how a knife performs. It’s tough, but that’s about it. But the true calling card of INFI is its insane toughness. This is a virtually stain-proof steel suitable for all sorts of aquatic environments. Advantages: Outstanding edge holding and corrosion resistance, requires little maintenance. A Japanese powder steel, ZDP-189 is essentially the polar opposite of 3V — it’s uber-hard instead of uber-tough. S90V has less chromium and double the vanadium of its counterpart, allowing it to more wear-resistant and tougher. No mainstream companies use SM100, and the niche makers that do usually charge more than $1,000 for knives with SM100 blades. This is a non-powder Japanese steel used primarily in Spyderco knives. Edge Retention. S90V offers substantial improvements in wear resistance over 440C and D2, and other high chromium tool steels. It doesn’t hold an edge well, but it’s so easy to sharpen that you can get it back to razor sharpness in a few minutes. This is a nitrogen steel that is extremely corrosion-resistant — so much so that it’s used in knives designed to go in salt water, among the most difficult conditions knives are used in. So in your opinion. High vanadium … GearJunkie may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Enjoy it! Read more…. Which one is right for you? This is basically a retrofit of a very old steel, adding more carbon to the recipe of 420 (hence the HC for “high carbon”). Steel is essentially an alloy (i.e. CPM s90v Edge Retention: With a high presence of vanadium and carbon, s90v steel offers extreme edge retention (might be the best in the steel). Below shows the results of CATRA experiments reported by others that I have shown in other articles. LC 200N is an elite performer, with high hardness, high toughness, and off-the-charts corrosion resistance. Maxamet’s hardness results in incredible edge retention and a nightmarish sharpening and machining experience. CPM 20CV is one of the best steels for retaining an edge. Spyderco offers this as the high-end steel for many of its evergreen blades, like the Paramilitary 2, Paramilitary 3, Manix 2, and Native 5. S30V VS M390; S30V VS S35VN; S30V VS S90V; S30V VS S110V; S30V VS D2; S30V VS 154CM; S30V VS 20CV; S30V VS VG10; S30V VS 420HC; Conclusion: Reach your true potential; Reach your true potential This is the steel used in Swiss Army knives and is excellent for beginner sharpeners. I dont see the high carbide steel craze dying soon, its ok since I like to check out the newest steel but I do wish more knives would be made in “simpler” steels with better heat treats. Most steels use carbon to increase hardness, but 14C28N uses nitrogen, boosting hardness without the normal penalty of increased corrosion. Instead, Vargo titanium uses a unique material called sintered titanium-ceramic alloy. 'The Icycycle': Will This Awesome (and Terrifying) Saw Bike Work? But not quite up to super steel status m390, s90v, s110v, 4v, m4? But it’s lightyears ahead of the alternatives, specifically titanium-bladed knives. While not a powder steel, 154CM is widely used in nicer knives. Who uses it: Bark River Knives. Spyderco has produced several production knives with Maxamet, and the steel debuted on the ZT0888. Very interesting insight into pm steels… one question, the appearance of 20cv and m390 microgaphs… It looks like there are a larger amount of smaller carbides as well as the ones that are the maximum size. Read more…. It gets exceptionally sharp, a nod to its origins as a razorblade steel. Though the margin of difference between the two is not that great it is noticable. If you’re looking for all all-around best knife steel, you’d be hard-pressed to find one better than Bohler Uddeholm M390. Like 154CM, there is a newer version, S35VN, which shares many of the same attributes as S30V but is easier to craft into a knife thanks to niobium. I won’t go into detail about those here. It is a martensitic stainless steel with a high volume of vanadium carbides for exceptionally good wear resistance. In a carbon-rich alloy like CPM 20CV, the process of austenitization heats the steel until its crystalline structure changes to become austenite instead of ferrite. But in my experience, it has been nothing but great. 0.7% of Silicon: Gives extra hardness to the steel, and keeps air bubbles from forming in the melting process. A European powder-metal steel used in higher-end knives, Elmax has an advanced formula, and the result is a very good all-around steel, a generation ahead of formulations like 154CM. Still in the range of xhp, elmax,3v? It has enough water-fighting properties that it can be used in marine environments. CPM 20CV is a martensitic steel, which refers to its hard crystalline structure with lens-shaped or lenticular grains. Furthermore, because of its ultrahigh hardness, Maxamet is very prone to corrosion, probably worse than 1095. It’s an update of its 12C27 and 13C26 steels, which were developed for use in shaving razors. The Griptilian® with G10! Thread starter Nic7364; Start date Jan 5, 2019; Nic7364 Scout. Support us! Developed by New Jersey Steel Baron, Nitro V is a non-powder steel marketed as an enhanced version of AEB-L. Nitro V, as its name indicates, adds nitrogen to AEB-L’s formula to make the steel even more corrosion-resistant. But SM100 is not widely available, hard to heat treat and grind, and exceptionally expensive. There is a powder form, CPM-D2, and PSF27 is also very chemically similar. This is an old high-carbon (non-stainless) steel. D2 is a tool steel used in industrial settings. 12C27 Knife Steel. 1. share. I have no actual experience with S90V, so I invite any who do to comment on it. In my experience, it will tarnish and discolor quickly. These are Chinese-produced steels that recently started showing up in Chinese-made knives. Spyderco and Cold Steel have used it, though Cold Steel recently switched to S35VN due to availability concerns. This guide explains important features to consider when buying a new knife for the outdoors. It’s a very hard steel and is exceptionally difficult to sharpen. And given the recipe, it has a low number of carbides, the extra-hard microcrystals in steel that provide the hardness necessary for a stable and sharp edge. BD1 is excellent budget steel, very similar in composition and performance to GIN-1, a Japanese steel used a decade ago by Spyderco. S90V. S110V=26 Maxamet=24 M390=26. Hello, this is a demonstration of edge sharpness of high end steels achieved with ceramic sharpeners. This is an American-made powder steel. The unique process used to make LC 200N results in a fine-grain structure. GiantMouse Vox/Anso ACE Iona Liner Lock Knife, The 30 Best Memorial Day Sales You Don’t Want to Miss. It’s exceedingly tough and relatively hard, but it’s not stainless. Different heat treats have emerged over the years, but one has risen to the top as the best: Bob Dozier’s D2. 9Cr is the top end of the series and is quite good — as good or better than AUS-8. If you need something that soaks up abuse, try 3V. It’s called memory metal because heat can get it to revert back to a previous shape. How would s45vn rate vs m390/20cv/204p(my favorite for folding knives)? Despite its wonderful performance, XHP is actually not terribly expensive compared to other high-end, all-around performers. The brand Bark River uses A2 in many models. This is a non-powder steel produced by American steel company Carpenter. The S35VN or CPM S35V is a high-end martensitic stainless steel made by @Crucible, high in Carbon, Vanadium, and chromium designed to offer a great balance between toughness, hardness and corrosion resistance.It’s used in long-wearing Specialty cutlery, Plastic Injection and Extrusion Feed Screws and Dies, Wear Components for Food and Chemical Processing, and of … AEB-L is a non-powder steel produced by Swedish steelmaker Uddeholm. As a result, there are no production knives with REX 121 steel, though Ferrum Forge used the steel early on in its custom knives and a Kickstarter knife from the Creely Brothers. The Vargo Sobata 398 is unlike any other knife on this list. The greatest living knifemaker and one of the greatest knifemakers of all time, Michael Walker, calls AEB-L one of his favorite steels. This makes for a great slicing knife and a perfect steel, in my opinion, for a regular-use, everyday-carry folder. This grade of steel provides a balance between edge retention, corrosion -resistance, and the ability to be sharpened. Anthony Sculimbrene authors the blog EverydayCommentary.com. quite possibly the best steel you’ll find on a sub-$30 production knife. Like S90V, it’s a high-hardness steel, but it’s more balanced than S90V. We looked at common steels used by popular knife brands to help you select the right material for your blade. So we can understand more the Steel, let’s see its chemical composition. Joined Nov 10, 2017 Messages 318 Likes 766 Location New Zealand. In nitrogen steels, nitrogen is used as the iron-hardener instead of carbon, thus limiting the possibility of rusting. All Rights Reserved. S90v has great wear resistance but would make a sub par chopper and m4 is a great overall steel but would make a bad diving knife. It is a bit below steels like ZDP-189, S90V, and 20CV/M390. VG-1 is a non-powder steel made by Japanese specialty steelmaker Takefu. Latrobe at the time was owned by Timken, and 20CV steel began to appear on the Timken website in 2005 [7], and advertised in Blade magazine around the same time [8].