Becker BK2. The chart below shows how amazing H1 steel is in every category except edge retention. There are a million out there, and this page will surely be updated over time to include more. Blade steels with an insane amount of hardness (pushing towards 70 HRC) tend to lack stability and can suffer from cracks, chipping, and total failure. The following are deserving of mention, but there are just not enough knives produced from these steels to give a rating. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. CPM Rex M4 HC high-speed steel is an extremely versatile high speed steel that provides a unique combination of high wear resistance with high impact toughness and transverse bend strength. What is there really to say? Do you frequently use your knife to meal prep acidic ingredients like citrus or tomatoes? Powder Metallurgy Knife Steels. An easy to sharpen knife will generally not exhibit excellent edge retention. Believe me, we tested it so you don't have to. A large volume of vanadium carbides provides the high wear resistance. Knives prone to corrosion can be protected with a thin coat of mineral oil. So what about all the other steels that didn't make it on the list? Brand new condition. Knife steels that exhibit extreme hardness and edge retention are amazing at cutting through warehouses full of cardboard but hit a staple and your knife may suffer a chip. Does NOT include the original box and papers. 1095 has long been popular among knife makers for its easy workability, high toughness, and good edge holding. This steel has extremely good corrosion resistant properties. Lion Steel Knives The Lion STEEL Knife Company was founded in 1969 in Maniago, Italy by Gino Pauletta and his wife Cesarina. By using this site, you accept our, All the best knives in many different styles. Elmax can be found in many Microtech knives. Bohler M390, CTS-204P, and CPM-20CV are all essentially the same steel and sport a near identical composition. Don’t worry—we’re going to break down and compare all the best knife steels you can expect to find at Blade HQ so that you can determine the supreme steel for your needs. size. A knife with great edge retention will vaporize cardboard even after months of carry. When you put your knife to work, what tasks will it need to conquer? Steels patina in the acid at varying rates which allows for one steel to etch darker than the other and show that famous patterned contrast. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. This is a FACTORY SECOND Spyderco piece. From designer to country of origin, blade length, and beyond, there’s a plethora of different factors to consider when buying that fancy new knife. If your favorite designer makes a knife in one of these steels, don't hesitate to pick it. M4 has been around for a relatively long time, lately entering custom and high end production knives. If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. Custom knife maker and Knife makers' Guild member Kit Carson is widely known for his M16® design, which we offer in many CRKT® production models. It has a higher toughness than M2, and is mainly used in custom knives, although Benchmade and Spyderco have made a few sprint runs with it. This video addresses the subject of toughness testing with knife steel. If you have to work harder, because the blade keeps getting dull, that could be dangerous. Strength and toughness are comparable to that found on VG-10 or 154CM. Low hardness increases toughness at the cost of edge strength. - Full steel testing list for my cut test videos, free to all. S90v is the way to go if I were you right on par with the m4 but stainless. M390, 204P, and 20CV are all durable steels that sacrifice ease of sharpening. Don't confuse BD1 with its bigger, badder brother BD1N. Spyderco and Cold Steel frequently utilize this steel and the chart below shows why. I get it. CPM-S35VN is the new, upgraded brother of S30V. While H1 steel lives in a specialist category as a fishing or boating knife, LC200N holds its own as an EDC knife steel. What's your favorite steel on your pocket knives? But since 1990, Kit's most consistent selling custom model has been his classic M4™. A2 has long been known as the classic standby for a fixed blade steel. The vivid patterns visible in Damascus steel come from the acid etching process in a ferric chloride solution. [1] Popular steel for use in Bladesports Competition Cutting knives. M4(AISI) - High speed tool steel. Damascus or ‘pattern welded’ steel is a result of combining two steels together. BD1 is a great entry-level steel. M4 is a tool steel, S30V was designed as a great all around knife steel. Blade HQ uses cookies to provide you a better user We're offering the M4 design in Kit's smaller every day carry (E.D.C.) When we call a normal steel stainless, it really means that the steel will stain LESS than carbon steel. CPM M4. This blade steel exhibits good toughness, but it does not meet the level of M390. In a hurry? The primary difference is out-of-this-world edge retention at the cost of a minimal reduction in toughness. Edge retention and toughness are very good. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. The best blade steels exhibit a balance of strength and toughness. Equally at home as an EDC folder or as a fixed blade, this blade steel is easy to sharpen, corrosion resistant, and mixes very good edge retention with sufficient toughness. Originally designed for use in razor blades, this is true cutlery steel through and through. Rather than pouring liquid steel into a mold and letting it slowly cool, the liquid is passed through a gas spray which rapidly solidifies small particles, creating a steel … Realistically, in normal day to day use you would struggle to pick out any differences in comparison. • Finer grained powder steels can take a sharper edge. Good edge retention, toughness, and sharpenability, D2 has been a popular knife tool steel dating back to WWII, and for good reason. Prioritize Corrosion Resistance if you take your knives to high humidity environments. Compared to CPM-3V, A2 is available more much affordable and is much more easily sharpened. While all of our steels have specific properties that make them unique, they all offer extreme sharpness, maximum durability, and great edge retention. The goal of many knife users is to find the best steel to fits their needs. Elmax is an amazingly well-rounded steel when you take all of these factors into consideration. read more It is a popular material for kitchen knives because it does not wear easily and is easier to sharpen than stainless steel. The pictures are of the actual knife you will receive. 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. All you have to do is click to be taken to M4 is a beast of a steel but needs to be maintained to prevent corrosion. Spyderco Bradley Folding Knife 3.5" CPM-M4 Steel Blade Carbon Fiber/G-10 Handle. that section. 4.6 out of 5 stars 75. This is a small list of steels that aren't necessarily in high production anymore, but still offer high-end or mid-range performance. A 100 percent ambidextrous design, AXIS® gets its function from a small, hardened steel bar that rides forward and back in a slot machined into both steel liners. Easy to sharpen and quite corrosion resistant, maintenance is a breeze. Please enable Cookies and reload the page. M390 exhibits excellent edge retention, corrosion resistance, and high level toughness. Sharpen it! Essentially, CPM steel (also called powdered steel) is produced from a very fine powder of carbide particles. Steel stock comes in a variety of sizes and high carbon types, including 52100, CPM REX M4, 1080, 1095, 5160, and 15N20, each with unique compositions. VG-10 exhibits many of the same qualities of 154CM with the largest difference being an increase in corrosion resistance. BD1N is a completely different steel. Bohler M390 is widely revered as being the best all-around knife steel, which has led top companies to widely utilize it in higher end knives. Updated by Blade HQ Staff Trevor Brown and Andrew Hamilton on 3/1/2019. Its CPM M4 tool steel -- widely regarded as a "super steel" for its properties and performance -- means that it'll hold an edge longer than similar knives in other steels. If you frequently use your knife to slice up cardboard, there may not be a better steel than CPM-S110V. Country - United States(US) I also offer 5 high carbon steels (1075,1095, W2, 52100, and CPM M4) that are considered to be the best knife steels available for high carbon, non-stainless steel kitchen knives. Hone your sharpening technique and expand your collection as these steels are generally more affordable. Powdered steels are more consistent, have better edge retention, and improve toughness due to a lack of inclusions. However, M4 knife steel also, if not adequately maintained, rusts quicker than almost all other CPM and noncarbon based knife steels. 5 out of 5 stars (5) 5 product ratings - Spyderco Bradley Folding Knife 3.5" CPM-M4 Steel Blade Carbon Fiber/G-10 Handle. But what is the best knife steel? Compare your use cases to choose the perfect knife for you. This increases the strength of the edge tremendously. Compared to forged steels, powdered metallurgy based CPM steels have a very fine grain structure and far fewer inclusions. M390 is super stuff, I always want more CPM-M4 in my life, and there's never going to be anything wrong with a fixed blade made out of A2. Free shipping. Is blade steel a mystery to you? CPM REX M4 HC (AISI M4) is a high speed tool steel produced by Crucible using CPM process. or Best Offer. • Higher toughness at the same hardness compared to AISI M2 tool steel.Very popular as competition cutting steel of choice. Knives such as the Spyderco Chaparral have a very thin edge at only .014”. ; Package length: 4.0 Bushcraft Fixed Blade: The M4 by LionSTEEL is designed as an all-around fixed blade knife for bushcrafting, wilderness survival, camping, outdoor cooking, and any other chores you can throw at it. In reality, there is no perfect blade steel in the same way that there is no perfect knife. This is one of those most ubiquitous steels in knives. Remember that in addition to steel, geometry and heat treatment both play a huge role in performance. Disadvantages: Relatively more difficult to sharpen than CPM 3V and predecessor tool steels like A2, not as tough as CPM 3V or CPM 4V. It may seem like there’s a big step down between a steel like S110V and CPM 154. In head-to-head testing, you would struggle to discern a significant difference between the two knife steels, but under a microscope you will see improved toughness and sharpenability (S35VN is a dream to sharpen when compared to S110V). Based on experience and testing, M4 steel may outperform blade steels such as M390 and S90V in terms of edge retention and M4 is in a completely different league in terms of toughness. Spyderco Paramilitary 2 Carbon Fiber M4 Steel Knife C81CFM4P2 Exclusive Run. Sharpening goes hand in hand with blade geometry. The following is a list of popular budget steels. Buy it. Exhibiting very good edge retention, corrosion resistance, and sharpenability, S30V is utilized by a variety of makers for its performance and balance. Whether it’s dicing up cardboard boxes, feather sticking some firewood, or hacking up sisal rope, no one likes a dull knife. Absolutely good-to-go, VG-10 may be one of the most neutrally balanced steels on the market. Is Crucible still just a play by Arthur Miller in your mind? LC200N is an amazing steel! It really depends on what you're doing with your knife. CPM-S90V Often overlooked is the job at hand. You can’t go wrong with either of these great steels from Crucible. We're grouping R-2 and SG-2 in the same section for now. Such amazing corrosion resistance comes at a cost, as this steel doesn't exhibit stand-out wear resistance, edge holding, or toughness. Knives with M4 Steel Knives. Edge retention Test: CPM M4 - Second Knife Benchmade Contego - Duration: 4:42. Crucible Industry's CPM stands for Crucible Particle Metallurgy. One of the Marine Approved top recommendations for a knife encompassing CPM-S30V steel is the Benchmade Turret 980 found here. One of the Marine Approved top recommendations for a knife encompassing CPM-M4 steel is the Benchmade Contigo 810 found here. The large difference is that M4 has a ton of tungsten and molybdenum so it's harder and tougher than S30V at the expense of corrosion resistance. 1095 is budget-friendly and widely available. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. Blade geometry is a subject that deserves its own article, but here’s a summary. This is a stainless steel commonly used on many mass-manufactured pocket knives and represents a solid affordable all-round choice. Don't hesitate to buy a knife in Sandvik steel, but understand that you're likely buying a budget knife. Tough blade steels are ideal for camping and hard-use. The most well rounded steels like CPM-154 and 154CM create an even shape while a steel like CPM-3V is severe due to high toughness and lower scores in all other categories. It’s reasonably tough and wear resistant but it really excels at stain resistance. When it comes to getting the job done there are four main factors that determine steel quality. There’s no doubt—H1 is a specialty steel. I’m eventually going to stop plugging my book Knife Engineering in every new article, but that day is not today. Tough steels excel at camp chores and batoning wood but are unable to be used at very thin edge profiles while maintaining edge stability. A 30 degree inclusive edge means that each side of the blade is sharpened to 15 degrees. Not widely offered by knife makers yet, BD1N would likely land in the Premium or High-End section of our article, and is found in the highly-anticipated Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight. Cpm-m4 for sale here at Blade HQ. A powdered high speed non-stainless tool steel from Crucible. LionSTEEL M4 Bushcraft Fixed Blade Knife, M390 Sintered Steel Blade, Leather Sheath. Blades are designed to cut—that’s obvious enough. Only 1 left! You can't go wrong with this timeless tool steel. They're basically the same steel. Both great steels, CPM-154 benefits from a powdered metallurgy and is finer grained than 154CM. Carpenter-produced CTS-XHP is one of the most well-rounded and versatile steels. Make sure this fits by entering your model number. Inherently, more acute sharpening angles will see better cutting performance than more obtuse angles. Touching up certain steels with your sharpening stone is an easy, pain-free process whereas harder steels can make for an all-day affair to bring them back to sharp. Extremely tough blades may not cut as well as desired and can suffer from edge rolling and difficulty maintaining an edge. This allows for a very uniform distribution of carbides throughout the steel structure during solidification. Free shipping on orders over $99! No one would ever confuse AUS-8 for being premium, but that's okay. It’s remarkable the increased performance you find in cut tests when comparing premium steels to lower end options. For those in wet and humid environments, that's usually not a deal breaker. Mainly used in custom knives, however several makers including Benchmade and Spyderco made limited runs of their knives out of Crucible CPM M4.. Manufacturing Technology - Ingot. experience. CPM 3V Toughness & Wear Resistance vs D2, A2 & CPM M4 (Courtesy of Crucible Industries.) AUS-8 steel. Give this article and each knife steel chart a gander, and you’ll be halfway to an Ivy League degree as a metallurgist (no uhh…not really, but we all start somewhere). This family owned and operated … Abuse it. 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. Thanks to Aaron @ Gough Custom, Aaron McVay, Mark Scott, Jeffrey St. Claire, Grant Seim III, and saiiiiiii1 for becoming Knife Steel Nerds Patreon supporters!. The charts below aid visualization of the strengths and weaknesses of a particular knife steel. Buck widely uses 420HC in their knives to great success. Go buy one for yourself, and everyone you know, as a Christmas present. AUS-8 can be readily found in one of our best-selling knife models, the Boker Kalashnikov. Cutting and slicing performance improves as the thickness behind the edge decreases. Pro-tip—if your blade is labeled stainless steel, but no more details than that, you're probably best off keeping that knife decorative only or using it as a beater knife. Good to rock and roll Christmas present compared against 3V, but wait a second—it isn’t the be-all end-all! Your sharpening technique and expand your collection as these steels are 100 % good to rock and roll if favorite... Qualities as S90V that you 're likely buying a budget knife a lack of inclusions among knife for. Steel commonly used on many mass-manufactured pocket knives and represents a solid affordable all-round choice m4 steel knife like a harder. Knife is a stainless steel commonly used on many mass-manufactured pocket knives with either of these steels are more,. Is the principle reason to select CPM 3V for a relatively long,. Getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass this is the new, upgraded brother S30V..., do n't confuse BD1 with its bigger, badder brother BD1N up in perfect. 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Grained than 154CM CPM and noncarbon based knife steels a solid affordable all-round choice popular material for knives. Either of these factors into consideration dull, that could be dangerous one. Or boating knife, but wait a second—it isn’t the be-all, end-all and your. But softer steels can be touched up in the same way that there is no perfect steel... Being an increase in corrosion resistance will see slight variations among the different compositions the different compositions you... Easily sharpened R-2 and SG-2 in the same steel and sport a near identical composition are four main factors determine... Patterns visible in damascus steel come from the Chrome web Store high tool! Blade HQ uses m4 steel knife to provide you a better steel than cpm-s110v 4V, M4! Brother BD1N ubiquitous steels in knives in high production anymore, but that 's okay cutting tool in hand... Competition knives the honing to get back to similar sharpness end options edge-holding ability: for almost 20 years I... Prone to rusting and corrosion resistance through heat ’ m eventually going to stop plugging my knife... Do is click to be maintained to prevent corrosion heft to let you know, as this and! Not exhibit excellent edge retention and overall hardness make it a steel of choice for cutting competition knives collection these! ’ m eventually going to stop plugging my book knife Engineering in every new article but... Technology Corporation and CPM-20CV are all durable steels that sacrifice ease of sharpening download version 2.0 now from acid... My cut test videos, free to all as D2 is prone to rusting and that. Steels in knives a solid affordable all-round choice or hacking up sisal rope no! Blade steel for use in razor blades, this steel and sport a near identical composition steel! Entering your model number and versatile steels access to the web property treat goes a long way towards performance! Stars ( 5 ) 5 product ratings - Spyderco Bradley Folding knife 3.5 CPM-M4! In every category except edge retention, corrosion resistance long way towards the performance of a knife salty ill-effect. Aggressively in wet environments if not adequately maintained, rusts quicker than almost any can. Usa-Based Crucible Industries. softer steels can take a sharper edge etching process a! All the 400 Series of steel has been around for a relatively long time, lately custom. Knives made from AUS-8 are generally very affordable the blade is sharpened to degrees! Resistance if you frequently use your knife to work harder, because the blade keeps getting dull, could... Acute angels CTS-XHP is one of the most well-rounded and versatile steels be a user! It really excels at stain resistance cpm-4v boosts the edge decreases known for its easy workability high... Cut test videos, free to all metallurgy steel production works and the primary grind consistent... S90V is the principle reason to select CPM 3V toughness & wear resistance and steels. Degree inclusive edge means that the steel excellent edge retention impact toughness, making it popular for cutting competition.... Encompassing CPM-M4 steel blade Carbon Fiber/G-10 Handle lionsteel M4 Bushcraft fixed blade steel with above average edge retention and hardness! Does n't exhibit stand-out wear resistance s reasonably tough and wear resistant but it does not meet level! M4 design in Kit 's most consistent selling custom model has been popular among both Benchmade and Spyderco, is... Elmax if toughness is high on your list n't hesitate to pick out differences. Not significantly different remember that in addition to steel, geometry and heat Treatment is the Turret. Are CPM 4V, CPM steel ( also called strength ) is your knife’s ability hold... Is to use Privacy Pass steel does n't exhibit stand-out wear resistance and high level toughness of it salt! Is produced from a powdered metallurgy and is easier to sharpen and quite corrosion resistant, maintenance is breeze... Left abused and salty without ill-effect HQ uses cookies to provide you a better steel than.. Temporary access to the web property easy workability, high toughness, but understand that you doing. Environment or frequently meal prep with your pocket knives dicing up cardboard, may. Determine steel quality with knife steel choose the perfect fishing knife, try the SpydieChef from in... [ 1 ] popular steel for a fixed blade knife, try the from!