Introduction Crucible Industries CPM S90V is tough stuff. This steel is well known for for its wear-resistance. According to Crucible, S90V is used in plastic feedscrews, valve components, nozzles, slitters, cutters, gear pumps, pelletizing equipment, bearings, and other hard use parts. In the knifemaking world, S90V is legendary for its near perfect edge-retention. It is close to impossible to dull …
How Good is Nitro V Stainless Steel?
Introduction With the vast amount of “boutique steel” on the market today, the knifemaker and consumer have an unprecedented ability to be choosy about the type of steel they want in their knives. Online forums are awash in back and forth banter on what steel to use for what purpose, how to heat treat and temper those steels, and what …
How Good is CPM S35VN Knife Steel?
CPM S35VN Steel Introduction When I research knife steels for KnifeUp Magazine, I always make it a deep dive and I look at no less than two dozen websites, articles, and product pages. One interesting thing that I’ve found while doing this research is the back and forth conversations that I see on some of the forums. It’s fun to …
How Good is CPM 20CV Knife Steel?
CPM 20CV Steel Introduction CPM 20CV Steel is Crucible’s answer to Bohler’s M390 stainless steel. It also helped Carpenter to create CTS-204P, which is also quite similar. These facts alone should tell you something. CPM stands for, “Crucible Particle Metallurgy” and is one of the single most coveted stainless “super steels” for knife enthusiasts in the world at this moment …
M390 Knife Steel Overview
Bohler M390 Steel Introduction Bohler M390 stainless steel is one of the recent wave of “super steels” heralded by knife makers all over the world. It has characteristics of high hardness and excellent corrosion resistance. This means you’re going to get a very fine edge that retains it sharpness even through hard use, with little to no patina. Introduced and …
N690 Steel Properties
The N690 Cobalt Stainless Steel is made in Austria by a company known for making steel that can be made into sharp knives and surgical instruments. This steel is very similar to 440C steel, and it has 1.07% carbon content. N440C steel has a carbon content ranging from .95 – 1.07 percent. The N690 is a high-end stainless steel with …
How Good is 1095 Steel?
Steel comes in a variety of forms. This is because steel needs to serve a variety of functions. It is alloyed with many different kinds of metals for a myriad of different purposes. The different types of metals used in the creation of steel gives it different properties, which is why there are different kinds of steel available. Common to …
CPM 154 Knife Steel Overview
Introduction 154CM stainless steel has long been a sought-after metal for knife makers. The addition of molybdenum over 440C steel gave 154CM far superior edge holding, while still maintaining the same corrosion resistance. 154CM and its twin, ATS-34, were not without their own drawbacks, however. Knifemaker John Barlow earlier this year sat down with Blade Magazine and explained why he …
420HC Steel Overview
420HC Steel holds a higher carbon production rate than some stainless steels. The content is softer than the higher number steel count 440, yet it’s more rugged than other similar products. This steel material has a greater carbon base and is mixed to a harder finish than 420 stainless steels, but under normal processes, falls around 55 HRC. Given the …
CPM-3V Knife Steel Overview
Overview Perfect knife steels are like opinions… You were expecting a joke, right? Well, the fact is, there is no “perfect” knife steel. It all depends on what your intended use for the knife will be, where you expect to use the knife, and the conditions in which it will be used. Many throw around the term “perfect,” and CPM-3V …