S90V VS M390 Fight!

[hawaiihunter]

Which steel in your opinion is superior to the other as a well rounded steel

[razorsharp]

S90v - Tiny bit. more edge retention...more brittle... annoying to sharpen, chips cutting stuff thats hard on edges. That is my conclusion from research. Not use

M390- slightly less edge retention but better at 62 hrc... pretty tough from my use...easy to sharpen... rolls or flattens at the worst (found that out cutting up Tin)


Those characteristics make m390 a winner in my book :D

[MachSchnell]

Depends on the HT of the M390, IIRC the M390 Mule was at 59-60HRC, but from what I read about Ankerson's testing input was that M390 really shines at 61+ HRC.
I'm not sure where neither the M390 Military nor the M390 Para Military 2 range in on the Rockwell scale. All I can add is that M390 in the PM2 performs really well, but have no experience with CPM-S90V (Missed the sprints and cant justify $300-400+ for one on the secondary market).

[MachSchnell]

S90v - Tiny bit more edge retention...more brittle... annoying to sharpen, chips cutting stuff thats hard on edges.

M390- slightly less edge retention but better at 62 hrc... pretty tough from my use...easy to sharpen... rolls or flattens at the worst (found that out cutting up Tin)


Those characteristics make m390 a winner in my book :D

I've found some chipping on M390... But I have not a microscope to clarify if it was a chip or a roll; regardless they sharpened out easily.

[razorsharp]

I got 2 patches of damage after cutting some food cans to pieces..damage was a flat portion...potentially microchips in it and I had a slight rolled dented looking portiin ....sharpened out easy as pie

[MachSchnell]

Overall, I am very satisfied with the M390 PM2 to the point where it's become my primary edc blade.

[michaelm466]

There's always 20CP too...

[hawaiihunter]

I got 2 patches of damage after cutting some food cans to pieces..damage was a flat portion...potentially microchips in it and I had a slight rolled dented looking portiin ....sharpened out easy as pie

Wow, thats the funniest thing ive heard during my time on this forum

[razorsharp]

Easy to my standards then :p ...better than sharpening chips that would have occurred in s90v

[Brock O Lee]

I like M390 slightly better than 20CP (no experience with S90V), because its much easier to sharpen for roughly the same edge retention.

I am eagerly waiting for RC values on both the M390 Millie and PM2, and a cut test/shootout.

[Zenith]

Neither.....CPM-M4....shows more character :p

From Zknives



All three steels are very similar if you take the characteristics of the elements into account.

20CP and 204P look the same as M390 on the table.

[can't freehand]

Which steel in your opinion is superior to the other as a well rounded steel

S90V is better

m390 is overrated, unless you want a very corrosion resistant steel that has good edge retention. Otherwise, S30V is just as good.

[can't freehand]

All three steels are very similar if you take the characteristics of the elements into account.

Not really. S90V has more carbon and nearly twice as much Vanadium, that makes a big difference.

[VashHash]

Neither is a slouch. Personally i think they're both great steels. M390 I find sharpens easier but S90V holds up to aggressive cutting longer in my use. M390 would likely win when it comes to corrosion resistance though. I say get both. It's what I did.

[bearfacedkiller]

They are more similar than they are different in terms of performance. I love my CTS204P Para2 which is the same alloy as M390 but made by a different foundry. I would say that the difference in edge retention and corrosion resistance between S90V and M390/204P/20CV is pretty insignificant. They are both very stainless and have great edge retention. I am not picking a "winner".

Hans, you can tell a big difference between M390 and 20CV? I wouldn't expect that but I have neither of those sprint runs so I cannot say.

[nirvanero]

M390 is usually cheaper, easier to sharpen and has more corrosion resistance than S90V. If your going for very high wear resistance then S110V is king in the (near future of) production knives, keeping S90V into the sprint run and custom market.

[bdblue]

Hans, you can tell a big difference between M390 and 20CV?

CP or CV?
Spyderco used CP, I believe that B_ used CV.

I've read that M390 and 204P should be the same, and 20CP and S90V should be the same, with 20CP/S90V being a bit better in edge retention than 204P/M390.
I think most of us would have a hard time telling much difference in any of them. If there is a question about chipping/rolling/etc., you would have to be careful to find near-identical knives with identical grinds, edge angles, etc. before you could do meaningful tests and it is possible that the variation from one test to another could be similar to the differences between the steels.

[bearfacedkiller]

Yeah, I misread that. He said CP. I got confused there. :)

[Brock O Lee]

Hans, you can tell a big difference between M390 and 20CV? I wouldn't expect that but I have neither of those sprint runs so I cannot say.

In the last 4 years, since my last post in this thread :), I used M390, S90V, 20CP quite a bit... I have some limited experience with 204p, and none with 20CV. Most of my typical usage is light EDC, food, packaging, cardboard etc. For my uses these steels are all very similar.

S90V and 20CP have similar chemistries, but are made by different foundries. They are both difficult to sharpen/reprofile, same as S110V. I prefer S90V, it just seems to keep its fine edge longer than 20CP and S110V. They are all very stainless.

M390 has similar corrosion resistance, and falls between S30V and S90V for edge holding and ease of sharpening in my experience. I like it slightly better than the steels above, because it sharpens easier.

It was a search for the ultimate edge retention that caused me to discover Spyderco's high carbide steels in 2011. My preferences have evolved over time, and while I still like and use these steels, these days I much prefer steels that keep a fine edge for longer and have high edge stability and some toughness over outright low sharpness abrasive edge retention. Most of my edges dull because of careless contact with hard surfaces, rather than abrasive wear. For that reason I prefer Superblue and M4, which is slightly better in this regard, even though they lack corrosion resistance. I still need to try HAP40...

[bearfacedkiller]

Ha, I didn't realize it was a necrothread and I didn't read your post right. I shouldn't post when I have been drinkin'. :o