Another round of CPMD2 sprints?

[xceptnl]

As Nate said, we do have a modern equivalent in PSF-27 and we haven't seen a folder in that steel yet. Hopefully one of our trusted dealers will fund a Millie exclusive and we can get some modern D2.

[The Mastiff]

You schooled me on XHP history some years back. It's practically a stainless powdered D2 right?

Yes, exactly. Spyderco seems to have a pretty darn good heat treat for it IMO. I don't feel like I need a stainless steel and wouldn't consider it better because it is stainless but looking at it just on performance alone it's a tough steel not to like. At least the way it is done by this company. I don't have any experience with Cold Steel's version yet.

On the other hand I can be just as happy with plain D2 or CPM D2 as I am with XHP. There is a lot to like with these steels.

Joe

[brj]

Have both the Para1 and Millie in D2 but I wouldn't say no to another iteration.

[bearfacedkiller]

I wouldn't mind. I like D2. I remember trying CPM D2 but no longer have any. I recall it being good, but not D2 like in the coarse grain that was so good on cutting meat, rope and other stuff that do well when using lots of carbides to eat through. I only had 2 different sample knives in CPM D2 though. You can really change this type steel with different heat treats so maybe I just need more experience with it. If I wasn't going to push the steel and run it fairly hard I probably wouldn't want the powder steel version of D2. It would almost be like wasting it's capabilities.

Joe

Joe, you sound like you speak favorably of ingot D2 due to it's extremely large grain size. It seems as though most complain about it and claim it reduces attainable sharpness and causes more carbide tear out. I have not really had any issues with ingot D2 myself. I have a smaller fixed blade in D2 (BK24) and even a custom puukko with a zero scandi grind at about 8 degrees per side and both seem to work great. I have used the puukko a lot. I think most people would say that that Puukko is a bad platform for D2 but it has continually blown me away. I have even hit some metal and rocks with it with only minor damage. I have carved LOTS of seasoned hardwood with it.

I have a Kershaw Composite Leek which has a CPMD2 edge as well as a Paramilitary1 in CPMD2. The Leek has seen A LOT of carry and use and it is a good steel in my opinion. It seems to balance attributes well. It sharpens easily enough, holds a decent edge, is stainless enough and is durable enough.

[The Mastiff]

Joe, you sound like you speak favorably of ingot D2 due to it's extremely large grain size

Yeah, and it's strange coming from me. I usually like the O-1/52100/W2 class on up to Cruwear and really don't want too much chrome or overall carbides in my steels. I've been trying to decide how much is nostalgia ( the first knife I made was D2, pretty rare back then) and how much is performance. The facts are though that it does cut and slice well on certain materials because of the carbides. I have no time for 440C though and it's another steel full of carbides but it doesn't do above rc 60 like D2 will. So I tell myself when I look at my obvious inconsistencies. :)

Joe

[levs18]

I would love another round of them. A tuff or lum tanto in D2, or one of the variants mentioned above, would be amazing.

[Brock O Lee]

Not to mention Cruwear, touted as an improved D2, and in my experience beats D2 in everything. Then we have XHP, the "stainless D2", which is also fantastic. With these supposedly upgraded versions, do I want to go back to regular old D2? I don't see why I would.

Same here I’m afraid...

[Donut]

I would like to see a couple of the mainstream knives done in CPM-10V like the Military, Para 2, Manix 2 Lightweight, Manix 2 Lockback before I would like to see some stuff done in CPM-D2, but maybe one run in the middle wouldn't hurt anything.

[Doc Dan]

I am ambivalent about it. I like D2 and its ilk, but with XHP on the scene, I wonder why I would choose D2? My favorite custom skinner is D2 and I have zero complaints and it is high hollow ground pretty thin. I have never had issues that I have heard others complain about with the steel. It is not chippy, and it holds an edge really well. It can be a bear to sharpen sometimes (not S110V level though). I seem to think XHP is a bit easier to sharpen and holds a very sharp edge a tad longer for the kind of things I use a knife for. I cannot say anything about Cruwear, but it looks like a good improvement over D2. I can talk about other non-stainless steels like 1095V, 50100B, 3V, O-1, K390, and others to make a comparison. D2 is good, but it is not the best of the best, either.

[Joshua J.]

I’d like to see a run of CTS B75P, which I don’t think has been used in a knife yet.
https://www.alphaknifesupply.com/zdata- ... TSB75P.htm

This is relevant to CPM D2 in that for a few decades BG-42 was effectively the stanless counterpart to D2, so it would be neat to see the PM equivalent of both of them side by side.

[bearfacedkiller]

As far as the references to PSF27 go I must admit that I am a little bit perplexed in regards to that steel.

I have the Bradley Bowie and it is actually one of my most used fixed blades. It came with an obtuse edge bevel but since reprofiling down to 30 degrees it has certainly impressed me. I have processed meat, carved wood and even batonned it quite a bit. It is good stuff in my experience.

What I don't understand and is what PSF27s benefit really is? If you want a steel with exceptionally large carbides for an aggressive edge then you have ingot D2. If you want a steel with the composition of D2 but with a fine grain structure you have CPM D2. It is my understanding that PSF 27 yields a fine grain structure but not as fine as CPM D2.

So I guess my question is; Is PSF27 actually and improvement on CPM D2 and if so why? It is more modern but is it an improvement? What am I missing?

[Ryno]

I like it myself but if given a choice I typically buy "newer" steels. One of my favorite folding knives is D2. My more recent Spyderco purchases have been S90V, S110V, M4 for instance.

Seriously, have you ever been in a situation where D2 just would not cut it, and you have to switch over to Maxamet, like for skinning 3 elks on the side of a mountain every weekend?

Unless you are hitting hard materials while skinning, I bet ZDP would be ideal for lots of skinning. Have you tried that?

[Ryno]

I would love to see the PM2 in either D2 or XHP. Better yet, it would give me a chance to try a Para3 if it were to come in that.