Steel Testing YouTube Videos

[Mstach07]

Hi all,
I’m watching a YouTube channel that compares blade steel from different manufacturers, Spyderco PM2s and Para 3s being common comparables. The author suggests the heat treat on all the spyderco models / steels are the same, respective to the test conditions and his results. Check it out and share your thoughts. Supersteel Steve is the YouTube channel.

[Pelagic]

He has interesting opinions. He believes carbide tear out is 100% a myth.

He can also be very long winded, lol.

[Mstach07]

I don’t believe Spyderco would go through all the work with sourcing steel for dealer exclusives if they heat treat all the same. Has anyone done any hardness testing on two different steels in the para 3 lineup?

[sal]

Different steels are heat treated differently depending on the foundry's formulas. We also have different hardness for different steels.

sal

[jpm2]

I can't argue his results but he needs to learn the difference of toughness and strength.
Hardness plays a big role in how much an edge can take before it deforms/cracks, but depends on a lot of other factors, mostly steel composition and heat treat...edge geometry equal.

There's also the sharpening method, but I don't think applies to this thread.

[u.w.]

Hi all,
I’m watching a YouTube channel that compares blade steel from different manufacturers, Spyderco PM2s and Para 3s being common comparables. The author suggests the heat treat on all the spyderco models / steels are the same, respective to the test conditions and his results. Check it out and share your thoughts. Supersteel Steve is the YouTube channel.

That (above quoted post) is just not true.

He does not suggest ALL spyderco models / steels are the same - not by a long shot. He says he thinks SOME are. He shows SOME act nearly identical, doing the testing HE does. He has said he thinks some different steels to have different harndnesses for sure. The ZDP, the Superblue, the M4 (all Spydercos)... He has hardness testing info done by ?? someone ?? G19guy, or something like that. He has shared some of that info, and it seems to corroborate what his testing shows.
He is doing a lot of work, and presenting a lot of data. I'm glad he's doing it, and sharing it, personally.

Given the choice between being informed, and not being informed - I'll take informed. I may not always like what I get, but I can always work with it. As the old saying goes, "you're never gonna please all the people, all the time."


u.w.

[sal]

I think that all testing is valuable and offers some useful information. We use a CATRA and it's going often. All of our test Mules are identical in size, thickness and edge geometry. Trying to reduce variables as much as possible. Rc is based on optimal hardness as recommended by the foundry, though we will sometimes deviate to experiment. Also, the CATRA test does not pass through the material so only the edge is being tested. Friction, when passing through material sometimes skews results.

sal

[Mstach07]

Hi all,
I’m watching a YouTube channel that compares blade steel from different manufacturers, Spyderco PM2s and Para 3s being common comparables. The author suggests the heat treat on all the spyderco models / steels are the same, respective to the test conditions and his results. Check it out and share your thoughts. Supersteel Steve is the YouTube channel.

That (above quoted post) is just not true.

He does not suggest ALL spyderco models / steels are the same - not by a long shot. He says he thinks SOME are. He shows SOME act nearly identical, doing the testing HE does. He has said he thinks some different steels to have different harndnesses for sure. The ZDP, the Superblue, the M4 (all Spydercos)... He has hardness testing info done by ?? someone ?? G19guy, or something like that. He has shared some of that info, and it seems to corroborate what his testing shows.
He is doing a lot of work, and presenting a lot of data. I'm glad he's doing it, and sharing it, personally.

Given the choice between being informed, and not being informed - I'll take informed. I may not always like what I get, but I can always work with it. As the old saying goes, "you're never gonna please all the people, all the time."


u.w.

Sure. I wrote all. But really meant the para 3s he tested. His comments and opinions sure suggest it. I do enjoy the info and videos.

[vivi]

He has interesting opinions. He believes carbide tear out is 100% a myth.

I've never seen evidence to support carbide tear out. I've looked at over 300 hand sharpened knives with a loupe, never seen it.

[murphjd25]

This is why I don’t watch YouTube reviewers anymore. Most are not very factual, and more of a sort of opinion piece.

[u.w.]

This is why I don’t watch YouTube reviewers anymore. Most are not very factual, and more of a sort of opinion piece.

Respectfully, that comment left me scratching my head a little. I do appreciate it though.

The title/topic of this thread is "steel testing youtube videos", not knife reviews, or reviewers. The person being referred to, Steve, does not review knives on his channel. He does indeed sharpen and then "test" various knives, of various steels, from various/numerous makers, to see how they compare and perform. Some interesting data being put forth as a result of his testing, which is done on camera.

Or did you mean you watch Steve's videos because he's just showing his own type of testing, and the results, and not reviewing knives? My apologies if I misunderstood what you meant.


u.w.

[Pelagic]

He has interesting opinions. He believes carbide tear out is 100% a myth.

I've never seen evidence to support carbide tear out. I've looked at over 300 hand sharpened knives with a loupe, never seen it.

What is your theory on how soft abrasives interact with vanadium carbide?

This thread has a pretty neat picture.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/str ... 633/page-2

[Chumango]

And pictures in these threads. A loupe probably does not have enough magnification to see it.


https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/s30 ... s.1535385/

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/can ... t.1519674/

[Extra330SC]

This is why I don’t watch YouTube reviewers anymore. Most are not very factual, and more of a sort of opinion piece.

Respectfully, that comment left me scratching my head a little. I do appreciate it though.

The title/topic of this thread is "steel testing youtube videos", not knife reviews, or reviewers. The person being referred to, Steve, does not review knives on his channel. He does indeed sharpen and then "test" various knives, of various steels, from various/numerous makers, to see how they compare and perform. Some interesting data being put forth as a result of his testing, which is done on camera.

Or did you mean you watch Steve's videos because he's just showing his own type of testing, and the results, and not reviewing knives? My apologies if I misunderstood what you meant.


u.w.

What he meant is exactly what it read....his testing Is SMALL sample size and PERSONAL BIAS involved. ..even if you /he thinks it isn't! Invalid /flawed is what comes to my mind when I watch! No offense. ..but unless there is a huge data point with BLIND TESTING
...it's just youtube entertainment! JMHO

JAMES

[jcoolG19]

Hi Guys I'm that G19guy that has tested a knife or two. My name is Kurt. What Steve has said is that Spyderco seems to heat treat a lot of different steels to the same hardness. I have not Rockwelled a ton of Spydies or a lot of their steels. He is sending more for me to test so we'll get a more complete picture. As of now, I have only tested VG-10, S30V (2), S35VN (2), M390 and ZDP-189 from Spyderco. All 5 knives in S30V, S35VN and M390, tested between 59.5 and 60. It will be interesting to see the how the others score.
As for Steve's testing, it is predominately for fine edge holding ability. His tests have showed that most of these steels don't actually fair better than many budget grade steels. His last test showed that even AUS-8 performed nearly identical to S90V. Where S90V kicked it's but was holding a working edge. His best performer to date is the ZDP Endura that almost doubled S90V. That knife read 63 HRC. His testing is starting to show patterns between HRC and fine edge holding ability but there is still a lot of tests to be done.

[Supersteelsteve]

Hey guys,

I'm SuperSteel steve on YouTube.
Mr kurt informed me that you guys had a thread about my testing.

First off I wanna say thank you to anyone who's watched. Even if I'm long winded lol

I started the testing to get people to stop bashing spyderco and Benchmade for using s30v so much.

In my opinion its a great steel when done right.
I wanted to kinda put a stop to the generalazation of steels.. "this steel is chippy" "this steel is great"

As I've started over and over again
HT , blade geometry, edge geometry, and edge finish have far more to do with performance than composition alone.

I try and keep the tests as consistent as possible.
Same edge angle..I use an angle finder
Same finish... I keep the sharpening procedure the same for all edges tested.
Same media... I use the same cardboard purchased from the same place and cut them to the same length.

Im aware if other variables (blade geometry, HRC) that will effect performance. This is why I state that I'm testing the specific knife in my hand.

If a hollow ground aus8 blade will out cut a saber ground s30v.. it still is out cutting it.

Contrary to some belief I do not have a bias toward any one steel or company....I have tested multiple brands and gotten good and not so good results from most

Most of the knives tested are MY knives... I spent my hard earned money on them.
I pay for the cardboard , the wear and tear on my knives, and stones, and the time I spend doing the tests (instead of being with my family) all are out of pocket expenses.

I only loose money and time... I gain nothing.

I just hope nobody here thinks I'm trying to make any company look bad.. matter of fact I received a Spyderco Caribbean for Christmas lol

Through the Rockwell testing kurt has been helping me with has just furthered solidify what I'm experiencing with my testing.

Steels that are around the same HRC perform the same during my tests.

I am not a metallurgist nor claim to be. I'm an executive chef with 17 years of swinging a knife for 15 hours a day. I've been sharpening for about 8 years.

I'm just a guy curious to see how steels perform under certain circumstances, I test, then post the results.

I am not trying to offend anyone...

Unless you are offended by adult language lol

[Mstach07]

Thanks Kurt for joining the conversation

[JacksonKnives]

Hi Guys I'm that G19guy that has tested a knife or two. My name is Kurt. ...

His testing is starting to show patterns between HRC and fine edge holding ability but there is still a lot of tests to be done.

Thanks for your contributions, Kurt.
Have you done anything to control for thickness when hardness testing folder blades?
One kitchen knife designer I talked to dismissed low hardness numbers from an end user's test as being influenced by the thickness of the stock.
You don't often meet knife enthusiasts with testers, and the factory guys (rightly) keep QC procedure close to the vest, so I'm curious to hear if you've tried anything unique for testing on bevel or for thin stock.

[nope]

Hi all,
I’m watching a YouTube channel that compares blade steel from different manufacturers, Spyderco PM2s and Para 3s being common comparables. The author suggests the heat treat on all the spyderco models / steels are the same, respective to the test conditions and his results. Check it out and share your thoughts. Supersteel Steve is the YouTube channel.

The overwhelming majority of people in the knife "community" have no idea what they're talking about. For example, many here think Cruwear is a tough steel. It's not, Cruwear is just a rusty s35vn level vanadium steel, and s35vn was created because people thought s30v was supposed to have 5160 toughness.

Your best bet is to completely avoid youtube and the forums.

[u.w.]

Hey Kurt, thanks for stopping by and posting, and Thanks very much for doing the hardness testing and sharing that too. It's good to see you here. My name is Will.

Apologies for not getting your name right.

u.w.