CTS-BD1N Where does it fit in?

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Confession time, I broke my word. Put the Para3LW on the Ultra fine stones tonight.

Have to report this steel gets sharper than VG-10 with such little effort very easily, very, very surprised!!

Great steel, great choice Sal and Eric, very excellent choice.

[Deadboxhero]

Confession time, I broke my word. Put the Para3LW on the Ultra fine stones tonight.

Have to report this steel gets sharper than VG-10 with such little effort very easily, very, very surprised!!

Great steel, great choice Sal and Eric, very excellent choice.

Yeah it's nothing magical on paper, but in use with sharpening it will pleasantly surprise people.

I look forward to to more folks giving it a fair chance and fully sharpening the factory edge away to truly evaluate it.

I scoffed at it when it was first showing up on kitchen knives serveral years ago but was pleased with the performance over vg10 in the kitchen.

It has greater stability at higher hardness than simliar steels like Vg10 (perhaps HT can be fine tuned on other steels, not ruled out)

its not a steel for a impact resistant chopper or the most wear resist, nor the most strength but a nice blend of strength and resistance to chipping and sharpenablity without breaking the bank, it's more likely to blunt and roll than chip I find.


I'm happy to see Spyderco break the mold with a steel that has different edge characteristics than the same S30v we have been beaten to death with.

While there are a wider range of options that S30v is capable of than what we see production. I feel a manufacturer is more likely to push the Hardness on a steel that is less expensive to machine and has better stability for a wider range of users.

I don't know what Spyderco decided to do with the hardness, but they have to make considerations with the information they can produce with testing and choose the best options with considerations that work with the huge time and money invested for production.


I see that some folks feel that this is a confirmation that other steels such as 14c28n, aus 8 should be utilized more. Unfortunately every knife available from a production company that uses those steels are using it much to soft to really show great performance.

Bd1n COULD be a fresh start for these non pm, lower alloy stainless steels that have good stability actually being utilized at a higher hardness to show performance benefits rather than being bottomed out with low edge holding due to low hardness and no carbides at large volume to make up for it causing blunting and annoying stubborn burrs due to soft structures.


I still like high alloy stainless like CPM 125v at 63rc and very thin geometry but it takes a more sophisticated user to appreciate and use that properly and reap the rewards of such performance for some trade offs. Always trade offs. Everything trade offs.

A more stable, lower alloy steel at high hardness would be more approachable to a wider audience.
(Can be just preference of course)

Hardness isn't everything, but it's something that should be explored more with finding heat treatments and steels that function at a given hardness rather than just blanketing the options currently available that don't function well with stability but only because their potential hasn't been fully realized.

Things need to be explored more.

We need better edges not parts.

[JacksonKnives]

What that guy said. ^

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Thanks BBB with your input I am certain those on the fence will now think twice. Yesterday I used the Para3LW with an UF rod finish and it was very pushcut sharp but found is skidding on some plastics a bit and dropped back to the Fine Sharp Maker rods today and it has just the right amount of tooth but less aggressive toothiness than my Ikuchi sharpened on the fine rods along side it. So far enjoying the heck out of this steel.

Waiting for my Dremel router table to come in so I can shave the excessive plastic off my Wicked Edge pro 3 paddles as it gets in the way of sharpening many of my spyderco's where the blade becomes the Ricasso and finger choil, then I am going to drop the Para3LW down to around 13 degrees per side and see how things go.

[tjsblade]

Waiting for my Dremel router table to come in so I can shave the excessive plastic off my Wicked Edge pro 3 paddles as it gets in the way of sharpening many of my spyderco's where the blade becomes the Ricasso and finger choil, then I am going to drop the Para3LW down to around 13 degrees per side and see how things go.

The plastic lip on the paddles can be cut off with just a boxcutter style blade using the stone edge as a cutting guide and scoring it multiple times. I found it quite easy to do mine that way. I just did one edge per stone on opposite sides so when you rotate them to the next grit the removed edge is always against the ricasso.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Waiting for my Dremel router table to come in so I can shave the excessive plastic off my Wicked Edge pro 3 paddles as it gets in the way of sharpening many of my spyderco's where the blade becomes the Ricasso and finger choil, then I am going to drop the Para3LW down to around 13 degrees per side and see how things go.

The plastic lip on the paddles can be cut off with just a boxcutter style blade using the stone edge as a cutting guide and scoring it multiple times. I found it quite easy to do mine that way. I just did one edge per stone on opposite sides so when you rotate them to the next grit the removed edge is always against the ricasso.

Thanks for the tip much appreciated.

[dj moonbat]

Confession time, I broke my word. Put the Para3LW on the Ultra fine stones tonight.

Have to report this steel gets sharper than VG-10 with such little effort very easily, very, very surprised!!

Great steel, great choice Sal and Eric, very excellent choice.

Blasphemy! I still think VG-10 is the ultimate in idiot-proof sharpness.

But yeah, BD1N sharpens really easily. And assuming Spyderco is doing with it what other manufacturers are doing with it, it's two or three points harder than VG-10.

[vivi]

Glad others are finally jumping on board with these steels. I've been singing BD1 praises for years to an empty crowd. Apparently if you dump a little nitrogren in the mix things get super pretty quick

I've said it many times but I've yet to own a knife that I can get sharper than my Ronin 2.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Glad others are finally jumping on board with these steels. I've been singing BD1 praises for years to an empty crowd. Apparently if you dump a little nitrogren in the mix things get super pretty quick

I've said it many times but I've yet to own a knife that I can get sharper than my Ronin 2.

Lol, I just never new about BD1 being in anything other than the UK slip joint. It is in what else a Manix? Anything else?

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

Oh and Vivi unless they made that handle one heck of allot larger than when I owned a S30V Ronin how do you even fit it in those huge mitts of yours?

[vivi]

Oh and Vivi unless they made that handle one heck of allot larger than when I owned a S30V Ronin how do you even fit it in those huge mitts of yours?

The Ronin is BD1, maybe you're thinking of the Yojimbo 2?

Both are a tight fit for my hand but the Ronin 2 is just barely large enough.

AFAIK BD1 has been used in the UKPK, Ronin 2, Manix 2, Polestar, Alycone and Raven 2. I believe one of the keychain sized byrds also used it, maybe a finch or starling.

It hasn't been a very widespread steel for their core knives, but maybe with positive feedback on this model they'll explore other uses for it.

[Doeswhateveraspidercan]

It has been about 3 years but I liked the Yojimbo 2 so much I purchased the fixed blade version. I was shocked how the handle was lesser than the Yojimbo 2 in size as it was a fixed blade. Pretty sure it was a Ronin 2 I know there was an earlier model but mine was S30V.

Thanks for the extra info on BD1. I am considering purchasing the fully serrated Para3 willing to bet BD1N will make a fine serrated edge steel.

[Woodpuppy]

I’ve enjoyed BD1 in a squarehead. Sharpenability is crazy, and with so little to hold onto with that knife I shaved fingerprints by the time I was done sharpening it. Edge holding isn’t particilularly good, but sooo easy to sharpen.

[bbturbodad]

AFAIK BD1 has been used in the UKPK, Ronin 2, Manix 2, Polestar, Alycone and Raven 2. I believe one of the keychain sized byrds also used it, maybe a finch or starling.

And the Gen 4 Dog Tag

[Hayes0728]

My non-scientific experience so far (from UKPK) is that it’s a lot like LC200n. It doesnt hold the edge as long as others but sharpens pretty easily. Seems to get a fine edge without much trouble. I’m guessing you will like it.

Thank you for this report. This is exactly the kind of subjective information I was looking for as well as the person who posted right before you.

To me Super Steel is LC200N, VG10, CTS-XHP, Cruwear, M4 These are exhibiting highly desired functional qualities. Yes I have come to understand S30V and S35VN are prone to BUR issues and that to me is a decidedly non super steel quality, I mean really who wants a challenge every time they got to touch up an edge?

I like M4, VG10, LC200N, CTS-XHP specifically because they can get very sharp with little effort a few licks on the Sharpmaker and back to hair shaving sharp it sounds like CTS-BD1N is what I consider a Super Steel also.

Not knocking S30V or S35VN. Maybe I will get better at sharpening them I really have to since I like the Ikuchi so much but I do not think even with competent sharpening they will retain the truly sharp blade the other steels do. Could be wrong but just going by Factory Fresh edges I have not seen this to be true and this also goes for other High Carbide steels like M390. Start out factory sharp but do not last for long.

Currently working on a Military Blade in CTS-204P re profiling it to 13 degrees per side on the Wicked Edge Pro with the low angle attachment but those paddles are going to get shaved down as the plastic hits the finger choils on many of my knives. A serious design flaw in that tool, need to run them up against the belt on my Ken onion grinding attachment and get the plastic out of the way so the diamonds can get in close.

Your telling me you can easily sharpen M4 but not S30v? That’s odd

[Doc Dan]

This thread is a year old. Nothing wrong with replying, but a couple of these guys are no longer with us. Perhaps we need a new thread?

[GarageBoy]

I like all the information in one spot vs multiple posts of the same thing - but that's me

What's a good stone progression for bd1n kitchen knives? Does the old school trick of chosera 400/aotoshi 2000 work?

[Trinity300]

It’s a small upgrade to VG-10. It’s a little tougher and easier to sharpen. Same edge retention and corrosion resistance.

[hogwldfltr]

Nice resource thread; just bought some Wakiita kitchen knives from Spyderco. So far I'm impressed with the blades as received. I'm hoping the CTS-BD1N will serve me well. They're a down grade from the more expensive Itamae knives with the Aogami Super Blue core clad between layers of SUS410 what ever that means.

[Wartstein]

Nice resource thread; just bought some Wakiita kitchen knives from Spyderco. So far I'm impressed with the blades as received. I'm hoping the CTS-BD1N will serve me well. They're a down grade from the more expensive Itamae knives with the Aogami Super Blue core clad between layers of SUS410 what ever that means.

Welcome to the forum! :)

What do you mean by "what ever that means" ? (Honest question, I am not sure about the context...you mean how the cladding works / what it is?!)