Spyderco Forums

My choice goes to K390. I have experience with K390 and Cruwear. I haven't tried the other two. Rex 45 is inaccessible, and maxamet scares me as I chip my knives often. I haven't chipped my K390 urban yet (knock on wood) and it holds an edge way longer than cruwear. I love sharpening cruwear but I am now starting school again, so luxuries like frequent sharpening are being pushed aside. Because of this I will likely be selling my cruwear pm2 and replacing it with a K390 one.

Shawn my learned friend, in my daily use I have trouble telling any steels apart.

I have to look for tough and abrasive stuff to cut and a few cuts of anything with any of the steels above on a given day tells me little.

In all honesty I think if you put the four steels above in unmarked identical knives so I didn’t know which was which I’d have to do a **** of a lot of cutting with each before I’d attempt to guess which was which. I reckon I’d probably have more chance identifying between them if I were to sharpen them.

Anyhow, I only have Spyderco Maxamet in a couple of Mules and Rex 45 in a Military and I can’t say I’ve pushed either. The Mule’s geometry gives it the cutting advantage over the Military so, plucked if I know! :rolleyes: :)

Can someone tell me where the poll numbers are at? I can't see them unless I vote, and since I don't have any experience with maxamet, and only limited experience with k390, I can't give an honest opinion. Still, I'm curious to know how the poll is shaping up.

JuPaul wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:41 pm

Can someone tell me where the poll numbers are at? I can't see them unless I vote, and since I don't have any experience with maxamet, and only limited experience with k390, I can't give an honest opinion. Still, I'm curious to know how the poll is shaping up.

:)

JuPaul wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:41 pm

Can someone tell me where the poll numbers are at? I can't see them unless I vote, and since I don't have any experience with maxamet, and only limited experience with k390, I can't give an honest opinion. Still, I'm curious to know how the poll is shaping up.

Push the “View Results” button.

Larrin wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2020 9:05 pm

JuPaul wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:41 pm

Can someone tell me where the poll numbers are at? I can't see them unless I vote, and since I don't have any experience with maxamet, and only limited experience with k390, I can't give an honest opinion. Still, I'm curious to know how the poll is shaping up.

Push the “View Results” button.

I'm an idiot. :o :rolleyes:

I really love the edge strength of Rex 45 at the hardness Spyderco runs it at, but I've voted Maxamet since it's the steel that has more use for me due to what I usually cut with my knives, so its edge performance is better. If I would cut something less abrasive, Rex 45 would be my choice out of these. But K390 is close too! So hard to pick, such great steels! Cruwear is good too but its lower hardness is definitely something that impacts its edge performance, especially if toughness isn't a requirement for your use.

K390 for me. It seems to hold a fine edge very well, while being very responsive to sharpening and touchups, and a nice balance of toughness and strength in that I've never really had any issues with either rolling or chipping of fine, acute edges. It seems to be able to go pretty thin behind the edge too. And I kinda like a knife that patinas and shows some history and character on the blade, but still doesn't rust too easy.

Cruwear's probably the king of balanced qualities in a knife steel to me, I could happily have it become Spyderco's 'baseline' steel, and I'd probably buy a lot more models which now only come in S30V.

I need to use Maxamet a bit more, but I like it just fine in my Para 3.

I missed out on REX45 but many of my 'worker' knives are HAP40.

Cambertree wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 13, 2020 6:19 am

I missed out on REX45 but many of my 'worker' knives are HAP40.

I have several of the first run hap40 sprints, and even though the composition is about the same as rex45, I'm guessing the heat treatments are what make them completely different (to me). Maybe this changed in the later runs?

I've been really enjoying getting other people's thoughts and opinions, you know at the end of the day,

the "user" is the biggest variable of all.


There is no one size fits all.

This four steels have had the best edge performance Ive seen in production knives in the available steels production companies have access to up to this moment. (Excluding Customs and more Exotic steels)
They uniquely had some of the best sharpening, edge taking, edge holding and durability/stability at a consequence to corrison resistance since there is always a trade off.

Over the past couple years, they have been regulated to Sprint runs for people to try out and have rejuvenated the folks that have been dying for steels more catered to edge freeks.


It's surprising to see all the votes so close yet maybe not since these steels are different things to different people and everyone can enjoy them or a certain aspect of one over the other and vice versa.

It is indeed interesting to see these numbers, not at all what I would have guessed by any stretch.... I wonder if changing maxamet for 4v would offer different results (that would make this list my fave 4) -- certainly given it's much more limited availability. It really is awesome to see how each steel works (or doesn't) for different folks doing different things, having different sharpening skills, experience, etc, etc. Thanks BBB for creating/posting, super cool!

I thought this thread should be revisited as many of us now have REX 45 knives. I haven't had a chance to use my new REX 45 knife for much yet so it will be a minute before I have updates. Curious if others have new feedback yet?

Enactive wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 05, 2020 8:16 pm

I thought this thread should be revisited as many of us now have REX 45 knives. I haven't had a chance to use my new REX 45 knife for much yet so it will be a minute before I have updates. Curious if others have new feedback yet?

Thanks for reviving the thread! I had forgotten about it, but just now have some questions about the performance of REX 45 (strongly considering the REX 45 G10 Manix momentarily...)

I have most experience with Rex45 and Maxamet and both impress me heartily. I voted Rex mostly because it is easier to sharpen, but after another cup of coffee I could change my mind.
I have limited experience with Cruwear and K390, looking forward to spending more time with K390 (sold my Cruwear because... well I just did).

I didn’t vote - of the 4 steels listed I’ve only ever used 2: Cruwear and rex45. I’ve used cruwear in the smooth black g10 para3 and a military; rex45 in a para3 and a pm2. My “benchmark” for performance steel is CPM-M4. I really enjoy sharpening and using cruwear. I’ve only just reprofiled my Rex45 pm2 which was pretty painless, and I’m enjoying an M4-like experience with the rex45. I really like them both so far, and beyond how long the edge lasts, I don’t have an overriding preference. One lasts longer, the other sharpens up so quick it doesn’t matter.

Never say never, but I don’t think I’ll ever buy Maxamet. Too little reward for the effort. I am eager to try K390, though I am a little apprehensive about the sharpening. I think an Endura will make an excellent testbed. Especially since I don’t have one yet.

I wish I’d bought the rex45 millie when I had the chance...

Woodpuppy wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 06, 2020 7:22 pm

Never say never, but I don’t think I’ll ever buy Maxamet. Too little reward for the effort....

It's expensive but you really should try it if you get the opportunity. I haven't been very impressed by S110V but Maxamet is a different story. I was fortunate that one of the members here picked me up a Maxamet Native 5 LW at the seconds sale for a great price. I'm generally not big on high edge retention steels but Maxamet just keeps on going. When it does need a touch up I can bring the edge back to shaving sharp on the Sharpmaker brown stones. I can't do that with S110V. I even have CBN rods for my Sharpmaker and bonded diamonds for my Hapstone and I still find that S110V isn't worth the effort. Maxamet wasn't to awful bad to reprofile and, like I've said, it touches up surprisingly easily.

Sharp Guy wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 06, 2020 9:10 pm

Woodpuppy wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 06, 2020 7:22 pm

Never say never, but I don’t think I’ll ever buy Maxamet. Too little reward for the effort....

It's expensive but you really should try it if you get the opportunity. I haven't been very impressed by S110V but Maxamet is a different story. I was fortunate that one of the members here picked me up a Maxamet Native 5 LW at the seconds sale for a great price. I'm generally not big on high edge retention steels but Maxamet just keeps on going. When it does need a touch up I can bring the edge back to shaving sharp on the Sharpmaker brown stones. I can't do that with S110V. I even have CBN rods for my Sharpmaker and bonded diamonds for my Hapstone and I still find that S110V isn't worth the effort. Maxamet wasn't to awful bad to reprofile and, like I've said, it touches up surprisingly easily.

For long term edge holding, nothing compares to Maxamet. I love K390, and I'm really enjoying Rex 45 right now, but Maxamet is still the king.

Anybody that selected Cruwear has clearly never used the other options. Rex45 has blown it out of the water in the 2 models I have Rex45, vs the 2 models I have Cruwear. I'll likely never buy another Cruwear blade, it's really not that special. Against these other steels in edge performance...it gets a participation ribbon. With all these offerings coming out in 4V lately, that would be a great one to add to the mix in the future!

I'm still yet to try K390 or Maxamet, but I hear nothing but great things. I've had my best experience with Rex45 and definitely plan on comparing it to the other 2 at some point in the future.

Of the ones listed I would probably choose K390 based on bits that I have read, but Rex45 may be the most available on the used market. I wonder why 4V wasn't listed, is it a lesser steel than the others. And now some time after the thread started, shouldn't we consider 10V as well?

bdblue wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 10, 2020 9:49 am

Of the ones listed I would probably choose K390 based on bits that I have read, but Rex45 may be the most available on the used market. I wonder why 4V wasn't listed, is it a lesser steel than the others. And now some time after the thread started, shouldn't we consider 10V as well?

K390 and 10v are pretty similar, so you can kind of see them as analogous for voting. I prefer K390 slightly, but honestly my only 10v has been the K2 and some Big Chris customs so I'm comparing apples to papayas. And my initial experience with K390 was mind-blowing and created an unfair standard, because it was a Phil Wilson custom.

I'm with you on 4v though. For overall balance of properties I prefer it to almost everything else. For specialized uses (longest edge holding is clearly Maxamet, for example), I'll pick others, but if I had to settle on just one steel it would be 4v/v4e for sure.