I’d be very surprised to see any tool steel get the nod for production models.
I had exactly this thought, but then realized that K390 has now become a production steel, so there you go.
I would like to see Cruwear or Rex45 in production knives.
I have no real experience with 4V or SPY27 to make any comments. I certainly expect to see SPY27 replace S30V in the Spyderco lineup (why else would they have developed this steel), but I don't know how excited I am about it.
I would be excited about 4V given all I hear about it
There are a lot of production steels now - S30v, s110v, Maxamet - and soon to be SPY27. The only reason I think that SPY27 will not (immediately) replace s30v - the reveal said that all Spy27 blades will come with cobalt blue handles. I can't see black g10 for the base model going away. That's a lot of processes and inventory to manage - 5+ steels for 4-5+ models. The sprint/exclusives model might allow them to (almost) meet demand for cruwear? The dealer exclusives can always request another batch - and should keep doing so as long as demand remains strong.
I think we just need existing models, like the Ikuchi or Manix XL, to be converted to Cruwear, 4V, or Rex 45. This way, we would have regular production knives, in some steels we want, without Spyderco having to add yet another steel option to their entire Golden or Seki line. This might also help promote sales on some that need a boost. I believe the same tactic was used on the P4 G10. For a while, it was the only way to get a production K390 folder.
It wouldn't matter to me which models got upgraded steels, with one exception; the Manix XL needs a better steel. It's a hard working knife, with a not-so-hard-working steel. That model is offered in S30V and DLC S30V, it never even got S110V. Something with more edge stability and wear resistance would turn a lot of people into Manix XL fans.
foofie wrote:
There are a lot of production steels now - S30v, s110v, Maxamet - and soon to be SPY27. The only reason I think that SPY27 will not (immediately) replace s30v - the reveal said that all Spy27 blades will come with cobalt blue handles. I can't see black g10 for the base model going away. That's a lot of processes and inventory to manage - 5+ steels for 4-5+ models. The sprint/exclusives model might allow them to (almost) meet demand for cruwear? The dealer exclusives can always request another batch - and should keep doing so as long as demand remains strong.
That makes sense but my issue is that sprints and exclusives are for collectors, afis, and people like us on forums. They arent for end line users who are usually very behind the knife or new steel curve. When the collectors have moved on to the new flavor of the week steel, the demand for last years steel is over. Regular people arent going to reach out to dealers and ask for more exclusives.
But more generally... It would be nice to have a tough tool steel as a production option.
"Rome's greatest contribution to mathematics was the killing of Archimedes."
It is a no brainer. The Shaman should have come in Cruwear to begin with. Many of us said that but it didn’t happen. It rolled out in S30V with lots of griping about price. Since then the sprints have sold like hot cakes. Go figure.
Probably wouldn’t have hurt to debut the Chief in Cruwear either. Hopefully a sprint is on the horizon.
-Darby
sal wrote:Knife afi's are pretty far out, steel junky's more so, but "edge junky's" are just nuts. :p
SpyderEdgeForever wrote:
Also, do you think a kangaroo would eat a bowl of spagetti with sauce if someone offered it to them?
It is a no brainer. The Shaman should have come in Cruwear to begin with. Many of us said that but it didn’t happen. It rolled out in S30V with lots of griping about price. Since then the sprints have sold like hot cakes. Go figure.
Probably wouldn’t have hurt to debut the Chief in Cruwear either. Hopefully a sprint is on the horizon.
Truth.
"...it costs nothing to be polite." - Winston Churchill
“Maybe the cheese in the mousetrap is an artificially created cheaper price?” -Sal
It is a no brainer. The Shaman should have come in Cruwear to begin with. Many of us said that but it didn’t happen. It rolled out in S30V with lots of griping about price. Since then the sprints have sold like hot cakes. Go figure.
Probably wouldn’t have hurt to debut the Chief in Cruwear either. Hopefully a sprint is on the horizon.
Truth.
Chief sprint is OTW with CPM-Rex45 at the very least.... :)
Cruwear is my favorite steel, and that's coming from someone who no longer likes to participate in the steel debate, as the performance margins are slim and so confounded by heat treatment and geometry. My Cruwear Military somehow really manages to stand out among my modest but diverse collection as being unexpectedly stain-resistant and easy to sharpen, and it holds an edge longer than steels that theoretically should outlast it, even in harsh tasks. It really seems to surprise given what the charts may suggest about it.
I think it's about the best general-use steel I've used. Others may wear longer, resist corrosion better, or be easier to sharpen (but not by much), but the overall score of CPM Cruwear just really seems to make up for its shortcomings in any singular area. I like it better than M4, better than any stainless, better than any high-tech carbide-rich supersteel I've tried so far. I dig it on my lil P3, and I love it on my big ol' Military. I definitely think it should be a regular production steel.
It is a no brainer. The Shaman should have come in Cruwear to begin with. Many of us said that but it didn’t happen. It rolled out in S30V with lots of griping about price. Since then the sprints have sold like hot cakes. Go figure.
Probably wouldn’t have hurt to debut the Chief in Cruwear either. Hopefully a sprint is on the horizon.
Truth.
THIS
CRU-CARTA THE SEKI MODELS! AND BRING US THE DODO-FLY!
Cruwear is my favorite steel, and that's coming from someone who no longer likes to participate in the steel debate, as the performance margins are slim and so confounded by heat treatment and geometry. My Cruwear Military somehow really manages to stand out among my modest but diverse collection as being unexpectedly stain-resistant and easy to sharpen, and it holds an edge longer than steels that theoretically should outlast it, even in harsh tasks. It really seems to surprise given what the charts may suggest about it.
I think it's about the best general-use steel I've used. Others may wear longer, resist corrosion better, or be easier to sharpen (but not by much), but the overall score of CPM Cruwear just really seems to make up for its shortcomings in any singular area. I like it better than M4, better than any stainless, better than any high-tech carbide-rich supersteel I've tried so far. I dig it on my lil P3, and I love it on my big ol' Military. I definitely think it should be a regular production steel.
WORD. Agreed on the Military. What a great steel & model combo! I dig the para3 in cruwear too, just need some scales with some texture. I really dislike the smooth g10.
CRU-CARTA THE SEKI MODELS! 
