K390

[Josh Crutchley]

I'm looking to try as many steels Spyderco offers that I can. The way a steel sharpens is now more important to me than cutting performance. I like the easy to sharpen stuff and that's usually low carbide steels. There's always exceptions like Maxamet which is easy to touch up. K390s high vanadium content worries me as I'm not a fan of S110V but I have to try them all. Anyone care to share K390 sharpening experiences?

[Giygas]

I actually just sharpened K390 for the first time last night.

I reprofiled my Police 4 LW in k390 using the worksharp guided system with 325 and 600 grit diamond plates and it was MUCH easier than I expected.

I was kinda just trying the worksharp because its new to me, fully expecting 320 to not be coarse enough and having to get out my 120 grit shapton, but it worked fine.

Took less than 15 minutes to set the bevels.

EDIT:

The A11 class of steels are my favorite to both use, and sharpen, and I was surprised that it was easier to sharpen than the traditional A11 steels.

[kennethsime]

I've only ever touched up my K390 on the sharpmaker, but it seems much easier to sharpen than you'd expect. ZPD-189, Rex 45, and Maxamet all took me a lot longer to remove small chips than K390.

[koenigsegg]

I love k390 and can't stop buying more haha two urban's, pm2, delica endura and two police models! Help me

[awa54]

I've only sharpened K390 with bonded diamond stones on the Hapstone system, but it was easy with that setup and had no issues with burrs or being difficult to grind. That was a full bevel reset on the Urban Sprint.

My Delica came with an excellent edge, so I've only stropped it twice since last November ...seriously, that's all it has needed and it's been my most carried knife in that time, by a wide margin!

[Josh Crutchley]

I've only ever touched up my K390 on the sharpmaker, but it seems much easier to sharpen than you'd expect. ZPD-189, Rex 45, and Maxamet all took me a lot longer to remove small chips than K390.

This sounds like a steel I need to try.

[Ric]

You definitely should try.
Its not stainless so it gets very sharp.
I carried it a lot recently and no sign of rust or patina.

It also outperformed my Maxamet...

[aaronkb]

I find it much easier than m390 and harder than rex45. It’s an awesome steel, definitely worth checking out.

[T.J.]

I have no problem sharpening my Police 4 LW k390 on my Wicked Edge.

[metaphoricalsimile]

The factory edge on my k390 dragonfly was a lot less good than I would want, but cleaning the edge up and getting it to a decent polish was no problem at all. The blade has definitely started to patina faster than any other knife I've owned though.

[TkoK83Spy]

I get quite a bit of use out of my knives on a daily basis working in a warehouse...K390 is so impressive that I've used my Endela for 2 weeks total so far and all I've had to do is touch it up on the brown rods after each week. Not really even necessary, I just wanted that sticky sharp edge. The only other steels I've used that compare in the wear resistance aspect are Rex45 and 4V. Most other steels I've used need a few minutes of care after 3-4 days.

I cut into some nasty stuff compared to a lot of people I'm guessing, and I've been nothing but impressed with K390 so far! No chipping or rolling. Depending how hard or often you really use your knife, K390 should stay plenty sharp for a long time!

[T.J.]

My Police 4 was a bit chippy before I sharpened it a few times. It’s also starting to patina.

[Pokey]

I've got five K390 knives. I find it's very easy to sharpen on the Sharp Maker and it will do so to a fine polish.

[z1r]

Got my eye out for a K390 Dragonfly.

[Igi964]

After two months with K390 Endura I must say, I love the steel. Its definitely a lot easier to sharpen than S110V, it get silly sharp on strop, almost feel like some 1095. Has very, very, very good edge retention and toughness IMHO. Like the patina on it, but sometines it get even small red spots, when I sweat. Need some care, but its worth it.

[Cowboyfromhell]

I'm eagerly waiting a delivery today of a new endura in k390! Going straight in the pocket!

[Wolf Lewis]

I've had quite a few Spydercos in my collection for 30 years. Dragonfly K390 and Native Rex45 are my two favorite knives at the moment. What has proven itself with non-stainless steel: I make sure that a patina forms and make sure that the liners and locking mechanism get a little WD40. I also smooth out the factory edges with abrasive cloth. This helps against chipping. With a patina and little care, K390 or Rex45 are completely unproblematic in the kitchen. Similar to Opinel Carbon version. Btw there is a good network of spyderco distributors here in Germany.

[vivi]

K390 is extremely good. I definitely see it as a steel that is easier to sharpen than you might expect given the crazy edge holding it has.

Based on my few weeks of carrying Rex45, I think its a touch quicker to sharpen while having similar or slightly less edge holding. If you prioritize sharpening response it may be worth looking at.

Personally I think M4 is another worth looking at. It doesn't hold an edge quite as long as these two steels in my experience, but it sharpens a little faster and takes a tremendous edge.

In terms of edge holding I'd rank them K390, Rex45, M4, S30V, VG10.

Ease of sharpening would go VG10, S30V, M4, Rex45, K390.

I find all five of these steels take a great edge for me with the way Spyderco heat treats them. K390 simply takes longer due to the wear resistance. But I can't say I've ever struggled to get it sharp, whether using the factory edge angle or reprofiling it to a thinner edge.

[TkoK83Spy]

You need to get your paws on some 4V vivi!

[vivi]

You need to get your paws on some 4V vivi!

If the 4V Chief drops I plan to buy 2 or 3.

Wouldn't say no to a 4V Manix XL or Street Beat either :D

I expect to like that steel quite a bit.