Please Tell Me About 15V

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Sharp Guy
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Please Tell Me About 15V

#1

Post by Sharp Guy »

Normally I'm on the forum enough to be in the know regarding the latest steels, sprints, exclusives etc. I would also have the time to do my own research. But I just started a new job and have too many other things going on right now to really care about chasing all these sprints.

To be honest, I've kinda lost interest in trying every new steel that comes out. I have most the steels that Spyderco's done in recent years except for 10V and Magnacut. I will try Magnacut at some point. Otherwise I'm happy with all the steels I have. I don't dislike any of them and I appreciate them all.

So in a nutshell....what's the big deal with 15V and Shawn's heat treat? Why is everyone clamoring over it? I might try to get a 15V Shaman but I'm really quite happy with the Cruwear and 4V ones I have now
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#2

Post by Guts »

Sharp Guy wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 11:18 am
Normally I'm on the forum enough to be in the know regarding the latest steels, sprints, exclusives etc. I would also have the time to do my own research. But I just started a new job and have too many other things going on right now to really care about chasing all these sprints.

To be honest, I've kinda lost interest in trying every new steel that comes out. I have most the steels that Spyderco's done in recent years except for 10V and Magnacut. I will try Magnacut at some point. Otherwise I'm happy with all the steels I have. I don't dislike any of them and I appreciate them all.

So in a nutshell....what's the big deal with 15V and Shawn's heat treat? Why is everyone clamoring over it? I might try to get a 15V Shaman but I'm really quite happy with the Cruwear and 4V ones I have now
15 V's (okay 14.5 V's to be exact ;) ), edge retention closer to Maxamet thanks to BBB's heat treat, toughness higher than standard 15V also thanks to BBB's heat treat, better corrosion resistance than Maxamet in my experience anyway, easier to machine for Spyderco vs Maxamet I've heard, cheaper than Maxamet.

I've been very impressed with it. Seems to hold an edge forever and I don't have to worry about wiping it down or anything like I have with Maxamet.
Last edited by Guts on Sat Jan 14, 2023 2:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#3

Post by Sharp24/7 »

Guts wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 12:44 pm
Sharp Guy wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 11:18 am
Normally I'm on the forum enough to be in the know regarding the latest steels, sprints, exclusives etc. I would also have the time to do my own research. But I just started a new job and have too many other things going on right now to really care about chasing all these sprints.

To be honest, I've kinda lost interest in trying every new steel that comes out. I have most the steels that Spyderco's done in recent years except for 10V and Magnacut. I will try Magnacut at some point. Otherwise I'm happy with all the steels I have. I don't dislike any of them and I appreciate them all.

So in a nutshell....what's the big deal with 15V and Shawn's heat treat? Why is everyone clamoring over it? I might try to get a 15V Shaman but I'm really quite happy with the Cruwear and 4V ones I have now
15 V's (okay 14.5 V's to be exact ;) ), edge retention closer to Maxamet thanks to BB's heat treat, toughness higher than standard 15V also thanks to BBB's heat treat, better corrosion resistance than Maxamet in my experience anyway, easier to machine for Spyderco vs Maxamet I've heard, cheaper than Maxamet.

I've been very impressed with it. Seems to hold an edge forever and I don't have to worry about wiping it down or anything like I have with Maxamet.
15V seems to strop back extremely well too. I don’t even have patina on the blade, let alone rust. Haven’t oiled it, either, just made sure to keep wipe the blade off when it’s gotten wet. That said, if it raining I’ll grab something stainless. Otherwise it’s gtg.
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#4

Post by Josh Crutchley »

Sharp Guy wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 11:18 am
Normally I'm on the forum enough to be in the know regarding the latest steels, sprints, exclusives etc. I would also have the time to do my own research. But I just started a new job and have too many other things going on right now to really care about chasing all these sprints.

To be honest, I've kinda lost interest in trying every new steel that comes out. I have most the steels that Spyderco's done in recent years except for 10V and Magnacut. I will try Magnacut at some point. Otherwise I'm happy with all the steels I have. I don't dislike any of them and I appreciate them all.

So in a nutshell....what's the big deal with 15V and Shawn's heat treat? Why is everyone clamoring over it? I might try to get a 15V Shaman but I'm really quite happy with the Cruwear and 4V ones I have now
Well most heat treatment protocols are for tooling like the ones in datasheets. Not really optimized for things like edge stability.
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#5

Post by Deadboxhero »

Sharp Guy wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 11:18 am
Normally I'm on the forum enough to be in the know regarding the latest steels, sprints, exclusives etc. I would also have the time to do my own research. But I just started a new job and have too many other things going on right now to really care about chasing all these sprints.

To be honest, I've kinda lost interest in trying every new steel that comes out. I have most the steels that Spyderco's done in recent years except for 10V and Magnacut. I will try Magnacut at some point. Otherwise I'm happy with all the steels I have. I don't dislike any of them and I appreciate them all.

So in a nutshell....what's the big deal with 15V and Shawn's heat treat? Why is everyone clamoring over it? I might try to get a 15V Shaman but I'm really quite happy with the Cruwear and 4V ones I have now
Well, it's no secret I've always been a big fan of k390, 10V and Maxamet.

I was curious if there were something in between 10V/K390 properties and Maxamet Properties like a balance between them since that would be a really cool sweet spot for a steel guys and edge junkies to play with.

At the time Maxamet was in more limited production and I had asked Sal if we could get a Spyderco in CPM 15V, at the time I was concerned Maxamet would stop being produced since it is so brutal to work with and I felt like high carbide tool steels at high hardness are very unique and should be widely available as something junkies should get an opportunity to experience. (Of course Maxamet is in full swing currently which we should all give Spyderco a round of applause for.)

CPM 15V looked like a really neat steel on paper but when the original protocol was followed it didn't appear to create a high performance knife blade edge as much as it was designed for a high wear industrial cutting part or component.



After years of testing, a protocol was developed that showed great promise and did well in my custom work.

In my custom knives I quite enjoy the CPM 15V I get lots of aggression at the edge, it apex nice and crispy and deburrs like a champ, it really hits a nice sweet spot before going more extreme in properties and trade offs like with Maxamet and Rex 121. Yet 15V would offer more cutting edge retention than 10V/K390/PMA11 Thanks to the increased vanadium carbide volume.




Originally, Spyderco had asked to do a collaboration knife with me and I asked Sal if he would be kind enough to use the steel and heat treatment I wanted which Sal was kind enough to oblige.

Well, I wanted that collaboration to be done at the Golden factory because they make my favorite Spyderco models. However, the Golden factory was already at maximum manufacturing capacity and would take many many years to ever get to doing a new collaboration folder project. Now combine that with the pandemic and other unseen circumstances and it looked like it was going to be a very, very long time which didn't bother me, I would wait a lifetime to see a dream come true.


Eric had proposed in the meantime while we are waiting he would like to get the CPM 15V out to folks with my heat treatment which is quite an honor and I'm very thankful and grateful.

There were different options for different handle scale materials but at the end of the day, the spirit of the project was to get the CPM 15V knives out to people sooner than later not add more delay.

Brown G10 was available and ready to go, also BBB "Big Brown Bear"

Worked out perfectly.


There was a lot of back and forth with translating the heat treatment it wasn't as simple as just giving them a cooking recipe.(nothing ever is)

I was given the authority and autonomy to select the melt, and work directly with and lead the heat treatment team.

I'm quite satisfied with how it came out and this is truly a unique and very special sprint run.
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#6

Post by Sharp Guy »

Ok...what you're saying is pretty much what I thought. I guess I had absorbed more info about it than I thought.

High edge retention isn't real important to me since I rotate through a whole bunch of knives. It probably wouldn't be too important even if I carried the same knife every day. But I do get a kick out of steels that have high edge retention but are also fairly easy to touch up, like Maxamet. So maybe I will give it shot. It would be nice to try it in a model I don't have. Hopefully Shawn's knife is something that interests me

EDIT: a few posts were added since I started this response. I'll read the additional info and see if anything changes for me 😆
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#7

Post by Sharp Guy »

Deadboxhero wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 1:12 pm
Sharp Guy wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 11:18 am
Normally I'm on the forum enough to be in the know regarding the latest steels, sprints, exclusives etc. I would also have the time to do my own research. But I just started a new job and have too many other things going on right now to really care about chasing all these sprints.

To be honest, I've kinda lost interest in trying every new steel that comes out. I have most the steels that Spyderco's done in recent years except for 10V and Magnacut. I will try Magnacut at some point. Otherwise I'm happy with all the steels I have. I don't dislike any of them and I appreciate them all.

So in a nutshell....what's the big deal with 15V and Shawn's heat treat? Why is everyone clamoring over it? I might try to get a 15V Shaman but I'm really quite happy with the Cruwear and 4V ones I have now
Well, it's no secret I've always been a big fan of k390, 10V and Maxamet.

I was curious if there were something in between 10V/K390 properties and Maxamet Properties like a balance between them since that would be a really cool sweet spot for a steel guys and edge junkies to play with.

At the time Maxamet was in more limited production and I had asked Sal if we could get a Spyderco in CPM 15V, at the time I was concerned Maxamet would stop being produced since it is so brutal to work with and I felt like high carbide tool steels at high hardness are very unique and should be widely available as something junkies should get an opportunity to experience. (Of course Maxamet is in full swing currently which we should all give Spyderco a round of applause for.)

CPM 15V looked like a really neat steel on paper but when the original protocol was followed it didn't appear to create a high performance knife blade edge as much as it was designed for a high wear industrial cutting part or component.



After years of testing, a protocol was developed that showed great promise and did well in my custom work.

In my custom knives I quite enjoy the CPM 15V I get lots of aggression at the edge, it apex nice and crispy and deburrs like a champ, it really hits a nice sweet spot before going more extreme in properties and trade offs like with Maxamet and Rex 121. Yet 15V would offer more cutting edge retention than 10V/K390/PMA11 Thanks to the increased vanadium carbide volume.




Originally, Spyderco had asked to do a collaboration knife with me and I asked Sal if he would be kind enough to use the steel and heat treatment I wanted which Sal was kind enough to oblige.

Well, I wanted that collaboration to be done at the Golden factory because they make my favorite Spyderco models. However, the Golden factory was already at maximum manufacturing capacity and would take many many years to ever get to doing a new collaboration folder project. Now combine that with the pandemic and other unseen circumstances and it looked like it was going to be a very, very long time which didn't bother me, I would wait a lifetime to see a dream come true.


Eric had proposed in the meantime while we are waiting he would like to get the CPM 15V out to folks with my heat treatment which is quite an honor and I'm very thankful and grateful.

There were different options for different handle scale materials but at the end of the day, the spirit of the project was to get the CPM 15V knives out to people sooner than later not add more delay.

Brown G10 was available and ready to go, also BBB "Big Brown Bear"

Worked out perfectly.


There was a lot of back and forth with translating the heat treatment it wasn't as simple as just giving them a cooking recipe.(nothing ever is)

I was given the authority and autonomy to select the melt, and work directly with and lead the heat treatment team.

I'm quite satisfied with how it came out and this is truly a unique and very special sprint run.
Thanks for this! You've sold me. No I have to wonder what model I want to try it in. My guess is there'll be more 15V sprint models on the horizon
Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most!
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#8

Post by wrdwrght »

Deadboxhero wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 1:12 pm
I'm quite satisfied with how it came out and this is truly a unique and very special sprint run.
I have yet to put my new Manix2 though its paces (waiting to get the right abrasives to cut those carbides when I’ve dulled the edge).

If you like the Manix2, how do you see your 15V performing in the just-revealed Shaman, given your expressed preference for thin blades?
-Marc (pocketing an M4 Sage5 today)

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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#9

Post by Deadboxhero »

wrdwrght wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 2:12 pm
Deadboxhero wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 1:12 pm
I'm quite satisfied with how it came out and this is truly a unique and very special sprint run.
I have yet to put my new Manix2 though its paces (waiting to get the right abrasives to cut those carbides when I’ve dulled the edge).

If you like the Manix2, how do you see your 15V performing in the just-revealed Shaman, given your expressed preference for thin blades?
Well, its a collaboration not a custom, I like to make thin knives but I can only make them for a small audience as a "one man" production operation.

Spyderco has the amazing ability to scale the volume and get knives out to the masses, there are impressive challenges with making knives at production volume that need to be respected, I certainly respect and appreciate what Spyderco does.

I'm just happy folks can get there hands on some 15V and I do like the Shaman model despite being thicker than my customs and regrinds. The edge can still be reprofiled to a solid, flat 15dps and there are folks that do quality regrinds on the blade that can make that edge bevel smaller at the same angle and further increase the cutting ability and reduce wedging at a consequence to raw durability for abuse.

At the end of the day, geometry is an inverse relationship between durability and cutting ability
so depending on what the end user is actually doing with said knife/edge a given person's edge/knife edge retention/durability will vary regardless of steel.

Given a wide enough audience its impossible to make ALL people happy if they don't know what they want and the trade off involved in all choices.
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#10

Post by GarageBoy »

I'm digging these 15v appetizers while we wait for the collaboration main course. I hope it's does a BBB grind justice
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#11

Post by zuludelta »

An aside: Reading some of the replies in this thread, I'm starting to wonder if "BBB 15V" will eventually replace Maxamet in Golden's steel repertoire, sort of how K390 has replaced ZDP-189 as Seki City's top edge-retaining steel. I like Maxamet a lot, but I'd gladly trade a little bit of its edge retention for a small bump in ease of deburring & corrosion resistance.
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#12

Post by Deadboxhero »

zuludelta wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 5:39 pm
An aside: Reading some of the replies in this thread, I'm starting to wonder if "BBB 15V" will eventually replace Maxamet in Golden's steel repertoire, sort of how K390 has replaced ZDP-189 as Seki City's top edge-retaining steel. I like Maxamet a lot, but I'd gladly trade a little bit of its edge retention for a small bump in ease of deburring & corrosion resistance.


This is a Sprint run and I feel the spirit of CPM 15V is this:

Image
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#13

Post by sal »

FYI,

We have been informed that ZDP will still be available, but only in the San Mai laminate. We will use the laminate to replace the solid ZDP models.

sal
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#14

Post by elena86 »

sal wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:50 pm
FYI,

We have been informed that ZDP will still be available, but only in the San Mai laminate. We will use the laminate to replace the solid ZDP models.

sal
Great news sir. Delica family ?
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#15

Post by electro-static »

Deadboxhero wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 1:12 pm
Sharp Guy wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 11:18 am
Normally I'm on the forum enough to be in the know regarding the latest steels, sprints, exclusives etc. I would also have the time to do my own research. But I just started a new job and have too many other things going on right now to really care about chasing all these sprints.

To be honest, I've kinda lost interest in trying every new steel that comes out. I have most the steels that Spyderco's done in recent years except for 10V and Magnacut. I will try Magnacut at some point. Otherwise I'm happy with all the steels I have. I don't dislike any of them and I appreciate them all.

So in a nutshell....what's the big deal with 15V and Shawn's heat treat? Why is everyone clamoring over it? I might try to get a 15V Shaman but I'm really quite happy with the Cruwear and 4V ones I have now
Well, it's no secret I've always been a big fan of k390, 10V and Maxamet.

I was curious if there were something in between 10V/K390 properties and Maxamet Properties like a balance between them since that would be a really cool sweet spot for a steel guys and edge junkies to play with.

At the time Maxamet was in more limited production and I had asked Sal if we could get a Spyderco in CPM 15V, at the time I was concerned Maxamet would stop being produced since it is so brutal to work with and I felt like high carbide tool steels at high hardness are very unique and should be widely available as something junkies should get an opportunity to experience. (Of course Maxamet is in full swing currently which we should all give Spyderco a round of applause for.)

CPM 15V looked like a really neat steel on paper but when the original protocol was followed it didn't appear to create a high performance knife blade edge as much as it was designed for a high wear industrial cutting part or component.



After years of testing, a protocol was developed that showed great promise and did well in my custom work.

In my custom knives I quite enjoy the CPM 15V I get lots of aggression at the edge, it apex nice and crispy and deburrs like a champ, it really hits a nice sweet spot before going more extreme in properties and trade offs like with Maxamet and Rex 121. Yet 15V would offer more cutting edge retention than 10V/K390/PMA11 Thanks to the increased vanadium carbide volume.




Originally, Spyderco had asked to do a collaboration knife with me and I asked Sal if he would be kind enough to use the steel and heat treatment I wanted which Sal was kind enough to oblige.

Well, I wanted that collaboration to be done at the Golden factory because they make my favorite Spyderco models. However, the Golden factory was already at maximum manufacturing capacity and would take many many years to ever get to doing a new collaboration folder project. Now combine that with the pandemic and other unseen circumstances and it looked like it was going to be a very, very long time which didn't bother me, I would wait a lifetime to see a dream come true.


Eric had proposed in the meantime while we are waiting he would like to get the CPM 15V out to folks with my heat treatment which is quite an honor and I'm very thankful and grateful.

There were different options for different handle scale materials but at the end of the day, the spirit of the project was to get the CPM 15V knives out to people sooner than later not add more delay.

Brown G10 was available and ready to go, also BBB "Big Brown Bear"

Worked out perfectly.


There was a lot of back and forth with translating the heat treatment it wasn't as simple as just giving them a cooking recipe.(nothing ever is)

I was given the authority and autonomy to select the melt, and work directly with and lead the heat treatment team.

I'm quite satisfied with how it came out and this is truly a unique and very special sprint run.
It’s amazing just to own of your handiwork, I’ve been a fan for years and am really enjoying the Manix.

Part of me wonders if optimized and consistent Steel HT protocols are the next frontier in knife performance as people in the community are testing knives and seeing what you have: The same steel doesn’t mean the same performance, especially as steels like M390 seem to be in everything these days and the performance seems to vary so much from mfg to mfg.
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#16

Post by zuludelta »

sal wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:50 pm
FYI,

We have been informed that ZDP will still be available, but only in the San Mai laminate. We will use the laminate to replace the solid ZDP models.

sal
That's awesome news! I know ZDP has sort of fallen out of favour with the larger afi community as of late, but I only have good things to say about my ZDP Endura & Dragonfly, and the former has especially served me well for years as a work knife. It cuts for a long, long time, and at least for me, is nowhere near as difficult to sharpen as Maxamet (If I had to put a number on it, I feel like I get 80% of Maxamet's edge retention in ZDP-189, but with maybe 50% easier deburring, which is a tradeoff I'd gladly take).
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#17

Post by Rinzler »

sal wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:50 pm
FYI,

We have been informed that ZDP will still be available, but only in the San Mai laminate. We will use the laminate to replace the solid ZDP models.

sal
Excellent news. I enjoy zdp189 even though it’s not the latest and greatest steel flavor. Reading that it will be all laminated is a benefit to me since zdp189 is the only knife steel I’ve had rust on me in my pocket.
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#18

Post by Gtscotty »

Rinzler wrote:
Sun Jan 15, 2023 8:32 pm
sal wrote:
Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:50 pm
FYI,

We have been informed that ZDP will still be available, but only in the San Mai laminate. We will use the laminate to replace the solid ZDP models.

sal
Excellent news. I enjoy zdp189 even though it’s not the latest and greatest steel flavor. Reading that it will be all laminated is a benefit to me since zdp189 is the only knife steel I’ve had rust on me in my pocket.
Yeah, laminate ZDP sounds like an upgrade to me.
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#19

Post by shunsui »

Glad to hear ZDP will still be around, and laminated to boot.

I wouldn't mind a mule in laminated ZDP.
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Re: Please Tell Me About 15V

#20

Post by vandelay »

If ZDP-189 dragonflies were made again, I'd pick one up.
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