M390?

[Knivesinedc]

Whats your opinion on this steel? Ive heard its a fantastic supersteel that happens to be a bit hard to sharpen. The reason i ask is that I'm in the process of trading for a Bradford Gaurdian 3 fixie. I got a fantastic deal on it, but I have basically zero knowledge on M390. What are its strengths and weaknesses, best uses etc? Any and all info is appreciated! -Jake-

[JD Spydo]

It wasn't until July of last year that I made a good trade for a Spyderco C-36 Military model with M390 blade steel>> up till then I had heard good things about M390 but "USING IS BELIEVING"!!. I have had other supersteels in the past I had in my other Spyderco User Knives but there is something special about M390>> it has a really dense toughness to it and it has edge retention I don't find in many blade steels. I've been using my M390 MIlitary model since July for one of my main EDC folders and I can't say enough good about it. And I wish I could get a C-60 Ayoob with M390. The M390 blade steel seems to really hold up well for the type of work I do with it. I've only had to reprofile it once since I've first starting using it back in July 2015.

My vote is "Thumbs UP"!! for M390. I'm going to get other Spyders with M390 and I've also got my eye out for some of CPM's newer blade steels as well. I am curious however to see how M390 and/or XHP both would be for Spyderedged blades. I recommend M390 to anyone who uses their knife for daily hard work chores with a knife. :spyder:

[MarcusH]

You may ask the users of the Southard.
The CTS-204p is the same as M390, it's just the trade name used by Carpenter.
M390 ist the trade name used by Böhler-Uddeholm.

[paladin]

JD summed it up pretty well...I'd add to upgrade to some diamond tri-angle rods...I've also used a DMT diafold coarse/xtra coarse sharpener with really good results when I dropped the secondary to about 25 deg.

The medium rods are great for touch-ups & maintenance...

The hype is REAL! Believe it!

[MacLaren]

Actually.....M390 is a bit different...some may actually consider it a cut above 204p and 20cv
As Bohler uses 3rd gen processing.
Very nice stuff M390
Of course guys, this is just opinion....there may be very little difference in real world applications.

[MacLaren]

But I think Spyderco along with BM and ZT will prolly be using 204p instead.
From what I understand Bohler is reallg hard to get as its eurpoean and also from what i understand they really dont care if the sell a lot of knife steel or not.
When ZT came out with one of their Hinderer flippers it was in M390, but mid production maybe a bit later they changed to 204p.
I have one of the M390 versions and they seem to be getting harder to find.

[Donut]

CTS-204P and M390 are supposed to be similar in the formulas. I remember there was a thread and someone who claimed to be with Carpenter posted that what Bohler 3rd gen was referring to was particle size and that Carpenter's particle size was a little smaller, so it should be considered 4th gen... or something like that.

I think it's nice stuff and I wish we would see more of it. I heard someone dub it as Stainless M4, which makes it sound really nice.

Then again, 204P and XHP are nice and I would be happy seeing those, also. I'm not sure why M390 seems almost rare.

[El Gato]

This is an interesting topic to me and I appreciate all the comments.
M390 sounds like a good steel for a working knife like the Military. CTS 204P seems appealing as well.
I like the XHP in my Chaparrals.

Dave

[JD Spydo]

CTS-204P and M390 are supposed to be similar in the formulas. I remember there was a thread and someone who claimed to be with Carpenter posted that what Bohler 3rd gen was referring to was particle size and that Carpenter's particle size was a little smaller, so it should be considered 4th gen... or something like that.

I think it's nice stuff and I wish we would see more of it. I heard someone dub it as Stainless M4, which makes it sound really nice.

Then again, 204P and XHP are nice and I would be happy seeing those, also. I'm not sure why M390 seems almost rare.

Well DONUT that's really interesting to hear you say that in comparison to M-4 and XHP . Because ironically my two best C-36 Military models to date have been the XHP and M390 models>> albeit in my ever so humble opinion I like the M390 considerably better for the cutting jobs I encounter on a daily basis. I find myself sharpening my M390 MILI about half as much as I did the XHP version of that great Spyderco hard use folder.

I know I'm going down another rabbit hole here all together but then again maybe not>> because I personally regard Spyderco's C-36 Military model as their "loud and proud" answer to BUCK's iconic model 110 :cool: With that said I can't think of a better model in Spyderco's great line up to test out these newer/better supersteels with other than the Military model. The Military is truly a workman's dream folder>> and with M390 it just doesn't get much better in my opinion.

By the way where is our metallurgy man Cliff Stamp been lately :confused: Because this is right up his alley for sure

[bearfacedkiller]

I have both the Southard and the CTS204P Para2. The Southard hasn't been carried much at all but I love the CTS204P Para2. I have never really tested it's toughness at all in my uses but it is super stainless and it holds an edge very well.

[Donut]

I don't know where he's been. I haven't been around too much lately either.

It will be interesting to see if you can tell the difference between M390 Military and CTS-204P Military... and maybe even the S110V Military. :p

Yeah, I don't know much about long term use, I used my M390 Para to help my friend work on his house for a few months. It worked well. I saw some chipping once, but I sharpened it after every day's use. I like how XHP performs.

[JD Spydo]

I don't know where he's been. I haven't been around too much lately either.

It will be interesting to see if you can tell the difference between M390 Military and CTS-204P Military... and maybe even the S110V Military. :p

Yeah, I don't know much about long term use, I used my M390 Para to help my friend work on his house for a few months. It worked well. I saw some chipping once, but I sharpened it after every day's use. I like how XHP performs.

OH I can tell you about "long term use" and "hard use" for the M390 Military model>> because in the past 6 months or so I've been really being borderline abusive to that folder and the rivet on the bottom part of the handle is starting to get loose>> probably time to contact Charlynn at "Warranty & Repair" to get that bad boy a Joan River's face lift :eek: But other than that rivet getting a bit loose the blade has held up to torture I only recall putting one other Spyder through and that being my 440V, SE Native model which should be dead by all laws of physics.

It's kind of an ironic comparison becaues M390 also has a toughness and resilience comparable to 440V. But it holds an edge at least 5 times better than 440V. M390 also has a really nice resistance to corrosion, abrasion and seems to polish nicely as well. Again I would love to see how M390 and XHP both would perform in Spyderedge :cool: Well it may not be the very best supersteel Sal & Co has made available to us but I'm sure sold on it. It's also one steel I would like to get the MULE model as well..