K390 IS "The M4 Killer"

[Pelagic]

Has anyone used K390 in bladesports? Years ago it was all about M4, then 4v started to dominate. While I realize toughness matters more in bladesports than normal use, K390 could be tough enough. But a k390 competition chopper would be super expensive.

[Barmoley]

I'll jump on the K390 band wagon and say that I've had excellent results with it in urban and P4. Both surprised me with both steel and the knives themselves. P4 carries much smaller than it is and urban feels larger in use than it is somehow. Would love something in the middle with K390. The only steels that could compete with it for me was 10V in K2 and maxamet. All these gave me the edge stability I was hoping for, but didn't expect as I thought these steels would be much more brittle than they turned out to be. Maybe I am just not using them hard enough.....

[Chumango]

How do 10V and K390 compare?

[Woodpuppy]

How about a brass whittlin’ comparison tween rex45 and K390?

(Whispers to M4 pm3, “It’s alright precious, I still love you”)

[steelcity16]

How about a brass whittlin’ comparison tween rex45 and K390?

(Whispers to M4 pm3, “It’s alright precious, I still love you”)

And nail choppin! Add in 4V and Cruwear while you are at it! The ultimate showdown!

[TkoK83Spy]

(Whispers to M4 pm3, “It’s alright precious, I still love you”)

Hahaha. That got me :D I'm with you bud, one of my personal favorites.

[GarageBoy]

Does k390/10v/a11 take as fine of an edge as well as m4?

[Deadboxhero]

Does k390/10v/a11 take as fine of an edge as well as m4?

Better and holds longer

[marty_bill_]

Yeah, thanks to Shawn I ordered my P4 in K390 yesterday! Very excited for this knife to come in.

[TomAiello]

I'm pretty sure that I'll buy anything Spyderco runs in K390. Three of my favorite knives (Police 4, Urban and a PW custom fixed blade) are K390, and it's one of my two favorite steels (the other being Maxamet).

[anagarika]

Shawn,

You did have experience with CS BS in XHP and if I recall correctly, you had quite good impression of high sharpness edge holding it has. I found it to my liking also, opposite to S110V. How different is this P4 in K390 or how much similarities with XHP?

All these talks about it making me wanting one. Alas, currently no budget to get one. A full Seki run is going to be very tempting.

Chris they are not really comparable. I'd say that's a closer match between PSF27, CPM D2 and CPM Cruwear

The K390 has a higher obtainable hardness thanks to the drop in Cr and not being stainless. K390 has a huge volume of very fine Vanadium Carbides which are the hardest next to Niobium and K390 will be more durable at the edge than XHP yet still cut longer. I haven't found a production folder that holds the front end sharpeness as long with this much aggression.

Custom world is a different story.

I'm talking about what you can buy sub $300 production.

Thanks.

So the ability to hold high level of sharpness is similar (as opposed to drop down quickly and hold long working edge) but at higher level of hardness? Just trying to understand the description.

[Doc Dan]

Shawn,

You did have experience with CS BS in XHP and if I recall correctly, you had quite good impression of high sharpness edge holding it has. I found it to my liking also, opposite to S110V. How different is this P4 in K390 or how much similarities with XHP?

All these talks about it making me wanting one. Alas, currently no budget to get one. A full Seki run is going to be very tempting.

Chris they are not really comparable. I'd say that's a closer match between PSF27, CPM D2 and CPM Cruwear

The K390 has a higher obtainable hardness thanks to the drop in Cr and not being stainless. K390 has a huge volume of very fine Vanadium Carbides which are the hardest next to Niobium and K390 will be more durable at the edge than XHP yet still cut longer. I haven't found a production folder that holds the front end sharpeness as long with this much aggression.

Custom world is a different story.

I'm talking about what you can buy sub $300 production.

Thanks.

So the ability to hold high level of sharpness is similar (as opposed to drop down quickly and hold long working edge) but at higher level of hardness? Just trying to understand the description.

Chris, my limited experience (1 knife) is that the steel takes and holds a very high level of sharpness for a long time. It will then drop off to a working edge and hold that for a long time. In fact, it held a super sharp edge so long that I was surprised when my knife actually did need to be touched up. It was still cutting along and one day I noticed it would not shave as easily. It held that edge for a long while until it got dull and I was forced to resharpen. I have never had a steel that I was as enthusiastic about as K390 (there might be some out there, but I have no personal experience).

Another thing, it may not be "stainless" but it sure does not stain or rust easily. Still today, that knife has a barely visible (in the right light) golden sheen to the steel, and that is all. I do wipe it down after use, and I do have a light coat of Vaseline on it, but with all of the apples and other fruit I cut, and meat, I would have thought it would discolor (patinate) sooner and far more.

I am no expert. This is only my experience with K390.

[anagarika]

... It was still cutting along and one day I noticed it would not shave as easily. It held that edge for a long while until it got dull and I was forced to resharpen. I have never had a steel that I was as enthusiastic about as K390...

Another thing, it may not be "stainless" but it sure does not stain or rust easily. Still today, that knife has a barely visible (in the right light) golden sheen to the steel, and that is all. I do wipe it down after use, and I do have a light coat of Vaseline on it, but with all of the apples and other fruit I cut, and meat, I would have thought it would discolor (patinate) sooner and far more.

I am no expert. This is only my experience with K390.

Doc,

Thank you for sharing. Is the dulling you notice after the long 2nd phase (working edge)?

Also now that you mentioned it, I recall your description of the slight golden patina.

Again, thanks.

[Doc Dan]

... It was still cutting along and one day I noticed it would not shave as easily. It held that edge for a long while until it got dull and I was forced to resharpen. I have never had a steel that I was as enthusiastic about as K390...

Another thing, it may not be "stainless" but it sure does not stain or rust easily. Still today, that knife has a barely visible (in the right light) golden sheen to the steel, and that is all. I do wipe it down after use, and I do have a light coat of Vaseline on it, but with all of the apples and other fruit I cut, and meat, I would have thought it would discolor (patinate) sooner and far more.

I am no expert. This is only my experience with K390.

Doc,

Thank you for sharing. Is the dulling you notice after the long 2nd phase (working edge)?

Also now that you mentioned it, I recall your description of the slight golden patina.

Again, thanks.

The way it worked for me and my uses (I do not chop trees, I only do daily chores) was that the high initial sharpness stayed for a long time of use. It was long enough that I was surprised when it finally needed to be touched up. I did not do that. It had a very sharp working edge still, so I let it go. This working edge laster a long while and finally go to where it was dull by my standards. It would not shave, even if a lot of pressure was used, but it would still cut printer paper okay, but not like previously. What I am trying to say is that the edge holding is beyond what I have seen in other steels in both high initial sharpening and in the less sharp working edge. Again, this was my experience.

To sharpen it, I simply used a medium diamond hone by hand after using a sharpie on the edge. It did not take as long as I thought to give me back a decently sharp blade. I did not use a strop. I did hit it a lick or two on the fine, but mostly I wanted the toothiness of the medium grit.

Yes, it has a nice golden sheen to the blade where it lightly patinated. You have to hold the light just right to see this.

[Pelagic]

What is M4 truly capable of? Has anyone ever pushed it?

Disclaimer to Shawn: This is not a yes/no question, and no, I am not implying M4 is better than k390 in any way.

[bearfacedkiller]

M4 was popular in Bladesports for a while so I would say yes, someone has pushed it before.

[crazywednesday]

Like many of you, I love k390. It would be great to have a k390 fixed blade the size of the waterway or or sprig!

[abbazaba]

Like many of you, I love k390. It would be great to have a k390 fixed blade the size of the waterway or or sprig!

Not quite the same, but the A11 Mule is still available.

[bearfacedkiller]

If they already have some K390 in Seki then crank out some Delicas! Those bad boys will sell out in minutes.

[wrdwrght]

I have both the K390 Urban and the Police4. What a great steel!

Spyderco’s HT decision no doubt improved the chances of me liking K390, as did the blade geometries they applied to it. I wait like a shark for any new K390 Spydie that floats along.

Do I like M4 less? Not for a minute.

I don’t see how anyone NOT cutting stuff all day long can fairly compare any of the steels Spyderco offers. If they’re different, they’re still all good. Didn’t some knife guy say something like this?

For me, discovering the difference is the fun (if slow) part, not crowning a new king.