CTS-BD1N Thoughts and Opinions

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Genotoxic
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CTS-BD1N Thoughts and Opinions

#1

Post by Genotoxic »

Hello, by now I think we have had enough time to put our Para 3 LW's to work and really get a decent feel for the new steel introduced by that model, CTS BD1N.

Since getting my Para 3 LW I have had a hard time carrying anything else and because of this it has seen a lot of use and a few good sharpening sessions. Overall I really enjoy this steel and will gladly buy Spyderco models in the future if they feature this steel as a more budget option to keep the price lower than say S30V.

Since S30V is such a popular steel and also the steel which I have the most experience with using and sharpening I think it is fair to compare the two. I would confidently say BD1N is tougher than S30V, not extremely tougher but I do notice it develops less smaller chips and just blunts and smooths over vs getting like a miniature saw. That being said it moves me on to overall edge holding and that's where S30V takes the lead. BD1N will hold a very sharp edge for a surprising amount of time, possibly slightly higher than S30V on fine edge but I find once it looses its scary sharp edge it will diminish fairly quickly and wont have much bite to it where as S30V will keep an aggressive raggedy edge for a long time before truly needing a touch up.

Sharpening CTS BD1N is awesome though, the steel is very easy to sharpen,strop and responds like butter to the sharpmaker. Re profiling the steel is a breeze and when I've had to top up the edge a few light passes on the corners of the fine stones makes it blow hair right off your arm. Also it took quite a bit of stropping and using until it got to the point of needing an actual touch up so the steel can last for a long time if maintained properly.

Last point, corrosion resistance. I used the knife for food prep of acidic foods and left it out for a long time and didn't properly wipe the blade off and have seen no signs of corrosion or discoloration, on top of this I have had it on me at work where I've been sweating like a pig now that the warm weather is in and still nothing I have done in my normal life has phased the steel.

So to conclude, I really like this steel and look forward to it being used in upcoming models. The main point of this was to share my experience so far and to hear the experiences and opinions of others as I have not seen much discussion on the forum about the steel yet... or maybe I just missed it.

Look forward to hearing what you guys have got to say!
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Doc Dan
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Re: CTS-BD1N Thoughts and Opinions

#2

Post by Doc Dan »

Thanks for the review. This looks like it is going to be a great new addition to Spyderco. I have not yet bought a knife in it, but I will. It seems it is better than VG10 and just a little behind S30V in edge retention from what I have read or viewed, but some materials seem to show equal with S30V. Not a bad steel.
Last edited by Doc Dan on Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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carrot
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Re: CTS-BD1N Thoughts and Opinions

#3

Post by carrot »

I shot myself in the foot with BD1N testing. I got the SE Para 3 and all I can compare it to is SE H1 and SE 8CR.

It's good so far. My experience mirrors yours. I still enjoy super-supersteels but these days I prefer something a little easier to sharpen and just sharpen more frequently. BD1N hits my sweet spot, stays sharp long enough to go home and just have to lightly touch it up again. I dropped mine from 4ft and got a bent tip and a chipped tooth, I bent the tip back and the tooth sharpened out easily enough. I went through plenty of cardboard and got a few scuffs on the blade, nowhere close to H1's easy to scratch though. Abrasive materials definitely aren't tearing up the edge as much as I expected. I found that H1 really suffers on cardboard, even SE.
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sal
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Re: CTS-BD1N Thoughts and Opinions

#4

Post by sal »

Hi Genotoxic,

Welcome to our forum and thanx much for sharing your experiences.

sal
Genotoxic
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Re: CTS-BD1N Thoughts and Opinions

#5

Post by Genotoxic »

carrot wrote:
Mon Jun 17, 2019 8:46 am
I shot myself in the foot with BD1N testing. I got the SE Para 3 and all I can compare it to is SE H1 and SE 8CR.

It's good so far. My experience mirrors yours. I still enjoy super-supersteels but these days I prefer something a little easier to sharpen and just sharpen more frequently. BD1N hits my sweet spot, stays sharp long enough to go home and just have to lightly touch it up again. I dropped mine from 4ft and got a bent tip and a chipped tooth, I bent the tip back and the tooth sharpened out easily enough. I went through plenty of cardboard and got a few scuffs on the blade, nowhere close to H1's easy to scratch though. Abrasive materials definitely aren't tearing up the edge as much as I expected. I found that H1 really suffers on cardboard, even SE.
I'm with you on sometimes a simpler steel is just nice! I love the fancy steels but more so for a weekend carry where my use is fairly controlled. I've gone back to good old S30V,154cm, VG10 and now BD1N for my work knives because when I damage the edge it doesn't take forever to sharpen and I can fix it fast and easy. When running with exotic steels a chip or damage to the edge realllly hurts because putting that awesome edge in the first place took some sweat and work.
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Re: CTS-BD1N Thoughts and Opinions

#6

Post by Genotoxic »

sal wrote:
Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:50 am
Hi Genotoxic,

Welcome to our forum and thanx much for sharing your experiences.

sal
Any time! Thanks to the Spyderco team putting in work to bring us the latest and greatest knives/materials.

Just doing my part and using the knives as intended!
Doeswhateveraspidercan
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Re: CTS-BD1N Thoughts and Opinions

#7

Post by Doeswhateveraspidercan »

I like it, it sharpens easy and have not had any corrosion issues. I also like the hue of the steel. Hope to see more of it in the future.
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Re: CTS-BD1N Thoughts and Opinions

#8

Post by cycleguy »

I purchased two different blades with it this year and I am content with each (for reference, I like VG-10 and am just getting to the so called super-steels). One of the blades is kitchen cutlery by another manufacturer and I decided the other day to buy more in that series. The other is a spdercp pocket that I purchased a couple 2-3 months back and I am happy with it too. I use diamond stones and it sharpens easy, so I go light on the pressure and not to heavy on grit. Last time I sharpened it, I went to about 4K on lapping film and was razor like for taking hair off my arm ... I don't usually sharpen this fine. Seemed like the razor edge gave out quickly but remained easily slicey in cardboard and packaging tape for a very long time and is still going.

If there is a knife I like in BD1N, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one.

CG
So many knives - so little funds!!!
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Doc Dan
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Re: CTS-BD1N Thoughts and Opinions

#9

Post by Doc Dan »

https://youtu.be/WOtD7TWVtfM

Corrosion resistance to salt.
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Genotoxic
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Re: CTS-BD1N Thoughts and Opinions

#10

Post by Genotoxic »

Doc Dan wrote:
Wed Jun 19, 2019 9:26 am
https://youtu.be/WOtD7TWVtfM

Corrosion resistance to salt.
Not bad at all! Beats out S30V which is usually good enough in corrosion resistance for normal every day use... you might not be able to cut up lemons then stick it back in your sweaty pocket without wiping it down but who does that anyways haha.
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