Favorite EDC steel

[silver & black]

I have one knife in M390. It is a great steel and easy to maintain.

[Pacu0420]

I absolutely agree with Sal. My choice of knife/steel is very dependant on what I'll be doing with it. That being said....if I had to pick one steel for general purpose, it would be Magnacut.

[Wartstein]

If I had to stick with only one steel for PE and one for SE :

- PE: REX45 (HAP40), no doubt.
- SE: I think I´d still pick good, old VG10....

[Wandering_About]

MagnaCut has become my personal overall favorite for daily carry.

[BeggarSo]

S30V I like
VG10 No thank you
52100 No thank you.
S35VN no thank you.
S45VN is okay but I prefer S30V
SPY27 is swiftly becoming a favorite
Magnacut in theory perfect balance yet lacks edge retention I prefer it is like S45VN for me just OK as it is clearly a transitional steel to Magnamax.
S90V I like it.
M4 need more use to form an opinion.

Cruewear not impressive to me edge retention lacking, corrosion resistance to low it is like an almost steel. Almost something really good almost clears the ladder but slips on the last rung, tired of trying to make myself like it, it just doesn't do it for me.

LC200N I like it great corrosion resistance, gets sharp easy not as much edge retention as some but good.

H1 PE no thanks, serrated eh okay but only if super salt water resistance needed I have bent serrated teeth with it so not something I would buy. H2 dont know after H1 dont care, at all.

CTS- XHP I like it it holds a nice sharp edge for quite a while but corrosion resistance is lacking.

CTS-204P, CV20,M390 Over priced over hyped. Edge retention lacking. Sharpens easily.

CTS-BD1N No thank you.

CR13MOV I like it gets stupid sharp, super easy to bring back but requires stropping after any real use.

440V HATE IT. Stuff is impossible to get really sharp especially serrations it laughs at the sharp maker and makes you feel like your sitting alone in a diner where your girlfriend probably a blond was supposed to meet you and had the waiter deliver a dear John letter for all your efforts. But you get lucky the owner is a hot brunette and she is SPY27 yeah a new favorite and she into you and performs when... yeah better stop

I forget the early Japanese Steel Spyderco used decades ago BG something, made me wonder how they stayed in business back then. Terrible stuff.

440C meh semi OK

420HC Okay with a Buck heat treat won't seek it in anything.

Hap40 no thank you overrated.

Maximet need more practice to form an opinion.

A2 gets sharp but rusts too easy.

D2 I like it for the price but it's like cruwear. Price however doesn't dictate my taste.

CPM 154 I like it for kitchen use easy to sharpen lacks edge retention.

S110V does not hold a truly sharp edge very corrosion resistant prefer S90V.

K390 Love it it has its own unique bite easy to sharpen keep it oiled.

15V beautiful steel love the Spyderco finish the steel is Spooked looks different like the haze of a ghost. Has it's own unique toothiness. different more refined smoother than K390.

REX-121 I like it pretty corrosion resistant for something that is not supposed to be. So hard it's toothiness is glass like, easy to sharpen with the right abrasives though.

These are the steels I have reprofiled sharpened, honed and used. I cant think of any others than Case XXX whatever they are and Victorinox and both of those are garbage as far as I am concerned.

Thank you Spyderco.

[da1cyclist]

S30V I like
VG10 No thank you
52100 No thank you.
S35VN no thank you.
S45VN is okay but I prefer S30V
SPY27 is swiftly becoming a favorite
Magnacut in theory perfect balance yet lacks edge retention I prefer it is like S45VN for me just OK as it is clearly a transitional steel to Magnamax.
S90V I like it.
M4 need more use to form an opinion.

Cruewear not impressive to me edge retention lacking, corrosion resistance to low it is like an almost steel. Almost something really good almost clears the ladder but slips on the last rung, tired of trying to make myself like it, it just doesn't do it for me.

LC200N I like it great corrosion resistance, gets sharp easy not as much edge retention as some but good.

H1 PE no thanks, serrated eh okay but only if super salt water resistance needed I have bent serrated teeth with it so not something I would buy. H2 dont know after H1 dont care, at all.

CTS- XHP I like it it holds a nice sharp edge for quite a while but corrosion resistance is lacking.

CTS-204P, CV20,M390 Over priced over hyped. Edge retention lacking. Sharpens easily.

CTS-BD1N No thank you.

CR13MOV I like it gets stupid sharp, super easy to bring back but requires stropping after any real use.

440V HATE IT. Stuff is impossible to get really sharp especially serrations it laughs at the sharp maker and makes you feel like your sitting alone in a diner where your girlfriend probably a blond was supposed to meet you and had the waiter deliver a dear John letter for all your efforts. But you get lucky the owner is a hot brunette and she is SPY27 yeah a new favorite and she into you and performs when... yeah better stop

I forget the early Japanese Steel Spyderco used decades ago BG something, made me wonder how they stayed in business back then. Terrible stuff.

440C meh semi OK

420HC Okay with a Buck heat treat won't seek it in anything.

Hap40 no thank you overrated.

Maximet need more practice to form an opinion.

A2 gets sharp but rusts too easy.

D2 I like it for the price but it's like cruwear. Price however doesn't dictate my taste.

CPM 154 I like it for kitchen use easy to sharpen lacks edge retention.

S110V does not hold a truly sharp edge very corrosion resistant prefer S90V.

K390 Love it it has its own unique bite easy to sharpen keep it oiled.

15V beautiful steel love the Spyderco finish the steel is Spooked looks different like the haze of a ghost. Has it's own unique toothiness. different more refined smoother than K390.

REX-121 I like it pretty corrosion resistant for something that is not supposed to be. So hard it's toothiness is glass like, easy to sharpen with the right abrasives though.

These are the steels I have reprofiled sharpened, honed and used. I cant think of any others than Case XXX whatever they are and Victorinox and both of those are garbage as far as I am concerned.

Thank you Spyderco.

Cruwear is sooooo close to being “stainless” have you actually had issues? I’m surprised you’re saying Rex 121 is corrosion resistant; I’ve babied mine, but on paper its not great.

[LadybugMan]

@BeggarSo Magnacut in theory perfect balance yet lacks edge retention

Finally, someone who agrees with me!

[BeggarSo]

I have had issues with corrosion. REX 121 not booked as corrosion resistan but more so than K390.

K390 Patinas real quick, REX 121 not so.

I left it wet during a reprofile of a PM2 Wherncliffee and returned to a rust spot a few hours later but it wiped right off without patina a pit or stining Cruwear has formed small pits in my use. I dont like that.

Maybe the new Spyderco Blade Coating I think of as DLC2 will benefit all none stainless grades? I love DLC but no more DLC purchases for me until the new stuff comes out.

I have had DLC come off a Magnacut PM2 way to easy. I have plenty of DLC but I dont think the outside company Spyderco uses does a great job on Magnacut due to this.

Cant wait to see the in-house new version.

[Jeb]

BeggarSo,

While the Spyderco DLC I have has done amazing at staying on my blades, I too am really wanting to check out Spyderco's in house work and coating.

I have been referring to this new coating as Trench Coat lol, just to give it a nickname if you will. Spyderco needs to name this stuff too. That way we all can talk about the right stuff. From what I understand there is a difference in them...

While here with a post, I have to say that the MagnaCut has been a real favorite here, but being a bigger knife guy, I didn't have many knives that I edc in it. I do have two of the new Manix2XL Salt all black Bumblebee 's coming this way. Should hit my place early this next week...

The K390 is a great blade steel, but it literally rust up so bad and quick here on me in the desert of Texas that I don't edc it. Otherwise my K390 Police4 if it had the DLC coating or even better Spyderco 's own in house coating on it, this would easily be my favorite.

The K390 is a great steel, the MagnaMax when we start getting knives from it may very well be the cats meow lol... my MagnaMax Mules have been really great.

I have one Mule that I have loaned out to two different guys so far and let them do their worse with it and it's been still very impressive to me. I have baton beat the hound out of the one I have and it's been killer. Left it outside, all the nasty things that I could think of lol

So for right now, the MagnaCut gets my vote if I had to pick just one...

[BeggarSo]

I spoke with Jeff over at CS after buying his companies Exclusive PM2 In REX121.

According to Jeff the Coated version will drop this year and it will be the first Spydercos released with the new in-house coating.

Jeff says it is really great and super smooth not like the current DLC.

From this I am expecting not only better blade adhesion and scratch resistance but better friction reduction which fits Spydercos high performance way of doing things, perhaps following in the company tradition it will be called.

"The Spyder Coating"?

Spyder denoting high performance race cars which is how Sal came to the company name.

[GarageBoy]

@BeggarSo Magnacut in theory perfect balance yet lacks edge retention

Finally, someone who agrees with me!

This is why I'm excited for Magnamax - sacrifice some toughness (who needs impact toughness on a folding knife, anyways?) for some more edge retention

@BeggarSo

Early spyderco models were in Gin 1/G2 -similar to cts BD1(not N) - then ats 55, along with aus 6 and aus 8 before vg10

BG42 was used in early CRK and in some Buck knives

Was always intriguing to me that Spyderco offered serrated 440v/s60v with no decent sharpening solution (when were the diamond rods introduced?)

[BeggarSo]

That's a good question I tried diamond with 440V using a diamond Spyderco duckfoot and some diamond coated rodsjust couldn't get good results went down in flaming defeat with a Military, sold it and still shake my head thinking about that crazy impossible steel.

Must be the G2 I am thinking about it is on an old stretch with steel handles much smaller than the offerings between 2004 and foreward. Just won't sharpen.

[da1cyclist]

I have had issues with corrosion. REX 121 not booked as corrosion resistan but more so than K390.

K390 Patinas real quick, REX 121 not so.

I left it wet during a reprofile of a PM2 Wherncliffee and returned to a rust spot a few hours later but it wiped right off without patina a pit or stining Cruwear has formed small pits in my use. I dont like that.

Maybe the new Spyderco Blade Coating I think of as DLC2 will benefit all none stainless grades? I love DLC but no more DLC purchases for me until the new stuff comes out.

I have had DLC come off a Magnacut PM2 way to easy. I have plenty of DLC but I dont think the outside company Spyderco uses does a great job on Magnacut due to this.

Cant wait to see the in-house new version.

Are you varying your edge angle depending on the steel’s characteristics? I’m just getting into sharpening & am working to build my knowledge/experience

[BeggarSo]

It is a deep rabbit hole best wishes. I have decades and thousands of dollars invested in it.

I have done everything from 10 degrees to 16.5 on average. I find 16 to 16.5 to be a pretty sweet spot using recent Hapstone Guided angle sharpener and Axicube from Tsprof that slides over the rod.

The lower the angle when you use actual measurements not freehand guessing the wider the bevels, so aestetics come into play as well.

[matthewkuhl]

What is your favorite EDC steel?

CruWear. Stainless enough, tough as nails, takes a very nice edge and strops back very easily. If i had to pick one steel to marry for the rest of my life, it would be CruWear.

[matthewkuhl]

This is interesting.

I have 4 Military's at the moment: REX 45, 4V, S30V, and M4. The M4 Millie consistently loses its fine edge faster than the other 3. I can bring it right back with a few swipes on the Sharpmaker, but it doesn't last as long as the others. It also seems to hold onto a burr longer. Sometimes, especially if the SM rods are dirty, I have to strop it to get that last bit of burr off the edge.

I actually almost sold it for this reason. Maybe I need to give it a full sharpening again and start fresh.

M4 was a one and done steel for me. It takes the keenest edge i can put on a blade, but it chips so easily it isn't worth it.
Rex 45, 10V and CruWear are my go-to steels for work knives

[GarageBoy]

That's a good question I tried diamond with 440V using a diamond Spyderco duckfoot and some diamond coated rodsjust couldn't get good results went down in flaming defeat with a Military, sold it and still shake my head thinking about that crazy impossible steel.

Must be the G2 I am thinking about it is on an old stretch with steel handles much smaller than the offerings between 2004 and foreward. Just won't sharpen.

That sounds like the old pro grip which was available in every early Spyderco steel

https://www.spydiewiki.com/index.php/C13_Pro-Grip

440v back then was only hardened to the mid 50s - soft with hard carbides doesn't seem fun to sharpen

I'm surprised you noted lack of edge retention on 20cv/204p/m390 - I thought the whole point was increased wear resistance over s30v

[Naperville]

@BeggarSo Magnacut in theory perfect balance yet lacks edge retention

Finally, someone who agrees with me!

The edge retention may not be in the top 5 of knife steels but Magnacut is passable. If you are attacking me and I have to thrust / cut more than 5 to 10 times, I GOOFED! Why am I in that situation?

I do look forward to MagnaMax. But as I said, if I need a weapon that badly I need to look at why I did not move to a safer location.

I just moved. Cost $8k plus. I am no longer anywhere near a city like Chicago. I know that everyone cannot move, but that should be the goal.

[Naperville]

MagnaCut has become my personal overall favorite for daily carry.

I think MagnaCut is good. It is better in the toughness department than many steels

Have several Spyderco knives in MagnaCut.

[da1cyclist]

That's a good question I tried diamond with 440V using a diamond Spyderco duckfoot and some diamond coated rodsjust couldn't get good results went down in flaming defeat with a Military, sold it and still shake my head thinking about that crazy impossible steel.

Must be the G2 I am thinking about it is on an old stretch with steel handles much smaller than the offerings between 2004 and foreward. Just won't sharpen.

That sounds like the old pro grip which was available in every early Spyderco steel

https://www.spydiewiki.com/index.php/C13_Pro-Grip

440v back then was only hardened to the mid 50s - soft with hard carbides doesn't seem fun to sharpen

I'm surprised you noted lack of edge retention on 20cv/204p/m390 - I thought the whole point was increased wear resistance over s30v

There are a lot of confusing things that dude says in his post