What Other Blade Steels?

[KiaTia]

Ok guys I have a Sage 1 with the CMP-S30V and love this blade it stays sharp a long time and cuts nice. Having said that what other will be similar or should I just stay with the CMP-S30V? I have the itch for another Spyderco.

Thanks

[kbuzbee]

A lot of folks are enjoying CTS-XHP. Takes a great edge.

If stainless isn't a requirement CMP-M4 is my all time favorite at this point.

Sal excels at giving us lots of choices.

That said, all steels found in Spyderco knives are outstanding. While I will buy a knife just to try out a different steel, most folks are better off finding a knife they like and enjoying the steel it comes with.

Ken

[Wolverine666]

S30V is great. One of my very favorite blade steels. I know it well and I love it.

Lately though , I've been wanting some M390. It seems to be at the top of the performance steel heap right now.

[dbcad]

VG-10 is the material I'm most familiar with, takes a beautiful edge and is very forgiving. S30V keeps that working edge for a very long time and can be sharpened easily although it takes more time than VG-10. Both are very stainless and are the most prevalent blade materials for Spyderco's. 154CM and N690C are supposedly equivalents of VG-10.

ZDP189 can be extremely difficult to reprofile if you don't have the right tools, but takes and keeps a really nice edge extremely well :D There's H-1, if you need extremely stainless, and performs very well in SE.

Then you can get into more exotic, materials like M390, CTSXHP, 20CP, 3V, Elmax, Cruwear, etc. those I don't have too much eperience with yet.

Then there's SuperBlue, O1, D2 and CPM D2, M4 and CPM M4, etc again for tool steels and CPM variants.

I'm an extreme novice at this material knowledge thing, but there's a bunch of being used. Look in more detail and see what's right for you in the sharpness, hardness, toughness, corrosion resistance, easy to sharpen balancing act :rolleyes: :eek: :)

[Evil D]

I really like S30V. For a while i was getting burned out, but after you try enough other steels you start to understand why this steel has taken over as one of the two standard Spyderco steels (the other being VG10). There's nothing amazing about it, but it doesn't really lack anything either. It's a nice compromise between edge retention, toughness and ease of sharpening. If you're into serrations, check out the Salt/H1 knives. VG10 is a great steel too, very forgiving of a novice sharpener, takes a very keen edge but doesn't hold it quite as long as S30V, though some will argue that it holds a "hair popping edge" longer than S30V (if you ask me, that all depends on what you're cutting, as cardboard will kill ANY hair popping edge pretty fast). ZDP-189 is super nice, extremely hard steel that will hold a working edge for a very long time, but can be prone to chipping if you sharpen to a very thin edge. S30V and ZDP will both tend to chip before they roll, whereas VG10 usually rolls before it chips.

[Blerv]

Personally, I pick the model over the steel. If there is an option I really enjoy it though :) .

If you like the Sage you might check out the Caly3.5 or Caly3. That way you could try VG10 and ZDP-189. If you enjoy the Manix2 or Para2 there are plenty of sprints to try.

[jackknifeh]

If you like the Sage1 in addition to the steel and want to satisfy the "itch" I'd suggest a Sage4. I have had a Sage1 for a while and love it. I got a Sage4 recently and love it as well. It is beautiful in a different way and feels like a work horse. If you want to get away from the Sage series I'd recommend a Gayle Bradley with M4. I have a GB and Manix2 with M4. M4 is a great steel IMO and both are excellent knives and available now. Manix2/M4 only on bentoboxshop.com though. Everybody (almost) has Gayle Bradley knives.

Jack

[Evil D]

Personally, I pick the model over the steel. If there is an option I really enjoy it though :) .

I tend to agree, although there are knives i've bought or not bought because of the steel that was/wasn't an option. I know a lot of people rave about 154CM, but it never did much for me and that was a big reason i don't own a Manix 2 anymore. And, although i do like the Delica, it was a knife i didn't keep when i had it in VG10, but i HAD to buy one when they came out in ZDP. On the other hand, i would probably own a Para 2 in any of the available steels that it comes in and be just about as happy with one as i would the other.

[dbcad]

Apologise for not seeing it earlier...............Welcome KiaTia :) If you couldn't tell already there's a bunch of folks that geerously give their advice and share what they know. Learn and have fun with these sharp pointy things :D :)