What is your opinion of CTS-XHP?

[bchan]

Hello all, I am thinking of to buy a knife to try out the CTS-XHP steel. For those who have experience working with this steel, how does it compare to say VG-10 or S30V? Thanks.

[eric m.]

Buy the knife! :)

[The Deacon]

Since the only knives I have in XHP are "safe queens, all I can say with any certainty is that it doesn't look any more (or less) attractive than VG-10 or S30V.

[eric m.]

Since the only knives I have in XHP are "safe queens, all I can say with any certainty is that it doesn't look any more (or less) attractive than VG-10 or S30V.

How many locked in the tower or in the dungeon? Doesn't matter brother, as long as they're brought into the light every once in a while! Ha, Ha, Ha! :)

[Doc Dan]

I have a knife with this steel and so far I am very happy with this steel. I would love to have a Spyderco fixed blade hunting knife with this steel.

[Holland]

Decent steel, I think it's overrated though. There have been quite a few tests where s30v out performed it

[78lilred]

It does seem to get a lot of hype/rave reviews, personally in my experience it's more enjoyable than s30v. I've got a para2 and techno with it and the bevels polish nicely.

[hunterseeker5]

Broadly its very comparable to S30v. Any performance differences you see between it and S30v are likely due more to differences in geometry, sharpening, and heat treat than differences between the two steels. That doesn't make it bad, we seem to all love S30v as well, it just means its a nice steel rather than the second coming. :)

[Donut]

I've heard it compared to VG-10 on steroids, I think that is pretty accurate.

People say the Wear Resistance is in line with CPM-S30V. CPM-S30V is supposed to be chippy, CPM-S30V is designed to offer higher wear resistance when toughness isn't needed. CTS-XHP has more toughness than CPM-S30V, so it should offer you a more well rounded user steel than S30V depending on what you use it for.

I would love to see some beater tests done with these two steels to see how the difference in toughness affects us in actual use.

It does seem to sharpen similar to VG-10.

[bpeezer]

Polishes easily like VG-10, holds its edge like S30V. What's not to like :)

[gbelleh]

[video=youtube;28GLa9T2CtI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28GLa9T2CtI[/video]

[Surfingringo]

Polishes easily like VG-10, holds its edge like S30V. What's not to like :)

I have an xhp Millie on the way and I hope this is true. Something that would easily take an edge like vg10 but have better edge retention would be a dream!

[chuck_roxas45]

I.would recommend xhp.for people who.like polished edges. For me xhp.is still.agressive with a polished edge. If you're into.coarse edges, I suggest s30v over xhp.

[Surfingringo]

I.would recommend xhp.for people who.like polished edges. For me xhp.is still.agressive with a polished edge. If you're into.coarse edges, I suggest s30v over xhp.

Well in that case, I guess since I'm getting those uf sharpmaker stones, the xhp Millie will be a good one to play with. :D

[chuck_roxas45]

Well in that case, I guess since I'm getting those uf sharpmaker stones, the xhp Millie will be a good one to play with. :D

In my experience, XHP is great with a polished edge. It holds a fine edge almost as long as ZDP for me that for my uses, it's a stainless ZDP but "easier" to touch up. With coarse edges on both S30V and XHP, it's my experience that S30V seems to hold a working edge longer but if both are polished, the XHP will hold that fine edge longer than S30V.

Try doubling the number of strokes going from brown to fine to UF rods each time you change grit. For example, 10 strokes per side on the brown, 20 per side on the fine, and 40 per side on the UF with the lightest contact that you can manage. You might like the results. :)

[greencb]

I have a PM2 in CTS-XHP it is my EDC. I sharpen with an edge pro and took the bevel to a 6k polish. I have used this edge for pheasant cleaning and I just processed a Deer this season with it, from field dress,skin, de bone and final meat prep this knife was used for it all in order to see how the steel would hold up. I did run the blade on a steel rod just prior to cleaning up backstrap for a few strokes. After it was all said and done I can still shave my arm with this blade. This edge had a year of edc on it I had cleaned probably 16 pheasants with it and processed a deer. I have used vg-10, ats-34 and zdp-189 I like this blade the best.

[nozh2002]

In general all Carpenter steel are much better then Crucible. Even CPM S30V version made by Carpenter left original CPM S30V miles behind.
Think about this - on my opinion only way for Spyderco to make CPM S30V compete with CTS-XHP and CTS-204P is to ship those american
supersteels to Taiwan - across the Pacific and ship it back to US, otherwise no one even look at CPM S30V which is quite pathetic. Still even
with this shipments over Pacific I prefer CTS-XHP to any Crucible steel.

[dbcad]

Welcome greencb :) Enjoy the forum :)

From your account I can infer the XHP holds a nice fine edge very well :) Did you happen to hit any bones during your processing??

[Mikael Andersson]

Well in that case, I guess since I'm getting those uf sharpmaker stones, the xhp Millie will be a good one to play with. :D

In my experience, XHP is great with a polished edge. It holds a fine edge almost as long as ZDP for me that for my uses, it's a stainless ZDP but "easier" to touch up. With coarse edges on both S30V and XHP, it's my experience that S30V seems to hold a working edge longer but if both are polished, the XHP will hold that fine edge longer than S30V.

Try doubling the number of strokes going from brown to fine to UF rods each time you change grit. For example, 10 strokes per side on the brown, 20 per side on the fine, and 40 per side on the UF with the lightest contact that you can manage. You might like the results. :)

In that case Spyderco should really polish that blade on the Slysz Bowie. :D

[Xplorer]

CTS-XHP is a great steel that's very similar to S30V.