Cruwear, I like!

[gull wing]

Swapped blades to this nice gray FRN, what a combo.
Cruwear cuts so aggressively and is so easy to keep it that way. :) Others I like M390, 20CV, 1095, VG10, but Cruwear . :D
MORE CRUWEAR PLEASE.

[JonLeBlanc]

What do you think about the new DLT exclusive coming up then?

[dj moonbat]

I don’t always want to use just one steel, but when I do, make it CruWear.

[steelcity16]

Cruwear is awful. No one should buy the upcoming exclusive. BOYCOTT CRUWEAR!!

[TkoK83Spy]

After all the hype built up for Cruwear the past year, I've now got it in the Manix and Shaman...I'm actually a bit disappointed in it overall. Maybe it's my type of work I use it for, or maybe all the excitement led me to believe it was something magical?? I find it pretty middle of the road. Not a bad steel, but not a mind blowing amazing steel either. Something that does everything a bit better than average. Like a C+

One thing I do like though, is that even though it isn't stainless, it's properties seem to make it a solid choice for a tool steel in the summer months with high temperatures/humidity and not have to worry nearly as much about corrosion as you would other steels. I really appreciate that about Cruwear.

[SubMicron]

I do not own Cruwear but plan to buy at least one example of it ASAP.

From what I understand, my expectations are that it has wear resistance roughly comparable to S30V, but is significantly stronger than even M4 or 4V, and takes a very fine edge.

It's been described as "a sharpener's steel" by some.

[spyderg]

I love Cruwear, easy to sharpen, easy to keep sharp with touching up on my DoubleStuff, holds a great edge, doesn’t chip or roll easily. The only thing is it can start to rust a bit, noticeable more on my PM2 than my Manix2 for some reason. Even moreso on my Bark River but my Enigma Knives slipjoint in comparable us2000 is like my Manix. Anyways it just means I don’t edc Cruwear on 40 degree Celsius days. I’m enjoying spy27 for the hot ones.

[TkoK83Spy]

I love Cruwear, easy to sharpen, easy to keep sharp with touching up on my DoubleStuff, holds a great edge, doesn’t chip or roll easily. The only thing is it can start to rust a bit, noticeable more on my PM2 than my Manix2 for some reason. Even moreso on my Bark River but my Enigma Knives slipjoint in comparable us2000 is like my Manix. Anyways it just means I don’t edc Cruwear on 40 degree Celsius days. I’m enjoying spy27 for the hot ones.

I forgot to mention that as well, very easy to get very sharp.

I'm surprised you have had some rusting issues. Did you clean off your blade each day after use? Obviously we all have different sweat compositions as well, but that's surprising to hear.

[samdasnake]

Cruwear is awful. No one should buy the upcoming exclusive. BOYCOTT CRUWEAR!!

:D Yeah please boycott Cruwear so I can get more for me :)

[JuPaul]

After all the hype built up for Cruwear the past year, I've now got it in the Manix and Shaman...I'm actually a bit disappointed in it overall. Maybe it's my type of work I use it for, or maybe all the excitement led me to believe it was something magical?? I find it pretty middle of the road. Not a bad steel, but not a mind blowing amazing steel either. Something that does everything a bit better than average. Like a C+

One thing I do like though, is that even though it isn't stainless, it's properties seem to make it a solid choice for a tool steel in the summer months with high temperatures/humidity and not have to worry nearly as much about corrosion as you would other steels. I really appreciate that about Cruwear.

Did you ever run your cruwear Manix through the work week gauntlet? Based on the hrc database, it looks like spyderco has run its cruwear anywhere from 60 to 63+ hrc, and the Shaman was at the low end. This could explain some of the varying opinions on cruwear. I can't tell much difference between the models I have, really, but I also haven't been systematic about it.

Edit to add: Personally, I'm not disappointed that the shaman was run on the softer side. Presumably it'd maximize toughness on a hard use knife, and make sharpening a bit easier on a big thick blade.

[spyderg]

I love Cruwear, easy to sharpen, easy to keep sharp with touching up on my DoubleStuff, holds a great edge, doesn’t chip or roll easily. The only thing is it can start to rust a bit, noticeable more on my PM2 than my Manix2 for some reason. Even moreso on my Bark River but my Enigma Knives slipjoint in comparable us2000 is like my Manix. Anyways it just means I don’t edc Cruwear on 40 degree Celsius days. I’m enjoying spy27 for the hot ones.

I forgot to mention that as well, very easy to get very sharp.

I'm surprised you have had some rusting issues. Did you clean off your blade each day after use? Obviously we all have different sweat compositions as well, but that's surprising to hear.

I clean my blade anytime it gets dirty, or at the end of a day of carry if I couldn’t at the time. If I just end up carrying but not cutting anything, (a day without cutting anything is rare) I put it away without thinking about it.
So, on my Manix I’ve never had it rust while I’m carrying and using it. I lent it to a friend to get him hooked on Spyderco, (it worked, he carries a PM2) for a month that turned into 3 months due to a bunch of things. He carried and used it every day. He works in a boiler room where it’s very hot and humid. When I got it back I noticed a few orange specs in that space where you can see the tang because of how the cbbl has an opening if that makes any sense. Anyways it was just a touch forming that was pretty easy to clean up but required disassembly. (Turns out I fixed the slight centering issue it came with upon reassembly!)
On my PM2 however, it gets surface rust forming quite easily on the exposed parts of the blade just from a day of sweaty carry.
My Bark River has rather quickly formed a patina but no rust.
All three have different finishes on the blades which I’m assuming is the main factor, although for all I know, different heat treats could play a role?

[JMM]

After all the hype built up for Cruwear the past year, I've now got it in the Manix and Shaman...I'm actually a bit disappointed in it overall. Maybe it's my type of work I use it for, or maybe all the excitement led me to believe it was something magical?? I find it pretty middle of the road. Not a bad steel, but not a mind blowing amazing steel either. Something that does everything a bit better than average. Like a C+

One thing I do like though, is that even though it isn't stainless, it's properties seem to make it a solid choice for a tool steel in the summer months with high temperatures/humidity and not have to worry nearly as much about corrosion as you would other steels. I really appreciate that about Cruwear.

[+1] ↑↑↑↑↑

I agree with every single word of your assessment. I have a CruWear Manix2 & Shaman and it's a perfectly fine steel, but I would take 4V, Rex45, or K390 any day of the week over CruWear. Yes it's more corrosion resistant, but I treat all my tool steels the same (very thin coat of mineral oil on the blade) and consequently it doesn't stand out any more or less. Yes it's easy to sharpen, but I don't really think of it being significantly different than other tool steels... I'll go so far as a B- but that's it. :D

[TkoK83Spy]

After all the hype built up for Cruwear the past year, I've now got it in the Manix and Shaman...I'm actually a bit disappointed in it overall. Maybe it's my type of work I use it for, or maybe all the excitement led me to believe it was something magical?? I find it pretty middle of the road. Not a bad steel, but not a mind blowing amazing steel either. Something that does everything a bit better than average. Like a C+

One thing I do like though, is that even though it isn't stainless, it's properties seem to make it a solid choice for a tool steel in the summer months with high temperatures/humidity and not have to worry nearly as much about corrosion as you would other steels. I really appreciate that about Cruwear.

Did you ever run your cruwear Manix through the work week gauntlet? Based on the hrc database, it looks like spyderco has run its cruwear anywhere from 60 to 63+ hrc, and the Shaman was at the low end. This could explain some of the varying opinions on cruwear. I can't tell much difference between the models I have, really, but I also haven't been systematic about it.

Edit to add: Personally, I'm not disappointed that the shaman was run on the softer side. Presumably it'd maximize toughness on a hard use knife, and make sharpening a bit easier on a big thick blade.

I did use the Manix as well. It may have been my last one I used in that thread. I did notice a bit of a difference between the two. The Manix did perform better with less edge damage than the Shaman.

I just think I'm a bit biased these days after being spoiled with Rex45 and 4V :D

[JuPaul]

After all the hype built up for Cruwear the past year, I've now got it in the Manix and Shaman...I'm actually a bit disappointed in it overall. Maybe it's my type of work I use it for, or maybe all the excitement led me to believe it was something magical?? I find it pretty middle of the road. Not a bad steel, but not a mind blowing amazing steel either. Something that does everything a bit better than average. Like a C+

One thing I do like though, is that even though it isn't stainless, it's properties seem to make it a solid choice for a tool steel in the summer months with high temperatures/humidity and not have to worry nearly as much about corrosion as you would other steels. I really appreciate that about Cruwear.

Did you ever run your cruwear Manix through the work week gauntlet? Based on the hrc database, it looks like spyderco has run its cruwear anywhere from 60 to 63+ hrc, and the Shaman was at the low end. This could explain some of the varying opinions on cruwear. I can't tell much difference between the models I have, really, but I also haven't been systematic about it.

Edit to add: Personally, I'm not disappointed that the shaman was run on the softer side. Presumably it'd maximize toughness on a hard use knife, and make sharpening a bit easier on a big thick blade.

I did use the Manix as well. It may have been my last one I used in that thread. I did notice a bit of a difference between the two. The Manix did perform better with less edge damage than the Shaman.

I just think I'm a bit biased these days after being spoiled with Rex45 and 4V :D

Ah, I just couldn't remember. And I do understand the love for spyderco's 4v and rex45!

[Tucson Tom]

Funny. I have just been carrying my Cruwear Manix the past couple of days. I touched it up on my Goldenstone and was again pleased with how easy it was to restore a very sharp edge with just 8 passes on each side of the blade.

I do like Cruwear -- but I like all kinds of steels. The next knife in my "rotation" will be my Rex45 Manix, which is also a favorite.

As people have said many times about Cruwear, it is a well balanced steel. It is not the ultimate in any particular aspect, but it does very well in many. I really prize steels that cooperate with me when I want to sharpen them and Cruwear is one of the best in that regard.