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Okay, so... Magnacut. It's awesome right? Wear resistance, toughness, AND corrosion resistance. No one has ever been able to strike all three categories. Awesome.

On the other hand... What if you don't care about corrosion resistance? There have been a bunch of steels that deliver a great balance between wear resistance and toughness. Usually, tool steels with low corrosion resistance tend to check that box.

For me, I live in a pretty arid environment. I really don't care about corrosion resistance. I love steels like 15V, 10V, etc. It seems like tool steels in particular tend to check those boxes of wear resistance and toughness, though remain low in terms of corrosion resistance. To me, it seems like there's not really that much that Magnacut is offering outside of that which steels like CPM-M4, CPM-CruWear, CPM-154CM etc. don't already offer.

As cool as Magnutacut is, it seems like it only really seems to offer a breakthrough in terms of balance when it you consider corrosion resistance. On the other hand, I feel like something like CPM-10V is far better, where it seems to strike a great balance between toughness and wear resistance, but without respect to corrosion resistance.

What do you think?

*Thread title edited to maintain family-friendly guidelines. - TazKristi

Break out the 15V and Magnucut! Two good steels.

I live in a reclaimed swamp, 40 miles West of Chicago. Yet none of my knives rust.

The most impressive steel that I personally have experienced from a user experience is K390. Plus it comes from the Seki factory with great cutting geometry (not that thin is always needed or desired). I think were Magnacut can really shine is where Spyderco has it positioned in the Salt models. If the edge performs better in use than H2 or LC200N and offers higher edge retention, that will be very important to some users. Time will tell where it all shakes out.

Stainless is very important to some due to activities or geography. Others, not so much. Glad Spyderco gives us variety. May not be best for business, but it sure works out great for us users. 98-99% of the time, I do not think of stainless, but that is only my lifestyle and activities.

Real men work hard outside and sweat enough that stainless steels earn their place

In all seriousness this time of year I could mostly agree, but I still like stainless knives at work for busy service. Don't always have time to carefully wipe down white #1 when slingin 500-600 orders in four hours.

I also appreciate stainless folders in the warmer months. I'd rather touch up the edge a bit more often than have rust spots to scrub off my blade every day because they can't handle an hour of IWB carry on a mountain run without developing orange specks.

Having a stainless steel that is the ballpark equivalent of M4/4V is pretty awesome if you ask me... but that's just, like, my opinion.

I love what the crazy cool tool steels like 15V and K390 do, but I also love the worry free performance of a stainless steel like MagnaCut for certain situations.

Do we really have to talk trash about steels that don't fit our personal expectations for performance? I enjoy the variety and even if I've found steels that I don't personally like, there are plenty out there who do like them and that is just fine.

For me it really just comes down to what you prioritize for your personal needs. I don't think, for the most part (atleast what spyderco uses) any steel is inherintly better than another. Personally i prioritize corrosion reistance probablly more than most attributes, particularly for work knives but even for edc. I live on the ocean, everything rusts. All the edge retention in the world means pretty little to me if it rusts after an afternoon in my pocket, forget about at work. Thats why i really appreciate something like magnacut as an edc steel, because it checks all 3 boxes as best as it can. For work, i prioritze corrosion resistance and toughness way more than edge retention, and thats why i value h1 there more. They have more uselful value to me an say m4, or 10v or what have you. For someone who prioritizes edge retention, ofcourse there are better options, but one of the beautiful things about spyderco is that there is something for everyone. We litterally have options in every exteme and options with great balance.

In the area i live the steels of Salt knives are totally overkill.
Tool steels hardly ever form any corrosion even when its as hot and moist it can be here in my country.
So personally when it comes to steels being stainless good old s30v is perfect for me.
Magnacut doesn’t interest me one bit. The only reason i would have it in my collection one day is when its in a model i want. But i will never buy a knife to have the steel itself.

kennbr34 wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 05, 2024 9:34 am

For me, I live in a pretty arid environment. I really don't care about corrosion resistance. I love steels like 15V, 10V, etc. It seems like tool steels in particular tend to check those boxes of wear resistance and toughness, though remain low in terms of corrosion resistance. To me, it seems like there's not really that much that Magnacut is offering outside of that which steels like CPM-M4, CPM-CruWear, CPM-154CM etc. don't already offer.

Where Magnacut really shines is balance.

Compared to CPM-154, Magnacut is tougher, more wear resistant, and more corrosion resistant - in other words, it’s a better steel. I think that CPM-154 is still cheaper though, which is another important factor we often lose sight of.

I use the Cruwear example a lot, though - Cruwear is both tougher and more wear resistant than Magnacut, while still being fairly corrosion resistant. For me, Cruwear is where it’s at for a well-balanced edc steel.

Where it clearly falls short is extreme wear resistance. M4, K390, 15V, Maxamet will all cut significantly longer at the expense of corrosion resistance and toughness.

It all depends on what you’re looking for in a steel.

Real men love capitalism, competition, and allowing market forces to determine what is best - for each person. That is what is so awesome. People who live in arid locations and don't sweat or don't carry about a little rust have options. People who sweat, live where they have to swim through the air, or to work, have other options. And still others live elsewhere and get the best of both worlds.

No one is forcing anyone to purchase a steel they don't want. Don't want it - don't buy it. That usually moves the needle.

vivi wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 05, 2024 10:03 am

Real men work hard outside and sweat enough that stainless steels earn their place

Magnacut having these great attributes plus corrosion resistance seems like a big win to me. If you don't care, then keep rocking tool steels. It's not like Spyderco isn't going after that market segment as well. I'm happiest with a low maintenance outdoors ready knife so I think I'm gonna like me some Magnacut.

I feel like real men aren't concerned with what a real man should use or how they should use it. Kinda makes one seem insecure about their masculinity... Others don't have to try so hard. I'm not going to scoff at a steel because it has good corrosion resistance. Especially if it's well balanced like Magnacut. That being said I love me some M4 or K390.

Fun thread. Some witty and entertaining posts. "Real men ... herb gardens ... tool steel," LOL.

When I analyzed the data from last year's survey, I couldn't help but notice the broad spread of preferences on the question of corrosion resistance, see graphic below. On calculating further cluster analyses, I noticed clusters forming around these different steels, as if there were two different tribes of knife users, the stainlessites and the tooleroos, the latter of which there were many zealots as can be seen in the graphic. Notice how insouciant they are toward corrosion resistance, choosing toolishness in the strongest terms.

For home and work, I prefer tool steels. For backpacking and food prep, it's stainless all the way, baby. Magnacut is something of a god-send for my outdoor activities.

I'm definitely a tooleroo...and still think Magnacut is way overrated

It hasn't blown me away in any category. Clearly as a tooleroo, I don't care about corrosion resistance. Ho hum edge holding, and sharpening hasn't seemed any different than most steels. I really don't get it.

Variety is the spice of life.

Thankfully, Spyderco had the wisdom/insight to provide so many options in their products.

Best part, as one ages, is realizing more and more how much truth there is in that first sentence. Opinions and circumstances/situations/locations change over time. Always great to be able to meet those changes with differing options.

More stainless for me and the non real men.

I prefer a good stainless myself, but to each their own. Buy and use what you like, and don't buy what you don't like, it's pretty simple.

I don't give a *bleep* about tribalism.

Jim

I live in Hawaii less than 2 miles from the ocean so my level of caring for corrosion resistance is more than yours. That’s the beauty of Spyderco though, something for everyone, right?

I’m actually at the point where I stopped buying non stainless for modern folders. I’m fact I’m pretty much only buying Magnacut these days.

When I see manufacturers release new models that aren’t in Magnacut I haven’t been interested. I’ve slowed down my Spyderco purchases but will start again once the PM2s, Chief and Manix salts are available.

I still like carbon steel on my traditional knives though.

Do we really need even more excuses to carry two or three knives?
Many EDC a separate knife for food.