Damn I absolutely enjoy these videos, I wish you had that comparison sheet in this one though. I have a 10v blade and absolutely love it. I can't wait to get my hands on Maxamet when I have the opportunity.
I did a convex regrind on my maxamet to 15thou and the edge I use is 17dps back bevel, 20dps microbevel leaving stones at 850 grit diamond plate to 1 micron strop. That’s how I get aggression on maxamet. I run my fingers over the edge and it sinks in before I have a chance to respond. To remove the “micro burr” I do edge trailing strokes with only the weight of the knife. Also, to sharpen maxamet I start by running the knife perpendicular to the stone to kill the edge. (A killed maxamet edge will still slice😂) this removes fatigued steel. You can sharpen maxamet on japanes natural stones, and it leaves carbide sticking out like gravel glued to a rope.
I did a video where I sharpened it on a king neo which uses 800 grit SiC and that cuts this pretty well. Same video I tried a nanohone 1K and it was brutally slow verging as expected. Maxamet seems pretty reluctant to hold onto a burr which is a feature I really enjoy!
Yeah I have found 10v to just be ridonkulous when it comes to edge retention and it’s ability to be stropped back to a super aggressive and fine edge. To get the edge completely deburred I have to run a deburr pass with my diamond stone several times on my last grit, for me 800 grit. To get that super fine edge off I then transition to a series of diamond emulsion. One micron to .25 micron and finally .1 micron. The diamond emulsion has the necessary hardness and grit to really yield results. I know this might sound crazy but I strop most of my knives with a spent piece of cardboard that I squirt down with diamond emulsion. When I’m done I just throw them away. The emulsion builds up really quick and using a leather strop was getting super annoying cause it needed cleaned so often. But let me tell you, you finish that .1micron strop and the edge on something like 10V is literally like a laser beam. Since the time of this video 15V has come out and I got some experience with maxamet and rex45. I like 10V the best because it actually maintains a balance between hardness and toughness that’s still serviceable. 15V, Maxamet, and Rex45 seem to be super hard but they are so brittle that incidental contact with almost anything hard and it will wreck the blade!!
10V is a super fun and great balance! I like using those disposable strops too so I feel ya. I wouldn’t worry about 15V being brittle for you. If you use 10V with no issues then you will be just fine!
I have the hardest time w my maxamet getting to hair sharp. No matter what I do it’s toothy as all. Cuts cardboard great for months. But can’t get that hair pop sharp like my other knives (m-390-20cv-elmax) easy…..this all ways ends up like a steak knife. Stones are diamond course up to 2000 ceramic any help will be great. Strop w green compound. Wonder if diamond paste will help ?
Definitely try to use 100% diamond abrasives when sharpening Maxamet! There are probably 2 reasons you aren’t getting good results. 1) not truly apexing because it’s so wear resistant 2) forming too large of a burr. I was also struggling with it for months so I eventually forced myself to only carry it until I figured it out. Took about 2 weeks but I did figure out how to get the hair shaving edges I like. The biggest piece of advice is to sneak up on the burr. How to do that is work one side 80% of the way to a burr. Then do 85% on the opposite side. Then do 10% on each and finally barely raise a burr doing the last 5%. You may want to go up in grit on the last 5% depending on the stones you’re using. Finish the sharpening normally with minimal burr formation and strop on diamond compound. I have a video of me sharpening it and so does big brown bear that I recommend. th-cam.com/video/oOco3Pj98T8/w-d-xo.html
10V is in the same series from Crucible as 3V and 4V that all use similar metallurgical principals. It was actually the first particle metallurgy steel ever produced. K390 was Bohler or Uddeholm's response to 10V. They slightly changed the chemistry due to patents on 10V. Some of the changes could be considered very mild improvements in how manufactures work with the steel. The stone is a DMT course, ~320grit
I love that k390. I wish spyderco would make more knives in it..... manix, para's, smock, etc. I love that stuff. It lasts forever, its not as much as a nightmare to sharpen as maxamet. I have a question for you: I was told I should really consider getting a diamond bonded matrix stone for the maxamet especially because It's so hard, it will cut away the diamond on normal diamond stones, like it will literally cut away the metal the diamonds are on over time (but much faster than other super steels) and leave you with no diamonds left on diamond stone. Is that true do you know? Or does it wear away a diamond stone about the same as any other "super steel"?
Love K399 too! Definitely not a real issue with Maxamet. Although it is very hard, diamonds are A LOT harder. Maybe some are noticing how work out there diamond plates are when sharpening Maxamet or they wear them out faster due to taking longer is how that concept started. I do recommend getting some higher end non-plated diamond stones if you’re really into sharpening though!
@@EngineersPerspective701Thanks for the reply!! Yes I only have some very cheap diamond plates from Amazon…like the ones with the honeycomb designs. What do you recommend? Like the venev centaur type ones or the jende ones? I do have good regular stones i use the shapton pro stones, and they even sharpen most of my super steels fine. But i just recently got the spyderco bug and now i have rex 45 and k390 (both my favs) and maxamet, etc…..so I want a good diamond stone. Thanks!!
I have two questions if you don't mind. 1) how would you compare 10v to 15v what are some of the differences and why do you prefer 10v over 15v? 2) Has your perspective changed about maxamet? To me it seems anytime you're talking about maxamet I sence a level of uncertainty. It's almost as if you like maxamet in some regards but you're not entirely sure whether or not you'd include it into your inner circle of favorite steel's. Sorry to bother you but there's not many steel fanatics out there on utube that's capable of your level of articulation.
1) I have no experience with 15V so I can't say anything with certainty. I would guess that I would prefer a well done 15V over equivalently well done 10V simply due to carbide volume. I am doing everything I can to get one of the 15V Manix 2's that are about to drop and Triple B tested his at 65HRc. Should be INSANE! 2) I adore Maxamet. Possibly my favorite steel. Doesn't sharpen like any other steel and breaks down different than anything else too but I love it for those properties. Just a sweet steel for me.
@@EngineersPerspective701 yes!!!! The manix in cpm-15v sprint run is coming soon I'm super excited about it. I already have a few notifications set up but I just don't know exactly when it's dropping. Okay , so you're really liking maxamet alote that's interesting. I've been on the fence about it for several months only because I heard so many people complain about maxamet being painfully frustrating to sharpen. One gentlemen who I know personally operates a sharpening business in my town, he went as far as saying " maxamet responds like a glassy like metal that has a tendency to chip away and fall apart while you're deburring it" he absolutely despises it. Idk my guess is maybe people's resentment is due to their unfamiliarity with such a unique steel perhaps their not utilizing the proper sharpening techniques this peculiar steel demands. Also their's a few variables to take into account right stones, right amount of pressure and I would imagine the proper progression is also vital. Thanks again for your wisdom it's well appreciated, best regards!!
@@jimmycricket7946 IDK what he's using to sharpen maxamet but it's very easy to work with if you have diamonds/cbn and don't develop a huge burr. Stones like the Venevs are great to work with for it but diamond plates do good job too. Like any steel the first few edges are not going to be stellar as the fatigued factory edge is removed. That could be the source of his frustration as well.
@@EngineersPerspective701 yes of course, I forgot that the factory edge might be fatigued or have belt chatter, a very good point. I'm surprised he didn't bring that up.
Enjoyed the content of this video. Glad I found your channel and looking forward to watching some more as time permits.
Thank you! Let me know if there is anything specific you'd like covered!
Damn I absolutely enjoy these videos, I wish you had that comparison sheet in this one though. I have a 10v blade and absolutely love it. I can't wait to get my hands on Maxamet when I have the opportunity.
So glad you’re enjoying them! 10V and Maxamet are absolute beautiful steels, just so much goodness!
I did a convex regrind on my maxamet to 15thou and the edge I use is 17dps back bevel, 20dps microbevel leaving stones at 850 grit diamond plate to 1 micron strop. That’s how I get aggression on maxamet. I run my fingers over the edge and it sinks in before I have a chance to respond. To remove the “micro burr” I do edge trailing strokes with only the weight of the knife. Also, to sharpen maxamet I start by running the knife perpendicular to the stone to kill the edge. (A killed maxamet edge will still slice😂) this removes fatigued steel. You can sharpen maxamet on japanes natural stones, and it leaves carbide sticking out like gravel glued to a rope.
I did a video where I sharpened it on a king neo which uses 800 grit SiC and that cuts this pretty well. Same video I tried a nanohone 1K and it was brutally slow verging as expected.
Maxamet seems pretty reluctant to hold onto a burr which is a feature I really enjoy!
k390 is great and might be a better choice. it sharpens in the spyderco treatment very good. Especially for the price. nice review
It’s a go to for me these days. 15dps and hangs in there with the best of them.
Yeah I have found 10v to just be ridonkulous when it comes to edge retention and it’s ability to be stropped back to a super aggressive and fine edge. To get the edge completely deburred I have to run a deburr pass with my diamond stone several times on my last grit, for me 800 grit. To get that super fine edge off I then transition to a series of diamond emulsion. One micron to .25 micron and finally .1 micron. The diamond emulsion has the necessary hardness and grit to really yield results. I know this might sound crazy but I strop most of my knives with a spent piece of cardboard that I squirt down with diamond emulsion. When I’m done I just throw them away. The emulsion builds up really quick and using a leather strop was getting super annoying cause it needed cleaned so often. But let me tell you, you finish that .1micron strop and the edge on something like 10V is literally like a laser beam. Since the time of this video 15V has come out and I got some experience with maxamet and rex45. I like 10V the best because it actually maintains a balance between hardness and toughness that’s still serviceable. 15V, Maxamet, and Rex45 seem to be super hard but they are so brittle that incidental contact with almost anything hard and it will wreck the blade!!
10V is a super fun and great balance! I like using those disposable strops too so I feel ya. I wouldn’t worry about 15V being brittle for you. If you use 10V with no issues then you will be just fine!
I have the hardest time w my maxamet getting to hair sharp. No matter what I do it’s toothy as all. Cuts cardboard great for months. But can’t get that hair pop sharp like my other knives (m-390-20cv-elmax) easy…..this all ways ends up like a steak knife. Stones are diamond course up to 2000 ceramic any help will be great. Strop w green compound. Wonder if diamond paste will help ?
Definitely try to use 100% diamond abrasives when sharpening Maxamet!
There are probably 2 reasons you aren’t getting good results. 1) not truly apexing because it’s so wear resistant 2) forming too large of a burr.
I was also struggling with it for months so I eventually forced myself to only carry it until I figured it out. Took about 2 weeks but I did figure out how to get the hair shaving edges I like.
The biggest piece of advice is to sneak up on the burr. How to do that is work one side 80% of the way to a burr. Then do 85% on the opposite side. Then do 10% on each and finally barely raise a burr doing the last 5%. You may want to go up in grit on the last 5% depending on the stones you’re using. Finish the sharpening normally with minimal burr formation and strop on diamond compound.
I have a video of me sharpening it and so does big brown bear that I recommend.
th-cam.com/video/oOco3Pj98T8/w-d-xo.html
@@EngineersPerspective701 thank you very much. I will do that. Fingers crossed.
@@jamesincharlotte You’re welcome! Hope it helps!
Is the 10V brittle? Would it be good for hard use on a fixed blade? Thanks bro, good video.
Not really. My specimen rolls instead of chipping. That said it isn’t really an appropriate choice for a hard use fixed blade.
What is another name for K390. And also 10V I never heard of 10V. And can you tell me the grit of that diamond stone is it like 240 .
10V is in the same series from Crucible as 3V and 4V that all use similar metallurgical principals. It was actually the first particle metallurgy steel ever produced. K390 was Bohler or Uddeholm's response to 10V. They slightly changed the chemistry due to patents on 10V. Some of the changes could be considered very mild improvements in how manufactures work with the steel.
The stone is a DMT course, ~320grit
@@EngineersPerspective701 thank you very much for answering me back
@@EngineersPerspective701 love the in depth answer. I really like it when someone who actually understands the steel does the review.
I love that k390. I wish spyderco would make more knives in it..... manix, para's, smock, etc. I love that stuff. It lasts forever, its not as much as a nightmare to sharpen as maxamet.
I have a question for you: I was told I should really consider getting a diamond bonded matrix stone for the maxamet especially because It's so hard, it will cut away the diamond on normal diamond stones, like it will literally cut away the metal the diamonds are on over time (but much faster than other super steels) and leave you with no diamonds left on diamond stone. Is that true do you know? Or does it wear away a diamond stone about the same as any other "super steel"?
Love K399 too!
Definitely not a real issue with Maxamet. Although it is very hard, diamonds are A LOT harder. Maybe some are noticing how work out there diamond plates are when sharpening Maxamet or they wear them out faster due to taking longer is how that concept started.
I do recommend getting some higher end non-plated diamond stones if you’re really into sharpening though!
@@EngineersPerspective701Thanks for the reply!! Yes I only have some very cheap diamond plates from Amazon…like the ones with the honeycomb designs. What do you recommend? Like the venev centaur type ones or the jende ones?
I do have good regular stones i use the shapton pro stones, and they even sharpen most of my super steels fine. But i just recently got the spyderco bug and now i have rex 45 and k390 (both my favs) and maxamet, etc…..so I want a good diamond stone. Thanks!!
I have two questions if you don't mind. 1) how would you compare 10v to 15v what are some of the differences and why do you prefer 10v over 15v? 2) Has your perspective changed about maxamet? To me it seems anytime you're talking about maxamet I sence a level of uncertainty. It's almost as if you like maxamet in some regards but you're not entirely sure whether or not you'd include it into your inner circle of favorite steel's. Sorry to bother you but there's not many steel fanatics out there on utube that's capable of your level of articulation.
1) I have no experience with 15V so I can't say anything with certainty. I would guess that I would prefer a well done 15V over equivalently well done 10V simply due to carbide volume. I am doing everything I can to get one of the 15V Manix 2's that are about to drop and Triple B tested his at 65HRc. Should be INSANE!
2) I adore Maxamet. Possibly my favorite steel. Doesn't sharpen like any other steel and breaks down different than anything else too but I love it for those properties. Just a sweet steel for me.
@@EngineersPerspective701 yes!!!! The manix in cpm-15v sprint run is coming soon I'm super excited about it. I already have a few notifications set up but I just don't know exactly when it's dropping. Okay , so you're really liking maxamet alote that's interesting. I've been on the fence about it for several months only because I heard so many people complain about maxamet being painfully frustrating to sharpen. One gentlemen who I know personally operates a sharpening business in my town, he went as far as saying " maxamet responds like a glassy like metal that has a tendency to chip away and fall apart while you're deburring it" he absolutely despises it. Idk my guess is maybe people's resentment is due to their unfamiliarity with such a unique steel perhaps their not utilizing the proper sharpening techniques this peculiar steel demands. Also their's a few variables to take into account right stones, right amount of pressure and I would imagine the proper progression is also vital. Thanks again for your wisdom it's well appreciated, best regards!!
@@jimmycricket7946 IDK what he's using to sharpen maxamet but it's very easy to work with if you have diamonds/cbn and don't develop a huge burr. Stones like the Venevs are great to work with for it but diamond plates do good job too.
Like any steel the first few edges are not going to be stellar as the fatigued factory edge is removed. That could be the source of his frustration as well.
@@EngineersPerspective701 yes of course, I forgot that the factory edge might be fatigued or have belt chatter, a very good point. I'm surprised he didn't bring that up.
10v is 🏆
Dethroned by 15V now? Just got the 15V manix today and insanely excited to put it through its paces
@@EngineersPerspective701I love my 10v and 15v equally. They both sharpen like dreams and both have such great wear retention.
So if we're lazy and want to use regular stones... S30v?
I wouldn’t say it’s a matter of lazy, just upgrading your stones. But yes you can get a good edge on S30V with most stones
@@EngineersPerspective701 thanks... Just don't want to have to carry extra special stuff to sharpen...
@@breckfreeride get a work sharp guided field sharpener and you’ll be set!