There’s some good steels in that list! 3V and CruWear were first conventionally produced steels developed by VASCO in the 1960s called VascoDie and VascoWear. Then later Crucible made powder metallurgy versions. So it would make some sense that if you like one you would like the other.
Sir you are a genius and I applaud all that you're doing for the knife community 👏 also love my handful of magnacut knives, stuff really reminds me of S45VN alot to be honest but the S45 takes a bit keener polished edge... Another rarer steel that it somewhat acts like is Sandvik 19C27 which I have a Jim Stewart custom in...
I saw this channel make this comment. Knife Steel Nerds, I thought, I wonder if they have info or or talk about different knife steels on the channel, do they ever!!! The creator of this channel is the inventor of MagnaCut steel. He teaches you how these super steels are made. He's got a PhD in metallurgy. Some of his videos are creative and funny or hilarious like the parody he made. Super great channel. An excellent informative channel.
The creator of Magna-cut has spoken. He’s such a class act that he didn’t correct the DBK boys on Magna-Cut being an extremely stainless steel like more so than M390.
Now this is what the opinion of a couple of seasoned knife enthusiasts sounds like after handling several steels and knives over the years. This is why your opinion is so very important to our whole community, even if we don't use our knives for the same tasks. Thanks again dudes.
Elmax and M390 are not the same. You may be getting one of them confused with another steel. M390 has more carbon, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten to give it better edge retention and slightly better corrosion resistance, while Elmax is a bit tougher, especially at lower HRC. M390 is essentially the same as 20CV & 204P, while Elmax doesn't have an equivalent as far as I know. If not put to hard use, most people probably won't notice any difference, but I've seen videos of Elmax taking a lot of abuse which I wouldn't try with M390.
I'm not even close to a steel expert, so just have to go by what others say, but I know Mike Stewart of BRK considers S45VN to be the American-made equivalent (or close enough) of Elmax, so he now uses it instead of Elmax since he can get S45VN domestically.
Best steel in my opinion is 14c28n. 3v levels of toughness. Very good corrosion resistance. Very good edge retention for the amount of toughness (only a little bit less compared to 3v), very fine grain structure so very good edge stability, easy to sharpen and mantain and takes a wickedly sharp edge. Oh also its cheap. Only steel i might prefer over it is magnacut, but thats 4 times as expensive and less tough.
uh… 3v has a LOT more edge retention than 14c. like, a LOT. 3v has similar edge retention to something like s30v which blows 14c out of the water edge retention wise. 3v is also still tougher than 14c. 14c maxes at around 30 ft lbs while 3v is between 35-40 depending on if it’s 59 or 60 hrc. for a budget knife and if you want stainless then 14c is a good option but 3v still has it beat in everything but corrosion resistance
@@acid6urns no according to the graphs of knifesteelnerds 3v has decent edge retention, but by far not s30v levels. More like vg10/d2 levels. The edge retention/toughness ratio is indeed a bit better compared to 14c, but not by much. Meanwhile 14c28n offers very decent corrosion resistance. 3v is also 4 times the price (atleast where I live) of 14c. I'm not saying one is better over the other, but just trying to keep a realistic picture.
@@highplains7777 aebl does need a higher hardness to be compareable to 14c which in turn results in a bit less toughness, but yes it's a decent steel too!
@@svenvanderzwaag1012 yep, and LC200N is fairly tough at a decent price as well, just a bit less common. 14C28N is Larrin's favorite budget steel and definitely one of the top stainless options out there for a tough use fixed blade.
I'm watching this in an effort to get a handle on the new steals out there and see what people are saying. Years ago I bought a Zero Tolerance 0560bw in Elmax not knowing a thing about the steel and just loving the design of the knife. I immediately loved the steel and now have 3 or 4 knives in it. Needless to say your ranking completely validated my feelings on the steel
I am happy to hear 3V is on the top list. I just have a Cold Steel Warcraft Tanto, made of 3V. Actually 3V shows high quality on toughness, hardness and rusty resistance with balance.
I don’t think it’s underrated. It’s an okay steel. I’d rather have sandvik’s 14c tbh than AEBL tho. It’s better in every aspect and even cheaper to buy lol it has harder treatment tho
You spoke so highly about Terävä knives, that I expected you to mention 80CRV2, in some cases better than 1095 and even cheaper. This steel perfectly embodies the philosophy of a field master: resilient, tough, easy to sharpen. You talked about expensive steels, but they are not affordable by all the people, and, last but not least, a cheaper steel with a good heat treatment is always better than an expensive one. Can you make a list of your best 5 cheap steels?
I also would like to see that. I bought my first outdoor knife and it is gerber freeman guide, it was nice price about 15 bucks and it is really sharp for me. But everybody hates gerber idk why, and i would like to know what cheap knifes are worth to focus on
@@stevesyncox9893 I don't have any experience with these steels. I just read a few articles about W1 & 15N20 and will continue to do research on them. I'm not aware of any production knives in these steels, is there a reason why? I've always wanted to learn this craft, maybe someday soon I'll build myself a Japanese style firebrick kiln in the backyard to start. I've a large oxygen concentrator, so I'll probably not have to worry about not getting it hot enough, likely the opposite if I'm not careful lol.
I can see magnacut being number one on the list next year after using it for awhile. Spyderco using it in their SALT series of knives made to use in the water etc shows a ton about how stainless this steel really is and the more testing and companies using it we will see more and more it’s capabilities
It's possible, it seems like magnacut is like a super stainless 4v but easier to sharpen. 3v though is practically stainless if you don't leave it out in the rain and way tougher than magnacut is if you don't try to go to hard with it and push over 60 rc. I think it might be a good idea in the field to have a 3v hard use blade, and a magnacut secondary blade/slicer. I currently do this except lc200n for the slicer, looking forward to more blades coming out in magnacut.
I thought H1 was what the salt knives were I have one straight one spider edge full serrated dragonfly yellow frn handle I'm fine with them using applying a new steel but I sure hope they are still using H1 I know H1 came out in 2014 but it was quite revolutionary of a steel for the time
@@GoodDaySir Yeah, Delta 3V chopper/splitter and Magnacut buscrafter/hunter. AEB-L instead of either for both if you want to save some coin. The AEB-L chopper/splitter at 58-60 and the AEB-l Bushcrafter/Hunter at 62-63.
@@GoodDaySir stainless 4V is a good comparison but I'd say it's more like stainless CruWear, and at 63-64 HRC too, which is mighty impressive. I have both the PM2 CruCarta and the PM2 Salt in MagnaCut, so I've compared them 1 to 1 in the same blade geometry. Super similar. Wish I had a 4V PM2 haha.
I was just looking for my Thursday fix of DBK and panicked when I couldnt find it! I knew something was up! Feel better Maarten and I am sure you will spread the love to Mikkie B!
@@MMmagze It's the most balanced steel in those lists, though for a chopper/survival type knife z-tuff or 3v would probably be better...or one easier to keep sharp and repair, like AEB-L. But for something you take on a four-day hunting or fishing trip, Magnacut would be hard to beat.
@@vagabond4576 3V has at least 2 times more toughness than Cruwear but half the edge retention. The "close" in terms of performance yo mention, is the fact that they don't have big difference in edge stability. Actually 3V with common heat trreatment which are the 90% of the 3V blades out there, might be one of the toughest steels on paper, but it's edge stil chips with medium to hard use. As for people that want better edge stability thus (no chiping or rolling edges) then a properly heat treated ballbearig steel, or Vanadis 4 Extra, or even an AEB-L are some better steels in that department (very difficult to chip or roll their edges)
@@greekveteran2715 My comments keep getting erased. No the ingot is not that good or tougher but CPM is. Either that or you nitpicked what you want to hear. There are lot of statistics and test that prove you wrong and why its comparable. I also got the same results. You don't need to go on a rant its not gonna change my mind.
You guys nailed it. Heat treat w/ personal experience mean so much. S30V took YEARS for knifemakers to figure out the heat treat. It was either chippy hard or soft, but there's a sweet spot at about 60.5 Rc... However, I love Elmax/S45VN & CPM Cruwear. Just bought a Magnacut folding knife-too soon to tell if it's a love it or hate it. Once upon a time, vacuum melted 52100 with a triple heat treat was a star. Rc was just at 59/60Rc. Odd, in that it acted almost like 3V (quite tough). Heat treat factor is huge. How a person uses it matters so much as well.
Have read through some comments (not all mind you) but I don't see anyone talking about CPM-4V. I made a 16 1/2" camp chopper from some 1/4" that I got from Nigara more than a year ago and it was a joy to work with. I hand sanded to 1000 grit prior to sending off to Peter's Heat Treating to have it heat treated since I am not really set up for the cryo tempering. Came back with a HRC of 63. Post heat treat this was a nightmare to hand sand even with carbide paper but the end was satisfying. According to the client with only minimal stropping this chopper has held up under extreme use. Wish I could actually see the blade again and check it for myself. I bought a 4' x 3" piece so I still have a good 20 inches to make another chopper. Will have to do that someday soon.
5160, 1095, V-g10, Elmax, M390 and s35 vn. Is my entire line up. 5160 is pretty tough, I could dig a fox hole with it if I had to and I wouldn't worry about it.
At this point, there are so many great knife steels out there already that the knife industry almost seems to be creating different new steels just to make new knives to charge an arm and a leg for.
Magna-cut is costs about the same as S35VN for steel itself, it’s also easier to grind than S45VN. In two years it will be the dominant steel on the market.
I love videos like this as much as the high production review/testing videos because as your huge catalog of experience with knives and steel grows, it’s great to hear how your opinions have changed along with it. You guys are the best!
Elmax. I have a TRC South Pole that has gutted and skinned many many elk and moose. Any/most(Magnacut???) carbon steels rust. Elmax doesn’t and takes a dirty beating. I don’t have time in the deep bush to screw around washing a carbon steel blade….. El Max is the max. My carry ACE Grande is also top notch. Loves the Elmax.
Thumbs way up. 👍! I have abused Bark River Crusader, oiled it once in three years. There is a tiny spec of rust and a slightly rolled edge that I turned back with a file. Because of the two Crusaders I no longer buy large (chopper) knives, not even those cool looking knives from Work Tuff Gear or even a Junglas. The Crusaders are in 3v.
I've made two puukko out of Elmax - to test the steel (I was sceptical about how good it was supposed to be) I bashed one into a steel girder. Puukko 1 - 0 Girder It ate that girder for breakfast without a single mark on the blade. Elmax is exceptionally good steel.
I’m happy with Elmax in every way, but prefer it to be heat treated differently for each type of knife. My second choice is k390 laminated/ sandwiched with any half-decent stainless…
Greetings from 'Merica I've watched appx 20 videos and then realized that I hadn't subscribed yet. But love u guys. Should've hit it after watching 2 vids. Kelp it up boys !!
I lived in Indonesia and local machetes are made of 1095. They are often used to slice coconuts, chopped down trees and bamboo and maintained with coconut oil. 1095 with the right knife geometry is an excellent steel that can handle anything plus low cost and easy to sharpen.
I have a spiderco endura 4 lightweight in ZDP 189.....new I paid 130$ US for it. I feel like I got away with robbery! (And it was a hand fitted Seki city Japen made model)
My favorite is Elmax, although I do love my CPM 3v Bark River Bushcrafter and ULB. I just generally tend to prefer Elmax for my conditions and use. Another knife that gets carried a lot is my Chapparal folder in CTS-XHP, which is under-rated IMO for EDC folders.
Surprised/ not surprised you both had Elmax on your list. It seems to get overlooked a lot, but it’s a remarkable steel, specially in northern/ wet environments. Great vid guys 👍🏻
If you find k390 to hard to sharpen, just get a good quality diamond stone (not a plate) or two. I thinned and convexed my k390 PM2 in about and hour on a 400 grit Practical Sharpening stone. Normal sharpening takes just a few minutes - like a simple carbon steel knife on a normal water stone.
I have found that my K390 Wharncliffe Delica responds quite well to touch ups. I use a Worksharp field sharpener as my main edge maintenance tool. I have replaced the stropping compound with a 2-4 micron 50% diamond compound.
Your comment about heat treatment, I’ve had a couple of knives where the steel wasn’t quite hard enough. That is annoying too, doesn’t chip but it won’t keep that razor edge very long even with light tasks. It’ll stay working sharp, but I like my pocket knives to be keen. Had this experience with m390 on a relatively expensive pocket knife. I also had it with D2. Both knives would take extra effort to get sharp then would lose their edge fast. This experience makes me hesitant to buy brands I’m less familiar with even if they have good reviews.
Spyderco has a small number of folders with K390 steel (it's 14 or 15, I think.) They're great pocketknives, I have the Endura, it's one of my favorite knives.
@@matthewvalentinas Sal and Eric Glesser are great at warrantees. The K390 blades ought to be tough enough to cut through Darth Vader's light saber (but not Luke's) with no damage. I'd contact Spyderco about some warrantee service.
Feel better dude! Agree completely on CPM 3V. It is truly the quiver of one, in a real world survival situation. I call it the toyota of steels. Something else I have noticed, the background there. It is why german flecktarn is such a superior camoflauge.
You should take a look on Terravantium, made by Terrain 365. It's actually no steel it's a cobalt alloy. But you can throw it in salt water for a year and it will looks like new. And the best is it can't dull at all. It will always cut paper because of the micro structure.
I just got a bar of Terrivantium today for making my own knives. For working edge, not scary sharp level and with a toothy convex edge it should be a beast in length of work before resharpening. I think I'll make a large Nessmuk style knife with it. I love my Esse JG-5! I love my TOPS Knives Allen Jensen bird trout knife so add a big one to these and have a trio of excellent, excellent users!
All great steels, I like them all - I'd add in Vanax.....it's very very stainless and up there with Elmax for edge retention and toughness - perfect for a "hunter orange" handled knife in wetter environments like PNW (or Holland). EDC and weekend warrior bushcraft knives in any you mentioned would be brilliant......they are all next level. But for survival I want something I can bash through things and then sharpen on a rock, so it's N690 as a personal favourite but could easily be Nilox, D2, 01, 1095, 80CRV2 etc. Differentially heat treated steels like 1095 and D2 - man when they're done right they are surprisingly good. I guess the point is, get out there and enjoy your hobbies and passions - buy the best you can afford at any given time and use the tools as they are intended. I could never own a Rockstead, I'd ruin it and I haven't got the spare money. Funny really, the knife I've used most lately is a 1070 steel craft / carving knife I made for about £4...... RWL 34 is also really good - just below (only just) Elmax.
On topic! I left my knife on the heat. It turned a bit blue. I quickly quenched it in olive oil. No damage in use or sharpening! Guess which knife steel! Haha better try it your viewers will be waiting!!!
Supersteels are great up until the point they go dull in the field and all you have is a small sharpening stone. I'll always have a 1095 knife with me because I can make it razor sharp with a small stone in a matter of minutes.
I have to admit, I love my Elmax knives. So easy to maintain. CPM-3V is almost as good, but you do occasionally see a corrosion spot if you are careless. As good as Magnacut might be, I am not sure it can be worth the care it will require when I am "in the field"
If you guys want to test a 1095 high carbon steel knife for heat treatment, try testing an Old Hickory Hunting Knife. They have a great reputation; but I heard the hrc for that knife varies from 53-58.
@@martinerhard8447 Yeah, the last thing I want is a rusty, soft, carbon steel knife with a softer edge than my Linder 420c gaucho knife(53-55); But it depends upon where you look.. I see that their butcher knife, as advertised on the Ontario Knife store, has that hrc; however, on Knife Center the Old hickory hunting knife is advertised as having an hrc of 55-57, which is the ideal hardness for me; being easy to hone while still holding an edge for carving wood, like a Victorinox. That's hard to beat when you throw in a lined leather sheath, at $35! Unfortunately, however, I just found out that the company switched over to using 1075 steel for their knives; but it still looks like a neat knife and I'm still looking forward to getting mine in the mail.
OKC quality has been steadily going down for a while now. Their older blades are excellent (1980's and earlier), the newly produced ones don't compare.
@@MB-jg4tr I personally like their green river hunting/fishing knife; though I wouldn't do any battening with it. I'm not sure about the butcher knife though
Dr Thomas is a metallurgist working in the automobile industry. He is a hobbyist as a knife maker but not as a metallurgist and he has the doctor degree to prove it.
I don't know which steel I prefer the most, I want to say cpm 20cv though because of the ratio edge retention / ease of sharpening / corrosion resistance. I just got a Benchmade in magnacut but I did not try it yet. But honestly, when the steel comes from a reliable manufacturer I don't care at all wether it's 1075, SK5, AUS-8, 80CRV2, Niolox, Maxamet, Elmax, N690, VG10, 440C, Magnacut, D2, 3G, whatever, I have knifes in all these and they all perform wonderfully.
Benchmade puukko in 3v. Very good knife. Terava puukko is a great inexpensive knife. Some of the knives are getting out of the range of average consumers and will eventually fall by the wayside.
Guys can you please test a vanadis 8 steel knife? I’m sooo excited about that steel. Should have insane edge retention and pretty good durability too.. but hard to sharpen I suppose 😆
There’s some good steels in that list! 3V and CruWear were first conventionally produced steels developed by VASCO in the 1960s called VascoDie and VascoWear. Then later Crucible made powder metallurgy versions. So it would make some sense that if you like one you would like the other.
Nerd
Sir you are a genius and I applaud all that you're doing for the knife community 👏 also love my handful of magnacut knives, stuff really reminds me of S45VN alot to be honest but the S45 takes a bit keener polished edge... Another rarer steel that it somewhat acts like is Sandvik 19C27 which I have a Jim Stewart custom in...
The fact that Doc Larrin Thomas watches your videos should tell you that you are doing great things for the knife community 👏
I saw this channel make this comment. Knife Steel Nerds, I thought, I wonder if they have info or or talk about different knife steels on the channel, do they ever!!! The creator of this channel is the inventor of MagnaCut steel. He teaches you how these super steels are made. He's got a PhD in metallurgy. Some of his videos are creative and funny or hilarious like the parody he made. Super great channel. An excellent informative channel.
The creator of Magna-cut has spoken. He’s such a class act that he didn’t correct the DBK boys on Magna-Cut being an extremely stainless steel like more so than M390.
Marten Mickey
#5 COS, ZDP 198, Cowry X Cowry X, ZDP198
#4 Elmax Magnacut
#3 CPM 3V Cruwear
#2 Magnacut Elmax/COS
#1 Cruwear CPM 3V
Now this is what the opinion of a couple of seasoned knife enthusiasts sounds like after handling several steels and knives over the years.
This is why your opinion is so very important to our whole community, even if we don't use our knives for the same tasks.
Thanks again dudes.
Elmax and M390 are not the same. You may be getting one of them confused with another steel. M390 has more carbon, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten to give it better edge retention and slightly better corrosion resistance, while Elmax is a bit tougher, especially at lower HRC. M390 is essentially the same as 20CV & 204P, while Elmax doesn't have an equivalent as far as I know. If not put to hard use, most people probably won't notice any difference, but I've seen videos of Elmax taking a lot of abuse which I wouldn't try with M390.
This is correct.
I'm not even close to a steel expert, so just have to go by what others say, but I know Mike Stewart of BRK considers S45VN to be the American-made equivalent (or close enough) of Elmax, so he now uses it instead of Elmax since he can get S45VN domestically.
Yep. M390 = great folding knife for its strengths. Elmax = great fixed blade (mostly all dbk considers)
@@mikehinnekamp Exactly.
@@benedictarmen2558 Depends on HT. Lower HT, Elmax is tougher. Higher HT, S45 is tougher. They have similar edge retention.
Best steel in my opinion is 14c28n. 3v levels of toughness. Very good corrosion resistance. Very good edge retention for the amount of toughness (only a little bit less compared to 3v), very fine grain structure so very good edge stability, easy to sharpen and mantain and takes a wickedly sharp edge. Oh also its cheap. Only steel i might prefer over it is magnacut, but thats 4 times as expensive and less tough.
AEB-L is similar and more available to custom knife makers, at least in the US. It it essentially identical to 13c26, so close to 14c28n.
uh… 3v has a LOT more edge retention than 14c. like, a LOT. 3v has similar edge retention to something like s30v which blows 14c out of the water edge retention wise. 3v is also still tougher than 14c. 14c maxes at around 30 ft lbs while 3v is between 35-40 depending on if it’s 59 or 60 hrc. for a budget knife and if you want stainless then 14c is a good option but 3v still has it beat in everything but corrosion resistance
@@acid6urns no according to the graphs of knifesteelnerds 3v has decent edge retention, but by far not s30v levels. More like vg10/d2 levels. The edge retention/toughness ratio is indeed a bit better compared to 14c, but not by much. Meanwhile 14c28n offers very decent corrosion resistance. 3v is also 4 times the price (atleast where I live) of 14c. I'm not saying one is better over the other, but just trying to keep a realistic picture.
@@highplains7777 aebl does need a higher hardness to be compareable to 14c which in turn results in a bit less toughness, but yes it's a decent steel too!
@@svenvanderzwaag1012 yep, and LC200N is fairly tough at a decent price as well, just a bit less common. 14C28N is Larrin's favorite budget steel and definitely one of the top stainless options out there for a tough use fixed blade.
My Top 5s
Fixed Blade
5. AEB-L
4. ELMAX
3. Cru Wear
2. CPM 3V
1. MagnaCut
Outside looking in
A2, O1, 1095/Cro-Van, 52100, 80CrV2, 5160, CoS
Folder
5. CPM M4
4. ZDP 189
3. CPM 20CV/Bohler M390/CTS 204P
2. LC200N
1. Vanex SuperClean
Outside looking in
CPM S90V/S110V, Maxamet, CPM S30V/S35VN/S45VN, VG-10/154CM, Sandvik 14C28N/D2
This is an interesting list. Do you have a channel?
Why CPM S35VN on Folders only? Isnt it good steel for Fixed blades also? If not, why? I would like to know.
5. 3V
4. Cru-Wear
3. Elmax
2. MagnaCut
1. VANAX
I'm watching this in an effort to get a handle on the new steals out there and see what people are saying. Years ago I bought a Zero Tolerance 0560bw in Elmax not knowing a thing about the steel and just loving the design of the knife. I immediately loved the steel and now have 3 or 4 knives in it. Needless to say your ranking completely validated my feelings on the steel
I am happy to hear 3V is on the top list. I just have a Cold Steel Warcraft Tanto, made of 3V.
Actually 3V shows high quality on toughness, hardness and rusty resistance with balance.
LT Wright O1 and A2 are great I love AEB-L very underrated steel
I don’t think it’s underrated. It’s an okay steel.
I’d rather have sandvik’s 14c tbh than AEBL tho.
It’s better in every aspect and even cheaper to buy lol it has harder treatment tho
Maarten, feel better! Thanks to the BOTH of you for putting up content through sickness! Give this some thumbs up to show them our appreciation!
I love how he has Covid but he’s fine.
Took a nap and woke up to a new dbk vid life is good
Agree with Cru wear #1!!! Best balance between edge retention/tuffness/ease of sharpening!!!
Maarten , I always heard “if you had big feet , you wore big socks “ / ha ha ha !
You spoke so highly about Terävä knives, that I expected you to mention 80CRV2, in some cases better than 1095 and even cheaper. This steel perfectly embodies the philosophy of a field master: resilient, tough, easy to sharpen. You talked about expensive steels, but they are not affordable by all the people, and, last but not least, a cheaper steel with a good heat treatment is always better than an expensive one. Can you make a list of your best 5 cheap steels?
I also would like to see that. I bought my first outdoor knife and it is gerber freeman guide, it was nice price about 15 bucks and it is really sharp for me. But everybody hates gerber idk why, and i would like to know what cheap knifes are worth to focus on
I got an 80crv2 forged my version of kukri and it’s very very good
1095cv, AISI 52100, 5160, D2, 440c, 14C28N ...high quality inexpensive knife steels. When forged and heat treated properly.
@@MB-jg4tr W1 W2, 15N20, 1080, wrap any in wrought and get a great knife. Some of us still forge these, ht in the forge.
@@stevesyncox9893 I don't have any experience with these steels. I just read a few articles about W1 & 15N20 and will continue to do research on them. I'm not aware of any production knives in these steels, is there a reason why? I've always wanted to learn this craft, maybe someday soon I'll build myself a Japanese style firebrick kiln in the backyard to start. I've a large oxygen concentrator, so I'll probably not have to worry about not getting it hot enough, likely the opposite if I'm not careful lol.
I can see magnacut being number one on the list next year after using it for awhile. Spyderco using it in their SALT series of knives made to use in the water etc shows a ton about how stainless this steel really is and the more testing and companies using it we will see more and more it’s capabilities
It's possible, it seems like magnacut is like a super stainless 4v but easier to sharpen. 3v though is practically stainless if you don't leave it out in the rain and way tougher than magnacut is if you don't try to go to hard with it and push over 60 rc.
I think it might be a good idea in the field to have a 3v hard use blade, and a magnacut secondary blade/slicer. I currently do this except lc200n for the slicer, looking forward to more blades coming out in magnacut.
I thought H1 was what the salt knives were I have one straight one spider edge full serrated dragonfly yellow frn handle I'm fine with them using applying a new steel but I sure hope they are still using H1 I know H1 came out in 2014 but it was quite revolutionary of a steel for the time
@@GoodDaySir Yeah, Delta 3V chopper/splitter and Magnacut buscrafter/hunter. AEB-L instead of either for both if you want to save some coin. The AEB-L chopper/splitter at 58-60 and the AEB-l Bushcrafter/Hunter at 62-63.
@@GoodDaySir stainless 4V is a good comparison but I'd say it's more like stainless CruWear, and at 63-64 HRC too, which is mighty impressive. I have both the PM2 CruCarta and the PM2 Salt in MagnaCut, so I've compared them 1 to 1 in the same blade geometry. Super similar. Wish I had a 4V PM2 haha.
I was just looking for my Thursday fix of DBK and panicked when I couldnt find it! I knew something was up! Feel better Maarten and I am sure you will spread the love to Mikkie B!
I bet in 2 years magnacut passes everything on your list (including cru-wear)
Whys that?
@@MMmagze It's the most balanced steel in those lists, though for a chopper/survival type knife z-tuff or 3v would probably be better...or one easier to keep sharp and repair, like AEB-L. But for something you take on a four-day hunting or fishing trip, Magnacut would be hard to beat.
LOL at 08:16
For a few seconds… That’s how a drunk guy sounds to someone sober!
I agree with Mickey. CPM 3V is my favorite steel. Cru-wear is good, but 3V is much more tough!! 3V is very very tough.
They are close. 3v is tougher but NOT that much tougher. There is a reason why they are comparable to each other.
@@vagabond4576 3V has at least 2 times more toughness than Cruwear but half the edge retention. The "close" in terms of performance yo mention, is the fact that they don't have big difference in edge stability. Actually 3V with common heat trreatment which are the 90% of the 3V blades out there, might be one of the toughest steels on paper, but it's edge stil chips with medium to hard use.
As for people that want better edge stability thus (no chiping or rolling edges) then a properly heat treated ballbearig steel, or Vanadis 4 Extra, or even an AEB-L are some better steels in that department (very difficult to chip or roll their edges)
@@greekveteran2715 My comments keep getting erased. No the ingot is not that good or tougher but CPM is. Either that or you nitpicked what you want to hear. There are lot of statistics and test that prove you wrong and why its comparable. I also got the same results. You don't need to go on a rant its not gonna change my mind.
Get well soon! Really enjoyed this week’s video!
You guys nailed it. Heat treat w/ personal experience mean so much. S30V took YEARS for knifemakers to figure out the heat treat. It was either chippy hard or soft, but there's a sweet spot at about 60.5 Rc... However, I love Elmax/S45VN & CPM Cruwear. Just bought a Magnacut folding knife-too soon to tell if it's a love it or hate it.
Once upon a time, vacuum melted 52100 with a triple heat treat was a star. Rc was just at 59/60Rc. Odd, in that it acted almost like 3V (quite tough).
Heat treat factor is huge. How a person uses it matters so much as well.
Have read through some comments (not all mind you) but I don't see anyone talking about CPM-4V. I made a 16 1/2" camp chopper from some 1/4" that I got from Nigara more than a year ago and it was a joy to work with. I hand sanded to 1000 grit prior to sending off to Peter's Heat Treating to have it heat treated since I am not really set up for the cryo tempering. Came back with a HRC of 63. Post heat treat this was a nightmare to hand sand even with carbide paper but the end was satisfying. According to the client with only minimal stropping this chopper has held up under extreme use. Wish I could actually see the blade again and check it for myself. I bought a 4' x 3" piece so I still have a good 20 inches to make another chopper. Will have to do that someday soon.
5160, 1095, V-g10, Elmax, M390 and s35 vn. Is my entire line up. 5160 is pretty tough, I could dig a fox hole with it if I had to and I wouldn't worry about it.
You two guys are wild and crazy,but you really do know your knives.I enjoy your videos immensely.Keep ‘em coming.
CPM 3V is my ultimate "If I had to rely upon only one knife", knife steel. Good show guys.
At this point, there are so many great knife steels out there already that the knife industry almost seems to be creating different new steels just to make new knives to charge an arm and a leg for.
Well. I mean that happens because there is a market for collectors and youtube video makers haha.
@@Fender1031 true
Magna-cut is costs about the same as S35VN for steel itself, it’s also easier to grind than S45VN. In two years it will be the dominant steel on the market.
I love videos like this as much as the high production review/testing videos because as your huge catalog of experience with knives and steel grows, it’s great to hear how your opinions have changed along with it. You guys are the best!
After listening your advice, just buyed a Boker Bronco in CPM 3V, thanks a lot!
What do you guys think about S45VN versus ELMAX??? I've heard they are supposed to be very similar.
Sorry to hear you’re sick, hope you feel better soon.
Elmax. I have a TRC South Pole that has gutted and skinned many many elk and moose. Any/most(Magnacut???) carbon steels rust. Elmax doesn’t and takes a dirty beating. I don’t have time in the deep bush to screw around washing a carbon steel blade….. El Max is the max. My carry ACE Grande is also top notch. Loves the Elmax.
Thumbs way up. 👍! I have abused Bark River Crusader, oiled it once in three years. There is a tiny spec of rust and a slightly rolled edge that I turned back with a file. Because of the two Crusaders I no longer buy large (chopper) knives, not even those cool looking knives from Work Tuff Gear or even a Junglas. The Crusaders are in 3v.
I love Elmax!
I would always choose it over M390!
And it is quiet affordable.
If you don't mind which knives (knife?) do you own in Elmax? Sounds like a very good steel. :) All the best.
@@Dhari1 you can commonly find microtechs and KUFs by Liong Mah in it also
@@Dhari1 also: Giant mouse, and a few others
I've made two puukko out of Elmax - to test the steel (I was sceptical about how good it was supposed to be) I bashed one into a steel girder.
Puukko 1 - 0 Girder
It ate that girder for breakfast without a single mark on the blade.
Elmax is exceptionally good steel.
Elmax is BOMB good! TRC Apocalypse is a very good knife!
I’m happy with Elmax in every way, but prefer it to be heat treated differently for each type of knife. My second choice is k390 laminated/ sandwiched with any half-decent stainless…
My favorite knife steels are CPM-S30V I own a couple of Benchmade bugout's with that steel. And I own a CRKT M16-02KS with 12C27 SandVik steel.
Stay strong Brotha and thanks for everything y’all do
Greetings from 'Merica I've watched appx 20 videos and then realized that I hadn't subscribed yet. But love u guys. Should've hit it after watching 2 vids. Kelp it up boys !!
I love you guys! Especially the way you are willing to berate your selves at the expense of a good joke. You are a great team.
I'll stick with 1095 n D2, been using them for years n just keep on going, don't want the expense of supersteels that do the as the carbon steels.
I still use a 80crv2 knife and it works for me
I lived in Indonesia and local machetes are made of 1095. They are often used to slice coconuts, chopped down trees and bamboo and maintained with coconut oil. 1095 with the right knife geometry is an excellent steel that can handle anything plus low cost and easy to sharpen.
You should try some 3V. It might change your mind.
@@gilbertopadilla3611 My Terava Jaakaripuukko 110 in 80crv2 cost £40 there is no way i will pay 4 times more to try it out.
@@gilbertopadilla3611 4V is better
I remember as kid back in mid late 80s 420hc was the premium steel I dreamed of lol
For me it was 440C.
U should do steels for steals!!sorry if I tainted the idea now with my mentioning it lol!
WOW that is a great idea!!!
I have a spiderco endura 4 lightweight in ZDP 189.....new I paid 130$ US for it. I feel like I got away with robbery!
(And it was a hand fitted Seki city Japen made model)
My favorite is Elmax, although I do love my CPM 3v Bark River Bushcrafter and ULB. I just generally tend to prefer Elmax for my conditions and use. Another knife that gets carried a lot is my Chapparal folder in CTS-XHP, which is under-rated IMO for EDC folders.
All ways good to see you guys 👍✌️
My Number one is 440c steel. It is the best and hardest steel ever made. The internet told me that. It is true.
Wow, the internet! That certainly ends the debate!❤
@@martystrasinger3801 #ironicdude
Surprised/ not surprised you both had Elmax on your list. It seems to get overlooked a lot, but it’s a remarkable steel, specially in northern/ wet environments. Great vid guys 👍🏻
If you find k390 to hard to sharpen, just get a good quality diamond stone (not a plate) or two. I thinned and convexed my k390 PM2 in about and hour on a 400 grit Practical Sharpening stone. Normal sharpening takes just a few minutes - like a simple carbon steel knife on a normal water stone.
I have found that my K390 Wharncliffe Delica responds quite well to touch ups. I use a Worksharp field sharpener as my main edge maintenance tool. I have replaced the stropping compound with a 2-4 micron 50% diamond compound.
Your comment about heat treatment, I’ve had a couple of knives where the steel wasn’t quite hard enough. That is annoying too, doesn’t chip but it won’t keep that razor edge very long even with light tasks. It’ll stay working sharp, but I like my pocket knives to be keen. Had this experience with m390 on a relatively expensive pocket knife. I also had it with D2. Both knives would take extra effort to get sharp then would lose their edge fast. This experience makes me hesitant to buy brands I’m less familiar with even if they have good reviews.
Spyderco has a small number of folders with K390 steel (it's 14 or 15, I think.) They're great pocketknives, I have the Endura, it's one of my favorite knives.
Love the sharpness of my police K390 from Spyderco, but it did get two chips in it ☹️
@@matthewvalentinas Sal and Eric Glesser are great at warrantees. The K390 blades ought to be tough enough to cut through Darth Vader's light saber (but not Luke's) with no damage. I'd contact Spyderco about some warrantee service.
@@random_eskimo_in_the_rockies good to know. Maybe I'll hit them up.
Do love my cpm3v bark River bushcrafter. X
You look fine for having the covid. Looks like you and I are enjoying the same weather. Big ups from FLA!
1- Vanax.
2- MagnaCut.
3- Elmax.
4- Cru-Wear.
5- M390.
Feel better dude! Agree completely on CPM 3V. It is truly the quiver of one, in a real world survival situation. I call it the toyota of steels. Something else I have noticed, the background there. It is why german flecktarn is such a superior camoflauge.
You should take a look on Terravantium, made by Terrain 365. It's actually no steel it's a cobalt alloy. But you can throw it in salt water for a year and it will looks like new. And the best is it can't dull at all. It will always cut paper because of the micro structure.
I just got a bar of Terrivantium today for making my own knives. For working edge, not scary sharp level and with a toothy convex edge it should be a beast in length of work before resharpening. I think I'll make a large Nessmuk style knife with it. I love my Esse JG-5! I love my TOPS Knives Allen Jensen bird trout knife so add a big one to these and have a trio of excellent, excellent users!
Excellent video.
AGAIN 👍🏻
Great content in this video and the comment section is also great. 👍🏻
We absolutely love that damn comment section!!!
You guy's are awesome 👌 👏 👍
Guys, don’t you remember?
Your first Elmax was the Enzo/Briza Trapper 95!
You guys have no idea how lucky you are that it rains where you live. I live in a desert. Literally zero rain. Just death. I hate it.
But here in middel western europe , it rains so much that also everything is dying cause of fugus etc !
All great steels, I like them all - I'd add in Vanax.....it's very very stainless and up there with Elmax for edge retention and toughness - perfect for a "hunter orange" handled knife in wetter environments like PNW (or Holland).
EDC and weekend warrior bushcraft knives in any you mentioned would be brilliant......they are all next level.
But for survival I want something I can bash through things and then sharpen on a rock, so it's N690 as a personal favourite but could easily be Nilox, D2, 01, 1095, 80CRV2 etc.
Differentially heat treated steels like 1095 and D2 - man when they're done right they are surprisingly good.
I guess the point is, get out there and enjoy your hobbies and passions - buy the best you can afford at any given time and use the tools as they are intended.
I could never own a Rockstead, I'd ruin it and I haven't got the spare money.
Funny really, the knife I've used most lately is a 1070 steel craft / carving knife I made for about £4......
RWL 34 is also really good - just below (only just) Elmax.
Can you do a video on the cold steel drop forged Hunter in 52100 high carbon?
Feel better soon Legends 🦉
Very in correct on elmax bring the same M390/204p/20cv.
Elmax is a lot tougher of a steel them M390, i don't know of any other Elmax derivative. It's makeup is far different then m390.
That rockstead is the most beautiful knife ever.
Get better soon Martin. Geez, does it ever stop raining in Holland?
Boom gents are back 💪
And here's me ruffing it with my 80crv2 🤣I my Terava Jaakaripuukko 110....
On topic! I left my knife on the heat. It turned a bit blue. I quickly quenched it in olive oil. No damage in use or sharpening! Guess which knife steel! Haha better try it your viewers will be waiting!!!
Supersteels are great up until the point they go dull in the field and all you have is a small sharpening stone. I'll always have a 1095 knife with me because I can make it razor sharp with a small stone in a matter of minutes.
I love the knives but where did yall get the pants? Im trying to get some
Great vid as usual gents.
very informative 👍
Are you guys going to try the F1 Pro with Elmax ? Got mine today.
So does that mean that Martin is the CO-host? 🤣👍Thought! Rockstead in MAGNACUT, yeaaah!
Old School 154cm is Always a Good one 😎
Where do you stand on 4v steel. Is 4v close to 3v in yor opinion.
please test a dendritic cobalt blade. david boye or terrain 365.
my favorite is K-490 and SK-85
Thank you.
Every time I wonder if something is really that good I look it up on your channel to confirm it.
I like knives.
Me too, I like when they are sharp and can cut stuff.
I like turtles
@@alaskaasmr200 I like trains
You guys never reviewed a spyderco fixed blade ! Got to put your hands on one of these ! Spyderco Bob Lum Darn Dao
14C28N is #1
I have to admit, I love my Elmax knives. So easy to maintain. CPM-3V is almost as good, but you do occasionally see a corrosion spot if you are careless. As good as Magnacut might be, I am not sure it can be worth the care it will require when I am "in the field"
What kind of care are you talking about for Magnacut? It's more corrosion resistant than Elmax.
What about CPM 4V???
May aswell go for magnacut at that point, similar toughness/retention balance but easier sharpening (apparently) and way better corrosion resistance.
If you guys want to test a 1095 high carbon steel knife for heat treatment, try testing an Old Hickory Hunting Knife. They have a great reputation; but I heard the hrc for that knife varies from 53-58.
with such wide margins the heat treatment process cant be that good
@@martinerhard8447 Yeah, the last thing I want is a rusty, soft, carbon steel knife with a softer edge than my Linder 420c gaucho knife(53-55); But it depends upon where you look.. I see that their butcher knife, as advertised on the Ontario Knife store, has that hrc; however, on Knife Center the Old hickory hunting knife is advertised as having an hrc of 55-57, which is the ideal hardness for me; being easy to hone while still holding an edge for carving wood, like a Victorinox. That's hard to beat when you throw in a lined leather sheath, at $35! Unfortunately, however, I just found out that the company switched over to using 1075 steel for their knives; but it still looks like a neat knife and I'm still looking forward to getting mine in the mail.
Dexter Russell Green River Works makes higher quality 1095 butcher knives
OKC quality has been steadily going down for a while now. Their older blades are excellent (1980's and earlier), the newly produced ones don't compare.
@@MB-jg4tr I personally like their green river hunting/fishing knife; though I wouldn't do any battening with it. I'm not sure about the butcher knife though
Would like to see some Winkler and RMJ knives and hawks.
Dr Thomas is a metallurgist working in the automobile industry. He is a hobbyist as a knife maker but not as a metallurgist and he has the doctor degree to prove it.
His father is well know in the knife community for his Damascus knives as well. Knifenerds on you tube I think.
Who?
Asked.
I don't know which steel I prefer the most, I want to say cpm 20cv though because of the ratio edge retention / ease of sharpening / corrosion resistance. I just got a Benchmade in magnacut but I did not try it yet.
But honestly, when the steel comes from a reliable manufacturer I don't care at all wether it's 1075, SK5, AUS-8, 80CRV2, Niolox, Maxamet, Elmax, N690, VG10, 440C, Magnacut, D2, 3G, whatever, I have knifes in all these and they all perform wonderfully.
Benchmade puukko in 3v. Very good knife. Terava puukko is a great inexpensive knife. Some of the knives are getting out of the range of average consumers and will eventually fall by the wayside.
number one!!!! yes!!!!
I love your videos guys. you guys are great and you two have great information!
I can agree 💯 with Mickey on cpm 3v.
When it comes to a fine edge I just trust it.
Good vaccines too! ;) Nice video, and i hope you and yours are doing well and remain healthy!
Always start on the bottom as you'll want to end on top-
Vaccines! You must be joking... right. You mean you really swallowed bill Gates bs?
Get well soon and great video content
TOPS ESEE GEC 1095 is really amazing 1095
How would S90V rate in comparison? I don’t know much about steels
I thought elmax was closer to s35vn and s45vn.
The analogs to m390 are cpm20cv, and cts-204p.
Guys can you please test a vanadis 8 steel knife? I’m sooo excited about that steel. Should have insane edge retention and pretty good durability too.. but hard to sharpen I suppose 😆