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Once you get in to the higher quality stainless steels, is there a lot of difference.


The folders I am looking at come in;

154 CM

or for more money
CMP 30 SV

or for a lot more money
CMP 90 SV

I guess my question is, is there any real disadvantage to 154 CM ?

Is CMP 90 SV worth a hundred bucks more ?

This knife will see daily use for decades.
Everything from cutting cardboard to dressing big game.

I'm no expert, but from what I've read, 154CM (or the improved) CPM154 will be "tougher" but S30V will stay sharper longer. S30V will also be harder to sharpen but won't have to be resharpened as often. My take is that if you want a bigger blade, go with the 154 and smaller, lighter use, the S30V. I'm sure that you'll get many different opinions. Right now, I have a Spyderco Native 5 (2.9") in S30V, an older Benchmade Griptilian (3.45") in 154CM and a Bark River North Country EDC (fixed 3.5") in CPM154. I like them all.

If you go with 90 the edge retention is awesome but you will need a good system to get it sharp again. If I have to sharpen it I go with Matrix Diamond stones on my Edgepro.

The man on the street can’t tell the difference.

I’d 154. Had pretty much all of em, I’m over the newest “super steel” personally.

This Rick Menefee is the shizzle..

First of all separated he word “Quality” from super steels or just remove “super steel” from the vernacular in general. They are just different steels with different properties that come with a whole $hit load of pluses and minuses, just like any other steel. The fantasy is a super hard steel that stays sharp and doesn’t break, but there isn’t one. Furthermore everyone’s heat treat on a specific steel is different and everyone’s heat treat has variation. So there is enough variation to cause a lot of confusion on what holds up better than what. For general use It’s harder to go wrong with a softer steel than the superindestructiblesteeloftheweek. Especially if you think you are going to get decades of daily use without chipping it out. We live in great times for buying knives, you can equip yourself with many pocket knives and different steels and see what you like and what holds up.

M390

look up ar400 plate steel

154 or s30v. To me, 154cm is a good compromise between edge retention and ease of sharpening. cmp154 is one of my favorites. s30v holds the edge longer and is a little tougher to sharpen. This is assuming proper heat treat. I would save the $100. The key with all of them is to not let them get dull. Just keep them touched up. All will last a lifetime and are more than capable of what you are asking for

For the most part, I'm in this camp.

Maybe sharpening, but not using...

Do you think an average Joe Hunter really puts any decent blade steel to anything close to a real test of the blades performance potential?

Probably not, but most people don't get the most out of their guns, vehicles, computers, or anything else. Many (myself included) just like having "nice" or "good" stuff. What's funny, is with all my knives with "supersteels", the one that I carry and use the most is my Delica in VG-10.

Average Joe hunter abuses his blades, doesn’t know how to sharpen them, buys sharpener after sharpener, looks for new super steel, gets frustrated and buys new knife. Just an observation.

Average Joe abuses an edge to dullness, just look at the used edge under magnification. A good edge lasts a lot longer for someone experienced with an edge. Cutting through dirt, banging the edge against bone, cutting through and running along a hard surface will dull any edge. A 1095 blade lasts me through an entire elk boning process in the field and it far easier to sharpen. Not saying 1095 is the best steel, just setting the low bar. An edge only needs to last as long as the job.

An average Joe can sharpen 1095. I struggle once hardness gets much over 60.

I’m no expert, but I do appreciate a blade that stays sharp.

The knifes I am considering are all
“Benchmade” folders.

I’ve carried a Benchmade for 27 years. ATS 34 was top of the line a few decades ago.
It took more abuse and stayed sharper longer than any other knife I’ve owned.

Nothing wrong with the old one, I just like some of the new designs.

In that case why not buy one with CPM 90 and then you'll have first hand experience whether or not the steel was worth the extra money?

There is always a trade off.
Holds edge-easy to sharpen
Absorbed abuse-doesn't flex
Etc.
Not just the material, but the heat applied, when and how quenched.....

Hap40 is pretty awesome. D2 for a basic tool steel, well done is pretty hard to beat for value. Have benchmades, esee, and a lot of spydercos. not a fan of vg10

I know that this "Average Joe" does not.

ya!

GWB