CPM M4 or CPM S35VN

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Apr 23, 2016
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Trying to decide to go with M4 or S35VN for a high HRC kitchen knife for a professional chef. He will use this 9" blade for everything in the kitchen. Chopping, slicing, etc. let me hear your thoughts. I want the best in edge retention and toughness considering he uses this knife for all tasks.

ALSO, Is s90v harder to work with than m4 at high hardness? I will be satin finishing the blade as well.
 
A little under the class of steel I'm lookin for on this project.
Folks like Devin Thomas would disagree with you. If you are making the knife for a pro chef, what matters is that it performs.
 
M4 and S35VN are two kind very different, if you are planning a professional chef knife CPM S35VN is the better choice between. Composition make it stainless, anyway to re-sharp his knife for that chef will be a task!

P.
 
Please tell me who makes kitchen cutlery in M4, I may want to get one myself. Thanks
 
M4 and S35VN are two kind very different, if you are planning a professional chef knife CPM S35VN is the better choice between. Composition make it stainless, anyway to re-sharp his knife for that chef will be a task!

P.
Nah. S35vn is cake with the right equipment.
 
Folks like Devin Thomas would disagree with you. If you are making the knife for a pro chef, what matters is that it performs.
Devin Thomas does make some mean stuff out of AEB-L. I know people rave about it as well, but I'm not sure why. I'll have to try it out I guess another time :thumbsup:
 
Have you looked at 10V ?
I've got several in 10V and absolutely love the steel. Has good edge retention and is easy to put an edge back on.
I also have a knife that's not a kitchen knife that I use in Z-ware and am amazed how good the steel is holding up to resisting stains.
If patina isn't an issue, I'd go with M4
 
Have you looked at 10V ?
I've got several in 10V and absolutely love the steel. Has good edge retention and is easy to put an edge back on.
I also have a knife that's not a kitchen knife that I use in Z-ware and am amazed how good the steel is holding up to resisting stains.
If patina isn't an issue, I'd go with M4
I'll look at 10v and thanks for the input on M4
 
You do understand that trying to do a fine finish on CPM M4 after heat treatment is not fun at all, right? My question is are you trying to impress with the raw materials or the knife that you make? A bigger question might be have you ever made a pro grade kitchen knife before?
 
i have made kitchen knives in every alloy in this thread. if the chef is used to carig for carbon then by all means make it in M4 ifthey have not learned care for carbon steel then S35v is i guess not too bad if monster edge holding and SS needed 204p is great and i feel S90v would be ok
 
Nah. S35vn is cake with the right equipment.

Sure for someone like us that have right equipment, but think as you where a chef...

i have made kitchen knives in every alloy in this thread. if the chef is used to carig for carbon then by all means make it in M4 ifthey have not learned care for carbon steel then S35v is i guess not too bad if monster edge holding and SS needed 204p is great and i feel S90v would be ok

You are right M4 is better in edge retention but patina, for my experience, is not so pleasant for the most of chefs...
It's hard to choice a good balance between toughness, edge retention and wear resistance...
If you have right equipment you can do everithing then go for your majesty S110V...
 
You have to consider the end users ability to sharpen the steel, and the ability to take a fine edge. In kitchen knives higher alloy isn't always better.
 
You have to consider the end users ability to sharpen the steel, and the ability to take a fine edge. In kitchen knives higher alloy isn't always better.

So where would do you draw the line then? I'm not trying to send him an s110v blade, or even s90v.
 
Sure for someone like us that have right equipment, but think as you where a chef...



You are right M4 is better in edge retention but patina, for my experience, is not so pleasant for the most of chefs...
It's hard to choice a good balance between toughness, edge retention and wear resistance...
If you have right equipment you can do everithing then go for your majesty S110V...

Tell me what steels have that good balance for you?
 
You have to consider the end users ability to sharpen the steel, and the ability to take a fine edge. In kitchen knives higher alloy isn't always better.

This chef is a knife collector and he has a work sharp.

But thank you for that consideration for chefs that do not. I'll have to expand my offering I guess!
 
I have made knives out of all of the highly wear resistant steels. All had optimum heat treatments. The more knives I make, the less I like pm steels. PM steels do hold an edge longer but loose their initial sharpness very quickly. I also find that they are chippy at high hardness. Chippy edges require more time and material to re-sharpen.

The pm steels that I like are; pd1, vandis 4 extra, m-4, and 40cp.

AEB-L, 52100, A2, and M2 are my favorites right now.

There are two types of cutting, push cutting and saw cutting. Steels with fine carbides excel at push cutting (like aeb-l), steels with larger carbides do better at saw cutting.

The best cutting kitchen knives are ground very thin and have very fine sharpening angles. Steels with the finest grain and smallest carbides support these finer edges.

Hoss
 
Tell me what steels have that good balance for you?

Of corse it depend destination in use, fine cut or raw butcher...

Steels I enjoy in use are: A2, Vanadis 4 and Slaipner for high carbon not stainless
Elmax, 12C27, and AEB-L for stainless

Vanadis 4 is fantastic you can "mold" this steel with Hardening and Tempering from a good toughness to a very high hardness and super wear resistance... 60 HRC is the balance, but at this hardness still lot of tough than a D2 steel.
Anyway for kitchen cutlery in high value maybe I'd go for Elmax

P.
 
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