20cv in the gso 5/5.1 and 6 models

ATS-34, VG-10, 154CM, SR-101, A2, D2, M2, M4; all of them pale in comparison to the edge-holding of M390. So, I expect great things from 20CV.

Well said..........:thumbup:
 
Hale Storm said:
I've had both and although they are technically the same steel, the M390 just seems to hold an edge longer. Don't get me wrong, I'm a 20CV fan but given a choice, I'd take M390 first.

My top 5 steels are:

1. M390
2. CPM-20CV
3. 3V
4. Elmax
5. ESEE's version of 1095
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That makes sense. I'm a steel noob, so I appreciate real users like you enlightening me!
 
Hale Storm said:
ATS-34, VG-10, 154CM, SR-101, A2, D2, M2, M4; all of them pale in comparison to the edge-holding of M390. So, I expect great things from 20CV.

Well said..........:thumbup:
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I have several folders in M390 and one in 20cv not including my 5.1. It is a favorite steel of mine but I'm not sure it's superior to M4.
 
Steel is different maker to maker, I'm not sure I could say that I prefer one steel over another without being very specific. Unless you're talking about Survive!'s current 20CV with their heat treat, compared to another specific manufacturer's M390 with their specific heat treat. For example, there is a lot of 1095 out there, some of it performs terribly and some of it, like ESEE's, is great. I've had S30V that was very "chippy", but my Strider SNG, with the same S30V but heat treated properly, was like an entirely different steel.

If Survive! handed me a knife in M390 and an identical knife in 20CV I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Both would have a top tier heat treat from Peter's and been ground identically. However, given the choice, I'd prefer the American 20CV :)
 
MatthewSB said:
Steel is different maker to maker, I'm not sure I could say that I prefer one steel over another without being very specific. Unless you're talking about Survive!'s current 20CV with their heat treat, compared to another specific manufacturer's M390 with their specific heat treat. For example, there is a lot of 1095 out there, some of it performs terribly and some of it, like ESEE's, is great. I've had S30V that was very "chippy", but my Strider SNG, with the same S30V but heat treated properly, was like an entirely different steel.

If Survive! handed me a knife in M390 and an identical knife in 20CV I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Both would have a top tier heat treat from Peter's and been ground identically. However, given the choice, I'd prefer the American 20CV :)
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I think this is 100% right on - while certain steels will generally be better than others, HT is key and can/does/will make all the difference
 
As some one who has had a 4.1 in M390 and 20cv I would say they were pretty similar. I kept the m390 for 2 reasons, it matched my folder at the time and it was much harder to get again if I ever wanted to. But from a function perspective I haven't had an issue with either, or noticed much difference.
 
redwood22 said:
As some one who has had a 4.1 in M390 and 20cv I would say they were pretty similar. I kept the m390 for 2 reasons, it matched my folder at the time and it was much harder to get again if I ever wanted to. But from a function perspective I haven't had an issue with either, or noticed much difference.
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Being a 5.1 owner in 20CV, this is what I like to hear.
Incidentally, the M4 I'm comparing to M390 are both from the same manufacturer: Benchmade. From them, IME, M390 is indeed a better edge holder. From same vintage knives, even. Both 2013-2014 time frame.
 
SURVIVE! Ellie said:
In the time we've been doing this we have only ever encountered one fully broken blade (by a customer at least, Guy purposely tries to break them). It was a GSO-4.1 in M390. The guy had been batoning pretty aggressively and it broke at the skeletonizing. Looking at the knife it looks like it was just dumb luck that there was a pocket of one material right in that spot. With the CPM process that shouldn't be an issue, since the components are distributed more evenly. Guy also decided to make most of the knives full tang now (only the GSO-2.7 and Necker II have skeletonizing).

We did tweak the new production heat treat for the CPM-20CV as well. It wasn't as crazy as the CPM-3V changes, but it should still perform a bit better than the old spec CPM-20CV knives.
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I am really surprised that it broke. He must have been using a 20 lb crowbar to baton. Did you guys take pictures? If so can we see them??
 
Psybull said:
Since we all are fans of 3v on the medium and larger GSO's for good reason I wanted to know if anyone actually has had any performance issues with the medium sized knives in 20cv. I have read a lot of armchair expert input but I mean real world use. I have not broken my new 5.1 in stainless in yet, but I used to have a Fallkniven s-1 in laminated vg-10 and never had any issues with it chipping out while processing wood and would think the steel in the GSO is better.
Any pics and what happened to cause any issues would be helpful, thanks.
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I have an older 5.1 in 20cv that I ordered about 18 months to 2 years ago. I pounded on it pretty hard cutting oak and softwood dowels and treated pine hand rails and I found that it held up well verses A2, D2, 01 and 1095. It didn't hold an edge as long as my 3v GSOs and that's to be expected.

I am pretty hard on my knives and I prefer 3v. However I would not hesitate to use my 20cv knives, N2s, a 4.1 and a 5.1, for light to med duty and use my 3v knives for heavy duty. I've also found that I can bring my 20cv blades back faster than 3v and they come back SHARP.

I have 4 Fallkniven knives, S1, F1, GPK and a PKL. I love they way they cut and they perform well for light to med tasks. For heavy tasks they don't compete with 3v and it takes me about as long to bring back vg10 as it does 3v so I don't use them much anymore. I also believe that 20cv holds an edge longer than VG10. If you like the way GSO feel then you'll probably be happy with 20cv and you'll love 3v!

So to answer your question, I would consider 20cv for a 4.1 or anything smaller for your fixed blade EDC sized knives for light to med cutting and carving tasks and 3v for your hard use tasks or 4.1 and anything bigger.
 
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hunterjrg said:
I wonder why Guy dropped M390 in favor of 20cv
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There has been a bit of a shortage of M390 the last few years, causing some makers to go with other options. I would guess this is the case here in the move to 20CV.
 
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