I thought it might be helpful to share my experience with Survive!'s current steels and handle materials:
Survive!'s 20CV has been impressive. The edge holding is amazing and it's been tough enough for everything I've used it for. It is very difficult to sharpen if allowed to dull too much, but can be maintained on a loaded (diamond compound) leather strop for regular use. Properly maintained every few days on the loaded strop, I could not get the 20CV GSO-5.1 to dull even when used constantly. 20CV, with Peter's Heat Treat and Guy's edge geometry has been nothing short of amazing for an EDC blade.
Survive!'s 3V is the only 3V I've ever used that didn't constantly rust. I've put no effort into wiping it down with oil, or any other sort of rust prevention - If the knife gets messy enough I wash it in the sink in hot soapy water and dry it off quickly, but it mostly just gets used and put back in the sheath. I did notice, the last time I took the handles off for a thorough cleaning, that there are some light rust specks under the handle, but they were just a few spots on the surface. I've since wiped the tang down with mineral oil before reattaching the handles and have had no problems since. I've gotten a few dings in the edge, they sharpened out with little effort. Edge holding has been great cutting wood and cord (bushcrafty stuff). I take my 3V GSO-5.1 on short camping trips and dayhikes.
Survive!'s CPM-154 has been a great all-around, balanced steel. Edge retention is exactly what I expect from modern steel with a great heat treat. CPM-154 seems to dull faster than 3V, but can be sharpened on just about anything (and anywhere!) and I've noticed no difference in 'toughness' in actual use - any impact or abrasive material that damaged CPM-154 also would have damaged 3V, although maybe a little less. When I had to pick a knife to take on a weeklong outdoor adventure, I chose the GSO 4.7 in CPM-154 because it's good enough in every way, and most importantly the ease of sharpening makes a big difference when the edge is damaged and must be repaired in the field. I have noticed that the peened finish on the CPM-154 blade seems to scratch easily, everything from abrasives in what I've cut (sand embedded in wood or rope) to "kydex scratches" from dust or something sticking inside of the sheath and getting trapped between the blade and the kydex. I have not noticed any such surface marking on my 3V or 20CV knives, I assume it's because the '154 has noticeably less wear-resistance. This isn't a problem, it's just interesting and something I've noticed on A2, 1095, 154CM and other low wear-resistance steels.
For handles, I've used textured and non-textured canvas micarta as well as textured and non-textured G10 - I liked them all. Non-textured canvas is the most comfortable for carving and other chores that require holding the knife for a long period of time. The textured canvas has a very hard feel to it, about like G10 but rougher from the large canvas fibers. Non-textured G10 is very smooth, but has worked fine for me even when wet thanks to the contoured handles. Textured G10 is just rough enough to provide a bit more traction but not enough to make it uncomfortable to use without gloves. I would compare it to snake skin, it feels like small scales and adds just the right amount of grip to the G10.
I hope this helps, I know how hard it is to place an order then wonder if you made the right choices. I look forward to hearing any feedback, and I'm very curious if my experiences match those of others here. Thanks for reading
Survive!'s 20CV has been impressive. The edge holding is amazing and it's been tough enough for everything I've used it for. It is very difficult to sharpen if allowed to dull too much, but can be maintained on a loaded (diamond compound) leather strop for regular use. Properly maintained every few days on the loaded strop, I could not get the 20CV GSO-5.1 to dull even when used constantly. 20CV, with Peter's Heat Treat and Guy's edge geometry has been nothing short of amazing for an EDC blade.
Survive!'s 3V is the only 3V I've ever used that didn't constantly rust. I've put no effort into wiping it down with oil, or any other sort of rust prevention - If the knife gets messy enough I wash it in the sink in hot soapy water and dry it off quickly, but it mostly just gets used and put back in the sheath. I did notice, the last time I took the handles off for a thorough cleaning, that there are some light rust specks under the handle, but they were just a few spots on the surface. I've since wiped the tang down with mineral oil before reattaching the handles and have had no problems since. I've gotten a few dings in the edge, they sharpened out with little effort. Edge holding has been great cutting wood and cord (bushcrafty stuff). I take my 3V GSO-5.1 on short camping trips and dayhikes.
Survive!'s CPM-154 has been a great all-around, balanced steel. Edge retention is exactly what I expect from modern steel with a great heat treat. CPM-154 seems to dull faster than 3V, but can be sharpened on just about anything (and anywhere!) and I've noticed no difference in 'toughness' in actual use - any impact or abrasive material that damaged CPM-154 also would have damaged 3V, although maybe a little less. When I had to pick a knife to take on a weeklong outdoor adventure, I chose the GSO 4.7 in CPM-154 because it's good enough in every way, and most importantly the ease of sharpening makes a big difference when the edge is damaged and must be repaired in the field. I have noticed that the peened finish on the CPM-154 blade seems to scratch easily, everything from abrasives in what I've cut (sand embedded in wood or rope) to "kydex scratches" from dust or something sticking inside of the sheath and getting trapped between the blade and the kydex. I have not noticed any such surface marking on my 3V or 20CV knives, I assume it's because the '154 has noticeably less wear-resistance. This isn't a problem, it's just interesting and something I've noticed on A2, 1095, 154CM and other low wear-resistance steels.
For handles, I've used textured and non-textured canvas micarta as well as textured and non-textured G10 - I liked them all. Non-textured canvas is the most comfortable for carving and other chores that require holding the knife for a long period of time. The textured canvas has a very hard feel to it, about like G10 but rougher from the large canvas fibers. Non-textured G10 is very smooth, but has worked fine for me even when wet thanks to the contoured handles. Textured G10 is just rough enough to provide a bit more traction but not enough to make it uncomfortable to use without gloves. I would compare it to snake skin, it feels like small scales and adds just the right amount of grip to the G10.
I hope this helps, I know how hard it is to place an order then wonder if you made the right choices. I look forward to hearing any feedback, and I'm very curious if my experiences match those of others here. Thanks for reading
