Anyone else prefer 154cm to super steels

[Insipid Moniker]

All he said beyond that was "doesn't seem to chip as easily". An extremely short statement with zero other information.

About 100,000 other threads exist talking about powered vs ingot steel and hard vs softer steel on this forum. Why not just use the search function? The almighty beloved Knarfeng has given feedback on this question a multitude of times.

You may notice that Knarfeng has participated in this very thread and conversation that we're having by offering his opinions and experiences! Here's an exceptionally easy solution, if you don't find the thread useful or informative, don't click on it. It's that easy! If, as it appears to have done for some inexplicable reason, the existence of the thread offends you, use the report function to alert the mods to your concerns! Offering condescending one-liners that simply don't function as any kind of answer to the OP or add anything to the conversation isn't terribly helpful, now is it?

To try and get things back on topic, do you prefer S30V or 154CM and why?

 

[Dr Rez]

You may notice that Knarfeng has participated in this very thread and conversation that we're having by offering his opinions and experiences! Here's an exceptionally easy solution, if you don't find the thread useful or informative, don't click on it. It's that easy! If, as it appears to have done for some inexplicable reason, the existence of the thread offends you, use the report function to alert the mods to your concerns! Offering condescending one-liners that simply don't function as any kind of answer to the OP or add anything to the conversation isn't terribly helpful, now is it?

To try and get things back on topic, do you prefer S30V or 154CM and why?

Well thanks for the more than one line condescending reply. I think you post with too much emotion and ignore whats actually written and the facts.

My answer? One is not better than the other for everything. It 100 percent depends on what your use and preference is. Ask 100 people and get 100 answers. I like s30v in my edc folders because I do not need toughness in a folder and I value wear resistance and stainless properties over others. For an outdoor knife since I live in the most humid climate imaginable I still want stainless however a steel like 154cm would suite me much better since I am pretty rough on my knives. Do I think s30v would snap or chip, probably not, but I like to be able to know I don't have to worry about things like that. I can very easily fix a roll/dulled edge in the field however a re-profile from a huge chip not so much.

If there is one thing I have learned in my years of studying steel and its use in tools, its that most modern steel works perfectly fine for my and most likely 99% of other peoples needs no matter the situation. A good profile, grind, edge, and sharpening job is 100 times more important. I have learned little things that improve results on "lesser" steels like 12c27 such as convexing the edge, getting it to the appropriate grit sharpening for the job it will be doing, etc. My point is the steel matters less and less the better one gets at steel care and steel knowledge, as even the bottom steels found in Wusthof, Vixtorinox, Moras, perform wonderfully when given proper treatment.

My initial comment Inspid which you seemed to have taken great offense to was simply this...You can not make a decision of which steels you like to use if you have no experience or the skill of sharpening the higher end powdered steels. The question simply become irrelevant. It is not a knock just a fact. Im sure some on this forum could bring a super hard m390 blade back to extreme sharpness with a pocket diamond stone and/or strop faster than others could to a 420hc at 56hrc. Once the skill and ability to sharpen and keep sharp exists then one can form accurate opinions upon which steel is better. Otherwise it is just picking a favorite tool, with an incomplete toolkit.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

Well thanks for the more than one line condescending reply. I think you post with too much emotion and ignore whats actually written and the facts.

My answer? One is not better than the other for everything. It 100 percent depends on what your use and preference is. Ask 100 people and get 100 answers. I like s30v in my edc folders because I do not need toughness in a folder and I value wear resistance and stainless properties over others. For an outdoor knife since I live in the most humid climate imaginable I still want stainless however a steel like 154cm would suite me much better since I am pretty rough on my knives. Do I think s30v would snap or chip, probably not, but I like to be able to know I don't have to worry about things like that. I can very easily fix a roll/dulled edge in the field however a re-profile from a huge chip not so much.

If there is one thing I have learned in my years of studying steel and its use in tools, its that most modern steel works perfectly fine for my and most likely 99% of other peoples needs no matter the situation. A good profile, grind, edge, and sharpening job is 100 times more important. I have learned little things that improve results on "lesser" steels like 12c27 such as convexing the edge, getting it to the appropriate grit sharpening for the job it will be doing, etc. My point is the steel matters less and less the better one gets at steel care and steel knowledge, as even the bottom steels found in Wusthof, Vixtorinox, Moras, perform wonderfully when given proper treatment.

My initial comment Inspid which you seemed to have taken great offense to was simply this...You can not make a decision of which steels you like to use if you have no experience or the skill of sharpening the higher end powdered steels. The question simply become irrelevant. It is not a knock just a fact. Im sure some on this forum could bring a super hard m390 blade back to extreme sharpness with a pocket diamond stone and/or strop faster than others could to a 420hc at 56hrc. Once the skill and ability to sharpen and keep sharp exists then one can form accurate opinions upon which steel is better.

And if you had taken the time to write that it would have been a valuable insight that would have added to the thread! And that's why I took the time to explain my condescension, when I could simply have posted, "Learn to read."

 

[Dr Rez]

And if you had taken the time to write that it would have been a valuable insight that would have added to the thread! And that's why I took the time to explain my condescension, when I could simply have posted, "Learn to read."

Idk in my opinion what I just wrote didnt help anyone, maybe I was being a dick however I did not intend to be. People on this forum (and myself in the past) focus so much on how good each individual steel is when they should just be learning about what effect different elements like Vanadium, Chromium, ETC do to steel. Learn about sharpening, types of grinds and edges. This is why I brought up @knarfeng. In these type of threads he does a good job at explaining to people the bigger picture and chemistry of the steel rather than subjective opinions.

This really goes for all subjects in life not just steel. I hear so many giving their opinion on politics, sports, and any other topic you can think of with only a rudimentary knowledge of the subject. Everyone thinks they are entitled to an opinion, which maybe they are, but imo no ones opinion is worth listening to unless they show a solid understanding of the subject as a whole. This is why you will never see me debating politics, because anything I say would be misinformed and coming from a place of ignorance.

Inspid, lets be friends.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

Idk in my opinion what I just wrote didnt help anyone, maybe I was being a dick however I did not intend to be. People on this forum (and myself in the past) focus so much on how good each individual steel is when they should just be learning about what effect different elements like Vanadium, Chromium, ETC do to steel. Learn about sharpening, types of grinds and edges. This is why I brought up @knarfeng. In these type of threads he does a good job at explaining to people the bigger picture and chemistry of the steel rather than subjective opinions.

This really goes for all subjects in life not just steel. I hear so many giving their opinion on politics, sports, and any other topic you can think of with only a rudimentary knowledge of the subject. Everyone thinks they are entitled to an opinion, which maybe they are, but imo no ones opinion is worth listening to unless they show a solid understanding of the subject as a whole. This is why you will never see me debating politics, because anything I say would be misinformed and coming from a place of ignorance.

Inspid, lets be friends.

I'm in for it. I really do think what you wrote was valuable because it brings up a huge point, that you sharpening skillset definitely informs your opinion on steels. I think it's pretty clear that you're knowledgable about this and that makes it, to me at least, really interesting to get your full thought process on it!

 

[Dr Rez]

I'm in for it. I really do think what you wrote was valuable because it brings up a huge point, that you sharpening skillset definitely informs your opinion on steels. I think it's pretty clear that you're knowledgable about this and that makes it, to me at least, really interesting to get your full thought process on it!

Not just sharpening, but the knowledge of what each element in steels function is, as well as how each steel due to grain size and carbide size take different edges. I do not mean to show ho informed I am, since to many here on this forum I have the knowledge of a kinder gardener, but to exemplify that knowledge qualifies an opinion not the other way around.

Honestly the information you learn is useful in far more than just knives. These elements used are literally the building blocks of our universe, and we humans use them to build everything around us.

edit: To anyone who wants to learn about steel I would highly recommend the website http://zknives.com/knives/steels/index.shtml

 

[brando555]

I really like 154cm and CTS-XHP. High quality stainless steels that hold a good edge and aren't a PITA to sharpen to a polished edge like s110v or something with a ton of vanadium or other carbides.

 

[Frotier76]

I May sound like the minority on this but I prefer my 154cm mini grip to my s30v knives or other high end steels. I’m not the best at sharpening so I prefer the ease and softness of 154. Takes a nice edge and holds it for a decent amount of time. Also doesn’t seem to chip as easily

I personally don't think that's a silly notion at all.Quite personally I think the knife industry should have ceased at the point of ATS-34/154CM and BG-42.A lot of the steels applied now are so overly hard that they're brittle and not expansive enough for a wide variety of usage factors.

Can you imagine what S30V would look like if it was applied for meat cleavers?...a waste of money.