April 2021 BOTM - 104 Compadre with 3V steel

[TheJon]

These will go really fast barely 10 minutes in and already more than 70 sold

 

[jmh33]

Just not into those. Handle looks uncomfortable
John

 

[timbits588]

I really wanted to get the BOTM since my birthday is next Wednesday, but really struggling with how similar it is to the SK camp knife I have.
Although maybe they'd go well together...

 

[jbmonkey]

3v....too. very cool. a steel i like a lot. tough as tough can get. thanks to Jeff for the heads up on this one.

ya might not see much come from Buck in this steel. I grabbed one.

 

[timbits588]

3v....too. very cool. a steel i like a lot. tough as tough can get. thanks to Jeff for the heads up on this one.
ya might not see much come from Buck in this steel. I grabbed one.

Good point about the steel jbmonkey . Thinking it over.

 

[AZbuckNM]

Think we'll see the Ax next month??

 

[jbmonkey]

Think we'll see the Ax next month??

be cool if we did..but i have no idear.

 

[Fixall]

3v... Holy crap. That’s the quickest Buck purchase I’ve ever made.

I have two of the SKBlades versions. Looks like I’m getting rid of one.

 

[Tecate]

3V is new to me. Can anyone tell us how the 3V steel compares to other Buck steels?

 

[IDhorace]

The handle is more comfortable than it looks. I would have passed too but the SK version convinced me it needed a partner, so I got this one as well.

 

[sportingspecialist]

Nice knife!

 

[Fixall]

3V is new to me. Can anyone tell us how the 3V steel compares to other Buck steels?

TOUGH. So tough.

It's not perfect, but this will give you an idea. I made it before Larrin book came out with more info from from his testing so I need to update it (all steel is hardened to 59 - 51hrc on the chart unless otherwise noted).

 

[jbmonkey]

3V is new to me. Can anyone tell us how the 3V steel compares to other Buck steels?

toughness that surpasses both a2 and d2, edge holding that surpasses both a2 and d2, and at a hardness of 60hrc. its a steel that can handle near abuse and keep working.

Bucks s35vn and s30v will hold an edge longer though and both have far better stainless qualities. 3v will rust. 3v is a steel for sheer toughness and decent edge holding.

 

[Tecate]

TOUGH. So tough.

It's not perfect, but this will give you an idea. I made it before Larrin book came out with more info from from his testing so I need to update it (all steel is hardened to 59 - 51hrc on the chart unless otherwise noted).

Thank you, Fixall . According to the chart you posted...3V leads the pack in toughness. I bet it is fun to sharpen as well.

 

[jbmonkey]

According to the chart you posted...3V leads the pack in toughness. I bet it is fun to sharpen as well.

actually not hard to sharpen, believe it or not.

 

[Your Name Goes Here]

I told myself I wouldn't purchase any BOTMs if they were produced at 500 knives. I liked when the production was in the sub 200 range (pre 2021).

But come on ! 3V steel !

I don't know of any other Buck knife in 3V (Not that I know all that much about Buck knives - but I am learning !). And even if there are other versions - I know Buck doesn't use 3V that often. It is a pricey steel and time consuming to manufacture.

Plus, the price is right. The regular production 104 Compadre is made of 5160 steel and sells for $100. To me, $30 more for premium 3V steel is a no brainer.

Get yours now - over 200 have sold already !

 

[jbmonkey]

I told myself I wouldn't purchase any BOTMs if they were produced at 500 knives. I liked when the production was in the sub 200 range (pre 2021).

But come on ! 3V steel !

I don't know of any other Buck knife in 3V (Not that I know all that much about Buck knives - but I am learning !). And even if there are other versions - I know Buck doesn't use 3V that often. It is a pricey steel and hard to manufacture (I believe).

Plus, the price is right. The regular production 104 Compadre is made of 5160 steel and sells for $100. To me, $30 more for premium 3V steel is a no brainer.

Get yours now - over 200 have sold already !

none other in 3v yet anyways. this is a first for Buck. might be the cheapest 3v fixed blade out there in this size.

 

[Your Name Goes Here]

none other in 3v yet anyways. this is a first for Buck. might be the cheapest 3v fixed blade out there in this size.

Thanks for the info - I did a quick search, couldn't find another Buck in 3V. Also, the price is really great for 3V steel (doing another quick search).

 

[Lesknife]

Someone asked what 3V was like. This is from Larins test page.

3V composition
C. Cr. V. Mo.
0.8. 7.5. 2.75. 1.3

3V is non stainless, I couldn’t find a composition of 5160 to see how it stacks up.

 

[Your Name Goes Here]

3V is new to me. Can anyone tell us how the 3V steel compares to other Buck steels?

This is what I found doing a quick search:

"CPM-3V is, in many ways, the perfect blade steel for a fixed blade knife. Insanely tough, this steel also manages to boast excellent edge retention and corrosion resistance.

Edge Retention 7/10

Ease of Sharpening 5/10 (As always, I assume this depends on your skill and sharpener)

Toughness 10/10

Corrosion Resistance 5/10"



And, from Crucible

"CPM 3V is a high toughness, wear-resistant tool steel made by the Crucible Particle Metallurgy process. It is designed to provide maximum resistance to breakage and chipping in a high wear-resistance steel. It offers impact resistance greater than A2, D2, Cru-Wear, or CPM M4, approaching the levels provided by S7 and other shock resistant grades. CPM 3V is intended to be used at 58/60 HRC in applications where chronic breakage and chipping are encountered in other tool steels, but where the wear properties of a high alloy steel are required.

The wear and toughness properties of CPM 3V make it an excellent alternative to shock-resistant steels such as S7 or A9, where they typically wear out too quickly, but where grades such as A2, CruWear, or CPM M4 tend to fail by breaking or chipping.

CPM 3V offers the highest impact toughness of any tool steel with this range of wear resistance."