Benchmade`s best steel

A

A-love05

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Jan 25, 2014
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Hey, I know what this thread is gonna end up being..
"Best steel for what?!" "You need to give us better info" you all catch my drift..

I am just curious as to what YOUR favorite steel is and why..

Myself: I use to love their 440c/154cm.. but lately I have used nothing but their m4.. I've got it in a few different knives and it is tough as nails but takes an edge like crazy!!
 
Gonna say D2 for overall price and performance.M4 after that.. S30v to me aint that much better than 154cm IMo and havent had any of their knives in m390 as of yet. I wish they would replace 154cm as their standard steel to ELMAX. Elmax is my favorite folder steel.
 
I love ATS-34/154CM. S30V ain't bad either. Own a 525BK-1101 in M4, does cut like crazy. However, my all time favorite remains M2.
 
154CM, just for it's ease of sharpening. I had a 550HG that I thinned the edge angle to fit the Sharpmaker. Then I found I didn't need it. It is one of only 2 or 3 knives I could get a hair whittling edge off just a 1000 grit King water stone.
 
S90V because edge retention is king. better edge retention = less sharpening = longer knife lifespan. I love my Benchmades, I want them to last for me and my kids and my grandkids.
 
154CM>S30V>M390>M4=S90V, but this isn't to say any of them are bad... I just have my preferences.

I use the crap out of my knives, so ease of sharpening is a big decider on my hierarchy.

Benchmade's 154CM is pretty tough, easy to sharpen, but the biggest pro: It takes an absolutely astounding edge and holds it forever. I can consistently get my 154CM blades to dropcut hair using only diamonds (no strop). When I want to show someone what a truly sharp knife is, I grab my 3550 or 9051. Both are set at 16º/side and are kept slightly better than "three-finger sticky".

S30V is just a consistently good steel that is "easier" to sharpen than it's more high-tech brothers. I can get it pretty dang sharp, but it doesn't seem to like holding the freaky edge for too long. It also chips faster than 154CM, so I run these at 16º with a 20º microbevel.

M390 takes a scary edge, but chips at smaller bevel angles (<20º). Those chips are an absolute pain to remove, and as such, I've never kept an M390 Benchmade around for too long.

I can't seem to get Benchmade's M4 to take a scary edge, but that could be the bloated blade geometry of the Contego and the 20º bevel I run for harder tasks. Conversely, Spyderco's M4 is terrifying when sharpened on diamonds. BM's S90V can get slightly more "crisp" than M4, especially at 16º. Both steels hold a working edge for a shocking amount of time, but require a solid afternoon on diamonds and strops to get back to a fresh edge (especially S90V). Sharpening S90V is actually my least favorite thing to do to/with a knife, and usually resort to a small microbevel just to speed up the process.
 
154CM for me. It's relatively tough and corrosion resistant (good for an everyday blade that sees a variety of uses & conditions), and it's easy to sharpen with different sharpening tools & techniques. Their S30V is also a good performer, but I'd still take 154CM first, given a choice.
 
BM's coated D2 is hands-down my favorite. And, just my humble opinion, the HK Axis folders are a steal at their price points.

I would recommend folks get one before they fade out.
 
I don't know about BM's best steel Adam, but I have yet to find one I don't like... You know I like their 440C :D
I've finally gotten my D2 Mini where I want it, and it has been holding an edge very nicely. Contrary to those who say you can't get D2 sharp, you can definitely get it very sharp.
 
D2 has been around for many years. One of my first fixed blades came in that steel and it cut like crazy. Likewise my much later 710 and Nitrous models, the requirement it seems, is to keep the edge stropped regularly. Letting it go dull can be a lot of handwork. Sometimes I'll send mine in to LifeSharp, and when I do always ask for a 30 degree bevel. That way it cuts like crazy once again!
 
I have enjoyed Benchmade's D2 and S30V the most. I have not checked out their S90V or M390 but I'm planning on it relatively soon.
 
In the past M2, presently CPM M4.
M390 is the only other one I want to try.
 
M4 is my absolute favorite, prior to that M2.
However, i think D2 is their best all-around steel. And it's tough to beat 154CM simply for its ease in sharpening.
 
Their best HT steel has got to be the M2HSS,the first batch of M390 they did, their ATS34 was pretty good, and currently the S30V and the 154CM do very well. I'd really love to see Benchmade reelase a knife in Elmax hardened to about 61.5, maybe a Contego, Adamas, Vicar, or Loco would be the best choices. I would include the AFCK and the TSEK in that too.
 
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