Hello people. I would like to have your opinion on the choice of one of these steels to make a versatyle knife with a blade of 4.5 ''. It will be a bushcraft/hunting for general use. I already used vanadis 4 E and elmax that I find good both. At this moment it's a pain to make a choice.(my heart swings to the elmax for its versatility but I have concerns about toughness ). Thank you to all those who want to give their opinion.
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Elmax vs rwl 34 vs Vanadis 4E
- Thread starter Francix
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Elmax is a great steel. Stainless. Very tough (resistant to chipping). And very wear resistant.
Vanadis 4E will be a little tougher, and just a bit less wear resistant. It's not stainless.
If you need stainless, I'd go with Elmax.
Otherwise, V4E would be my choice.
You might also check out Vanax, which is super stainless, tougher than Elmax and very wear resistant.
And, of course, heat treat will be extremely important.
Here's a page with good info from B/U, the maker of these steels.
http://www.bucorp.com/knives.htm
Vanadis 4E will be a little tougher, and just a bit less wear resistant. It's not stainless.
If you need stainless, I'd go with Elmax.
Otherwise, V4E would be my choice.
You might also check out Vanax, which is super stainless, tougher than Elmax and very wear resistant.
And, of course, heat treat will be extremely important.
Here's a page with good info from B/U, the maker of these steels.
http://www.bucorp.com/knives.htm
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^ This! I agree 100%
jstn
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I agree with the above. I haven't heard much about Vanax, but I am intrigued. Twindog, have you used it yourself? Any idea why it isn't used often? It sounds great and now I want some.
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Crazy expensive, and very new so people haven't quite yet worked out how to get the most out of it. Pretty much the only place to get it short of custom orders is on certain Shirogorovs (Vanax 37 is the same thing as Vanax). A few custom makers on here work with it -
ShannonSteelLabs
, @bluntcut, and I believe @DeadboxHero.In theory it should be virtual rustproof, have edge retention on par with the best stainless steel (e.g., M390), and toughness equal to, or better than, Elmax. In theory
I haven't tried it out yet, but Josh is reblading my big Rukus with a Vanax blade. Should be fun testing it out. The Rukus has been my EDC for many years.
ShannonSteelLabs
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Should be sending some vanax to Peters this weekend. Was trying to do it earlier but wanted to get other orders that were in line first.
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Elmax is surprisingly tough, especially for it being a good edge holding stainless steel, which is also easy to sharpen. IMO it is a great all around steel. If you are worried about damage, have the edge just a little bit thicker. A little more material behind the edge can go a long way. I have two nearly identical Elmax blades, one is very thin behind the edge and the other a little thicker. The thicker one can take HARD use! Have not pushed to other one nearly as hard, but have done lots of woods tasks with it, and it takes it.
Vanadis will have more toughness, but much less stain resistance. Vanax is more expensive, but should be an amazing steel!
If you live in the US, I would go with CPM 3V if you want a tough blade, with some stain resistance. If you live in Europe, go with K340, K360, or even N360 if you want tough stainless. I have a K340 blade that is VERY tough and holds a great edge! Good corrosion resistance too.
Vanadis will have more toughness, but much less stain resistance. Vanax is more expensive, but should be an amazing steel!
If you live in the US, I would go with CPM 3V if you want a tough blade, with some stain resistance. If you live in Europe, go with K340, K360, or even N360 if you want tough stainless. I have a K340 blade that is VERY tough and holds a great edge! Good corrosion resistance too.
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Iirc v4e has more edge retention and slightly lower toughness than 3v.
How tough does a 4.5" knife have to be? Id be happy with either of the three. Rwl34=cpm154
Elmax is 1.7% carbon... which normally would be reduction in toughness.
This thread here says "Elmax @ ~58 hrc charpy v notch ~20 foot pounds" - which is like 4 times lower than 3v would be
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/toughness-of-s35vn-and-elmax.1503215/
This thread here says "Elmax @ ~58 hrc charpy v notch ~20 foot pounds" - which is like 4 times lower than 3v would be
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/toughness-of-s35vn-and-elmax.1503215/
Thank you for your reply , cpm 3v would be one of my first choices , but i am in europe and it's hard to find.
T
Thank you for your reply, do you have some charpy test values for rwl 34 i never found values for this steel.Elmax is 1.7% carbon... which normally would be reduction in toughness.
This thread here says "Elmax @ ~58 hrc charpy v notch ~20 foot pounds" - which is like 4 times lower than 3v would be
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/toughness-of-s35vn-and-elmax.1503215/
Thank you for your reply , so if i understand your advice v4e > elmax > rwl 34 if corrosion resistance is not very important. Why for you elmax would be better than rwl 34 for this use.
Thank you for your reply , the vanax looks very interesting, all there is good in the elmax with a little more toughness , here in europe it is not yet common to find, otherwise do you have information about the nitrobe 77, how tought it should be compared to the other ones.
RWL 34 is basically CM 154, which is an excellent powder steel. Elmax and Vanadis 4E will both be tougher. Elmax will hold an edge longer. I prefer Elmax over RWL 34, although you're looking at three really good steels.
Look at the toughness chart from B/U in the link below. Elmax is a seriously tough powder stainless steel. (In the chart, CM 154 is 14-4 CrMo (imp)) You have to look pretty hard to find a better, more well-balanced steel than Elmax.
http://www.bucorp.com/media/Toughness_testing_for_knife_steels.pdf
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What is the edge inclusive on your thin elmax edge and what is it on your thicker elmax edge?
Judging by the chromium content in k340 it shouldn’t be stainless.
Thank you again for your answer, I thought the rwl 34 should be a little tougth more than the elmax, I've read this on the internet several times. I have also followed @DeadboxHero tests with interest, but as the hardnesses are not equal it is very difficult to leave with a final conclusion on this subject. Thanks again for the information. If anyone can answer me about the question of the handle (for a big chopper) I would be grateful to him.
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K340 is not stainless, but it has enough chromium to give it decent corrosion resistance, for a tough carbon steel.
My Elmax blades are all at 20DPS, but I have had sharpened thicker one a long time ago, so as I freehand sharpen(field sharpen), the edge has slowly convex'd a bit, giving it a little more material behind the apex, plus it is also thicker behind the edge.
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