how is 154cm for bushcraft? And how is it compared to 1095?

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SoldierOfChrist

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Jan 7, 2015
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Getting a Tops Pasayten Lite Traveler, and ive heard its an alright steel i just want some deeper, more proffessional insights.
 
154cm is a decent steel, and should be fine for your bushcraft recreational wood processing. As long as you aren't abusing it, it'll be fine. You can always spend more money on better steel, if you find you need it.
 
154CM with a solid heat treatment is a more than adequate knife steel.

It's sorta of an improved 440C and I use 440C and the once again powdered steel CPM-154 for most of my knives.

Hunters/field or kitchen. If you are a Batoning nut and want to beat the hell out of?????
 
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I like 154cm, it's great steel. It takes a fine edge really easily, and holds it decently. I think one of the major pluses are how easily it sharpens up.

It's not like some of the more modern carbide-loaded steels, so it won't perform like them. But if you don't like to spend more time sharpening your knife than time using it, you'll find 154cm very rewarding.

Personally, I think CPM-154 is where it's at. I think it's a good Jack-of-all-trades kinda steel.
 
154CM is a great steel. It used to be all the rage for knife makers until they jumped on the S30V bandwagon. To say there are better steels is misleading. Some steels are better for one thing and some for another. 154CM is the same as ATS-34 and nearly identical to VG10. It is an excellent steel and you should not have any issues. It will not take the abuse a simple carbon steel will, but it will take quite a lot.
 
Never used mine hard, but it holds and edge longer than my 1095 knives for abrasion resistance, and seems to sharpen easy enough.
 
Regular 154 (vs. the CPM version) is a very good steel. Is it a $130 knife steel? As stated, it is in the ATS-34, VG-10 range, but that price seem more like an S90V, S35V or M390 price in such a basic knife.

The comparison to 1095 is probably right on. 1095 is kind of middle of the road for carbon steels (1080 and below on one side, 50100B, O1 and A2 on the other).
 
I have a custom with CPM-154 hardened to 61-62hrc, and it performs really well. There's a noticeable difference between mass produced 154cm at around 57-58, although that is still a fine steel and hardness for bush crafting purposes. You want the steel to be a little softer if you'll be using it out in the woods.
 
From my experience I would say no. I have a Benchmade Nimravus that I used for processing lobster and I was rewarded with many fine chips in the blade. This was about 5 years ago since then my Marine Raider Bowie has been my lobster knife and it has 0 chips. I think 154cm should be a folder steel exclusively.
 
It's one of my favorite steels. You should have no problems with quality 154CM.
 
The trend in bushcraft right now is carbon carbon carbon. I believe the OP is asking how will stainless steel (154cm) do for bushcraft tasks vs the more popular carbon steels?
 
Thank you all for the insight i more than appreciate it. yea i was big on carbon and frankly im a little dissapointed i couldnt find a knife i really liked in 1095 on amazon, so i went with the tops pasayten in 154cm. im not too fond of the 5 1/4 inch blade at 1/8 inch but i hope itll hold up. at 5 1/4 inches id like the 3/16 thick blade at least or a 4 inch blade at 1/8 inches thick. If anyone can tell me how the Tops quality is thatd be nice. this will be my first knife from them. thank you all again.
 
SoldierOfChrist said:
Thank you all for the insight i more than appreciate it. yea i was big on carbon and frankly im a little dissapointed i couldnt find a knife i really liked in 1095 on amazon, so i went with the tops pasayten in 154cm. im not too fond of the 5 1/4 inch blade at 1/8 inch but i hope itll hold up. at 5 1/4 inches id like the 3/16 thick blade at least or a 4 inch blade at 1/8 inches thick. If anyone can tell me how the Tops quality is thatd be nice. this will be my first knife from them. thank you all again.
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I don't get the logic that people have these days about men wanted thicker knives to sharpened pry bars for outdoor use?

I like to look through my collections ever once in a while of pre WWII and during made knives. On a 5" blade or less you rarely see blades thicker than 1/8" and these knives worked great for many soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen surviving and fighting in all of the different climatic zones.

Like the Pal 36 Remington for just one example. These got used for every job imaginable and then some! About 1/8 thick.

PAL36.jpeg

This size of knife is fine in ether of the two steels you mentioned. My choice would be the 154cm
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
I don't get the logic that people have these days about men wanted thicker knives to sharpened pry bars for outdoor use?

I like to look through my collections ever once in a while of pre WWII and during made knives. On a 5" blade or less you rarely see blades thicker than 1/8" and these knives worked great for many soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen surviving and fighting in all of the different climatic zones.

Like the Pal 36 Remington for just one example. These got used for every job imaginable and then some! About 1/8 thick.

View attachment 504661

This size of knife is fine in ether of the two steels you mentioned. My choice would be the 154cm
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I was just thinking that after re-reading a classic "A Perfect Hell", they go into design details about the Black Devils FSSF knife
 
154CM, so long as it is not ground too thin at the edge, is plenty durable. It can also be rust resistant, and holds an edge great.

It is far more complicated than the steel alone, you really have to look at exactly how it is ground and the heat treat to determine if a blade will work for your needs.

MONKEYAZZ said:
From my experience I would say no. I have a Benchmade Nimravus that I used for processing lobster and I was rewarded with many fine chips in the blade. This was about 5 years ago since then my Marine Raider Bowie has been my lobster knife and it has 0 chips. I think 154cm should be a folder steel exclusively.
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The Benchmade Nimravus is ground like a folder, even thinner than some, which is why yours chipped.
 
Jason B. said:
Um, yes they are. Go look it up.

The only difference is the process.
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I imagine he looked it up and saw that the CPM process produces different hardness and toughness results than regular 154. It also costs more.

How is that "the same"?
 
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