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PD-1 Steel?
- Thread starter Silvanus
- Start date
Once Duane Dwyer said that 3V is one of the best overall performance blade steel ever. He also said that PD#1 probably better than 3V since it able to attain much higher hardness without sacrificing much toughness .
The steel composition is comparable to CruWear and Z-Wear.
The steel composition is comparable to CruWear and Z-Wear.
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2006
- Messages
- 5,603
It's a great alloy for a hard use type knife. It's very tough, has decent wear resistance, but isn't as corrosion resistant as CPM 154 or S30V. That's why Strider coats it I suppose but I can use that class of steels without any coating. It is more corrosion resistant than 1095, O-1, etc.
IMO, and depending on the heat treat and final hardness it is probably a bit more wear resistant than 3V, but slightly less tough than 3V. In other words it's excellent for true hard use. The balance between toughness and wear resistance is, IMO, one of the best. CPM Cruwear, Z wear, and a few other less well known names like Lescowear are pretty much the same composition.
The Original, Vascowear from Vasco Pacific ( *note: may have existed before but this is first company I found carrying this particular alloy) was used first in production by Gerber as "V" steel in the 80's. Vasco Pacific and Vascowear are both gone but the ingot Cruwear, as well as newer powder steel CPM Cruwear, PD#1, Z wear, etc. have brought this alloy into this century by mainly making this steel which was notoriously difficult to work much easier to work by the powder steel process which also gives smaller grain structure and even better toughness.
Wear resistance as it applies to our hobby should be between D2, and CPM M4 ( closer to the M4 side usually though the heat treat has a lot to say over this attribute) and toughness well above the D2 level and close to the Shock steel levels.
Cruwear does just fine at RC 62 and doesn't lose toughness at higher hardness rc62-63 as much as 3V does. 3V, while starting out higher at rc 58, loses it faster when getting above rc 61 and isn't a good choice for a high hardness knife, or one that will have a treatment applied using high temps.
IMO, and depending on the heat treat and final hardness it is probably a bit more wear resistant than 3V, but slightly less tough than 3V. In other words it's excellent for true hard use. The balance between toughness and wear resistance is, IMO, one of the best. CPM Cruwear, Z wear, and a few other less well known names like Lescowear are pretty much the same composition.
The Original, Vascowear from Vasco Pacific ( *note: may have existed before but this is first company I found carrying this particular alloy) was used first in production by Gerber as "V" steel in the 80's. Vasco Pacific and Vascowear are both gone but the ingot Cruwear, as well as newer powder steel CPM Cruwear, PD#1, Z wear, etc. have brought this alloy into this century by mainly making this steel which was notoriously difficult to work much easier to work by the powder steel process which also gives smaller grain structure and even better toughness.
Wear resistance as it applies to our hobby should be between D2, and CPM M4 ( closer to the M4 side usually though the heat treat has a lot to say over this attribute) and toughness well above the D2 level and close to the Shock steel levels.
Cruwear does just fine at RC 62 and doesn't lose toughness at higher hardness rc62-63 as much as 3V does. 3V, while starting out higher at rc 58, loses it faster when getting above rc 61 and isn't a good choice for a high hardness knife, or one that will have a treatment applied using high temps.
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2011
- Messages
- 2,972
I need to quit buying knives and save up for an SNG in PD-1
I was fortunate enough to grab a CPM CRUWEAR Military (AKA Mastiff's Military) and was not disappointed in the least, and he talked it up before we got it. I have realized through trying many steels now that toughness is more important in my style of use. I have chipped/rolled so much S30V it is not funny. CPM CRUWEAR is noticeably tougher than any steel I have (even CPM M4 as I have rolled that edge ever so slightly).
I don't own any CPM154, but a lot of guys love it as well. PD-1 is not very well known, but does seem to be the hardest to find. I would pass on the S30V personally.
I was fortunate enough to grab a CPM CRUWEAR Military (AKA Mastiff's Military) and was not disappointed in the least, and he talked it up before we got it. I have realized through trying many steels now that toughness is more important in my style of use. I have chipped/rolled so much S30V it is not funny. CPM CRUWEAR is noticeably tougher than any steel I have (even CPM M4 as I have rolled that edge ever so slightly). I don't own any CPM154, but a lot of guys love it as well. PD-1 is not very well known, but does seem to be the hardest to find. I would pass on the S30V personally.
