VG-10 vs M390

M

Mike51772

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Mar 3, 2017
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Can anyone that's had a good amount of experience with both these blade steels give me their thoughts on how they compare? Particularly in corrosion resistance and edge holding?
 
Here's a chart on edge retention I made a few years ago after doing my own side-by-side testing cutting manila rope. VG10 holds an edge about like 154CM, so use the 154CM column for reference.
bladesteel50Kview-1.jpg
 
Both are good steels. VG-10 is a very good user steel and has pretty good corrosion resistance also. However, M390 will hold and edge much longer and is also more corrosion resistant. But honestly all steel dulls, it just depends what you cut and how often you cut. M390 seems to hold a shaving edge very well, also has a very good working edge after a fair bit of use. VG-10 will not disappoint you tho, it's not a slouch.
 
Mike51772 said:
Can anyone that's had a good amount of experience with both these blade steels give me their thoughts on how they compare? Particularly in corrosion resistance and edge holding?
Click to expand...

M390 is a more premium steel, it will generally be a higher price and a higher performance but there are so many factors that it's difficult to say that it's downright 1000 times better or worth the increased cost.

It's realitive,
For guys that post here and that are super obsessed and passionate about knives heck yeah it's wayyy better.

I'd rather pay to get m390 and many would agree its awesome stuff for folders.

For a casual dude with a passing interest in knives the benefits of M390 might be marginal.

They will both go dull in use and they can both rust if used as dive knives :D
 
A thing to consider also is your sharpening skill and equipment available versus the difficulty of the steel. I'm a sharpening noon with a very simple freehand Smith's Diamond Hone. I've done CPM-S30V competently but it took a long while. VG-10 is an awesome balance of sharpening difficulty, edge retention, and corrosion resistance, and it's pretty forgiving. It's my favorite steel for those reasons.
 
Honestly the benefits of VG10 is that it seems to take an absolutely screaming edge fairly easy. It is not too difficult to sharpen. I like the stuff alot, it is also fairly rust resistant. vg10 is a well rounded steel. I haven't got a chance to test its toughness though. From what I hear it is not a problem.

M390 is like vg10 in that it is also a well rounded steel. However if I would say vg10 is well rounded at a lower level than m390 which is well rounded at a higher level. Despite being very wear resistant it is not super hard to sharpen. According to zknives.com this is because it doesn't form a stubborn burr. M390 is also a powder steel and vg10 is not. M390 also seems quite tough for such a carbide packed steel.
 
VG-10 is easy to sharpen but is chippy and doesnt hold an edge for nearly as long as m390/20cv/204p. m390 holds an edge for two or three times as long as vg-10

VG-10 is very good stainless resistance but so is m390. ive not done any tests to compare either. but alas they are both stainless and should be reasonable.

i side with m390. i just dont like vg-10 except for how easy it is to sharpen... but i dont like sharpening it that often, tbo id rather use 154CM than vg-10. its basically the same in a lot of properties to 154cm, but maybe i just like the heat treat i get with the 154cm knives i have vs the vg10 knives i have (or the edge geometry)
 
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