154 CM or CPM 20CV steel for bench made ?

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cbnutt
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154 CM or CPM 20CV steel for bench made ?

Post by cbnutt »

new to the modern folders , but thinking of getting a bench made , is the more expensive CPM 20CV far better than the 154CM , or would 154 be fine for general use , ? thanks . ::tu::
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CheckSix
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Re: 154 CM or CPM 20CV steel for bench made ?

Post by CheckSix »

I have Benchmades in 154CM and S30V. From what I've gleaned, the 154CM steel is easier to resharpen and still holds a good edge. S30V is tougher... tough to sharpen and once sharpened, tough to lose the edge. The preference out there seems to be 154CM because it is easier to put a good edge back on the blade. I have not seen info on 20CV.
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kootenay joe
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Re: 154 CM or CPM 20CV steel for bench made ?

Post by kootenay joe »

I do not have experience with Benchmade but i do have experience with other knives with modern high end steels.
For good cutting performance blade geometry and blade grind are most important. For edge holding, the heat treatment is more important than steel type.
Given good geometry, blade grind & heat treatment, i doubt the average user will notice much difference based solely on the steel used. It is in extreme testing that differences can be seen, for example steel # 1 might cut through a 1/2" rope with 'x' amount of pressure, 50 times and steel # 2, 60 times. This will not be a noticeable difference in real world use.
The exception might be those new steels that are taken to an Rc of 64-65. These should edge hold noticeably longer but do you use your knife enough to need it ?
Basically steel type is used for market hype. Most of us will never need the most expensive steels.
If the Benchmade with 154 is less expensive that is the one i would buy.
Note: i am not a steel expert what-so-ever. It would be good to have someone 'deep into steel' comment here. I left out the grain size of the particles that comprise the steel. These affect ease/difficulty of re-sharpening. Perhaps someone else might be able to discuss this aspect of steel ?
kj
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CheckSix
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Re: 154 CM or CPM 20CV steel for bench made ?

Post by CheckSix »

kj brings up some good points and stimulated some of my brain cells. :lol: The commentary I was reading on Benchmade blade steels did say that the Rockwell hardness they were employing for 154CM was ideal for sharpening and a good compromise edge retention. The point they were making was that the S30V was harder to sharpen because of the high Vanadium and implicit hardness. The last point was, that Benchmade were very good at quality control on their blade steel hardness numbers.
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kootenay joe
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Re: 154 CM or CPM 20CV steel for bench made ?

Post by kootenay joe »

A point hardly ever mentioned is that it is enjoyable to re-sharpen a blade that is relatively easy to remove a bit of steel.
Vintage knives can have blades with Rc in the high 40's low 50's and can require sharpening after every use which is not so much fun. Some super steels can take hours to remove even a slight bit of steel (more to do with grain size than Rc) and these are not fun to sharpen.
But a steel like 154CM that edge holds well so you only need to touch up occasionally and then with about 20 minutes of sharpening, it's hair-poppin' sharp again, is a fun steel to have, best of all in the world of steels.
kj
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edge213
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Re: 154 CM or CPM 20CV steel for bench made ?

Post by edge213 »

I own a number of Benchmades, but none with CPM20CV, so I can't answer your question.

However, If you want info on thousands of different cutlery steels download the app "Knife Steel Compositions".
David
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