Does Spyderco use, or have any plans to use, cpm154?

[Surfingringo]

Just curious. I have been working with a fillet knife in this steel and I really love it. Might be my favorite stainless steel I've ever worked with. Edge retention is very good and the steel sharpens up like a dream! It will readily take any type of edge I want to put on it and gets screaming sharp with very little effort. Seems to be a very balanced but high performance steel to me. Any idea if this is something that Spyderco might use at some point? I think I would rather see some of this steel in a folder than some of the "super" steels that are currently fashionable. Thoughts?

[PayneTrain]

I've always wondered why this steel isn't used more. I know Benchmade uses the crap out of 154CM, and don't seem at all interested in taking the leap to the powdered version I assume for cost reasons. I see it in customs and I think Striders and maybe a couple limited edition KAI models, but that's about it. I've been thinking of buying a piece to make my own knife out of, and the only reason I haven't yet is I find S35VN for the same price and I thought I'd appreciate the extra wear resistance over the supreme toughness of CPM-154 for what I've been working on. I imagine production companies must feel the same way and just haven't given it a chance. I will soon enough, though.

[The Mastiff]

I see it in customs and I think Striders and maybe a couple limited edition KAI models, but that's about it.

Buck has used it in their 110 model. I also have it in a Kershaw Blur. Great steel! I really do like the way Bos did it. Crisp, easy to get rid of burrs, great edges, high wear, tough edge for the carbide fraction. All around it's definitely one of my favorite stainless.

[Johnnie1801]

Didn't Spyderco already use 154cm on the hollow ground Manix 2? Bark River use cpm 154 on some of their fixed blades, it's an interesting steel, I'd like to try some one day.

[Ankerson]

I see it in customs and I think Striders and maybe a couple limited edition KAI models, but that's about it.

Buck has used it in their 110 model. I also have it in a Kershaw Blur. Great steel! I really do like the way Bos did it. Crisp, easy to get rid of burrs, great edges, high wear, tough edge for the carbide fraction. All around it's definitely one of my favorite stainless.

Joe,

Been trying to get Spyderco to use it for awhile, maybe one day I suppose. :D

One of my favorite stainless steels also.

Jim

[senorsquare]

I have had a couple of Striders in this steel and really live it for all the reasons Mastiff and gringo mentioned above. Would love to see this in some Spyderco models.

[TomAiello]

Didn't Spyderco already use 154cm on the hollow ground Manix 2? Bark River use cpm 154 on some of their fixed blades, it's an interesting steel, I'd like to try some one day.

Can you still get the hollow grind? The hollow ground Manix 2 that I have is s30v. I think they switched from 154cm to s30v about a year before switching to FFG.

I see the hollow grind PE in 154cm on Amazon still, though.

[Evil D]

I don't know how performance differs from 154CM and CPM154, but I absolutely can't stand 154CM. I had a Manix 2 in it, and the best way I can describe that experience is "gummy". It would burr harder than any steel I've ever used and seemed like it was so soft it just wouldn't take an edge for crap. Nothing I did seemed to get it sharp. Aside from the crappy low hollow grind, the steel was the biggest reason I got rid of my first Manix 2 and developed a disliking for the model entirely until it finally came around in FFG and different steels. Maybe I just got a bad one or something. To this day I haven't experienced anything like that from Spyderco.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

I am glad you asked this, SurfGringo. They say it was designed for aerospace and Robert Loveless and others popularized it among knife-makers and knife-users.

EvilD: Could the problems you had with it have simply been due to a bad batch that was used in that particular knife? I don't know. But I have read and heard exemplary things about 154 CM. Benchmade uses it in their folders as someone pointed out, and their Mel Pardue-designed 530 has it, and it is a superb knife.

[Surfingringo]

I don't know how performance differs from 154CM and CPM154, but I absolutely can't stand 154CM. I had a Manix 2 in it, and the best way I can describe that experience is "gummy". It would burr harder than any steel I've ever used and seemed like it was so soft it just wouldn't take an edge for crap. Nothing I did seemed to get it sharp. Aside from the crappy low hollow grind, the steel was the biggest reason I got rid of my first Manix 2 and developed a disliking for the model entirely until it finally came around in FFG and different steels. Maybe I just got a bad one or something. To this day I haven't experienced anything like that from Spyderco.

Hey Dave, I had the same experience with another company's 154cm. Your description accurately describes how I felt (and still feel) about that steel. I am finding, however, cpm154 acts like a completely different animal. I actually had no desire to even try cpm154 because of my experience with 154cm. Glad I did! Seems weird that the two steels can feel so different. I guess it could all be my imagination, but I really don't think it is.

[Ankerson]

I don't know how performance differs from 154CM and CPM154, but I absolutely can't stand 154CM. I had a Manix 2 in it, and the best way I can describe that experience is "gummy". It would burr harder than any steel I've ever used and seemed like it was so soft it just wouldn't take an edge for crap. Nothing I did seemed to get it sharp. Aside from the crappy low hollow grind, the steel was the biggest reason I got rid of my first Manix 2 and developed a disliking for the model entirely until it finally came around in FFG and different steels. Maybe I just got a bad one or something. To this day I haven't experienced anything like that from Spyderco.

Hey Dave, I had the same experience with another company's 154cm. Your description accurately describes how I felt (and still feel) about that steel. I am finding, however, cpm154 acts like a completely different animal. I actually had no desire to even try cpm154 because of my experience with 154cm. Glad I did! Seems weird that the two steels can feel so different. I guess it could all be my imagination, but I really don't think it is.

They are actually 2 different steels even though they have the same alloy content.

154cm was and still is used in Aerospace and for reasons that I am not authorized to say the Aerospace industry doesn't need to use CPM 154.

I actually had an Aerospace engineer here at the house awhile back and asked him a few questions about various things, was an interesting conversation.

However for knife use CPM 154 is a more balanced steel as in the knife industry we don't typically need Aerospace level technology for knife blades.

That's all I am saying on this.

[Bodog]

Just curious. I have been working with a fillet knife in this steel and I really love it. Might be my favorite stainless steel I've ever worked with. Edge retention is very good and the steel sharpens up like a dream! It will readily take any type of edge I want to put on it and gets screaming sharp with very little effort. Seems to be a very balanced but high performance steel to me. Any idea if this is something that Spyderco might use at some point? I think I would rather see some of this steel in a folder than some of the "super" steels that are currently fashionable. Thoughts?

Surfer, I believe that two mules are coming out with very close equivalents of CPM154. One is straight up powder metallurgy and one is called rapidly solidifying powder metal, whatever that means. I included VG10 because the composition is very close but I think it's ingot. Here ya go:

[TomAiello]

I don't know how performance differs from 154CM and CPM154, but I absolutely can't stand 154CM. I had a Manix 2 in it, and the best way I can describe that experience is "gummy". It would burr harder than any steel I've ever used and seemed like it was so soft it just wouldn't take an edge for crap. Nothing I did seemed to get it sharp. Aside from the crappy low hollow grind, the steel was the biggest reason I got rid of my first Manix 2 and developed a disliking for the model entirely until it finally came around in FFG and different steels. Maybe I just got a bad one or something. To this day I haven't experienced anything like that from Spyderco.

My s30v (HG) Manix was probably the one that started me off on my current multi-year spyderco kick.

I've heard many good things about CPM 154, but not so much about 154CM.

I guess I'm glad I got the s30v. Although my bank account would probably have preferred I got the 154CM and hated it.

[Evil D]

I don't know how performance differs from 154CM and CPM154, but I absolutely can't stand 154CM. I had a Manix 2 in it, and the best way I can describe that experience is "gummy". It would burr harder than any steel I've ever used and seemed like it was so soft it just wouldn't take an edge for crap. Nothing I did seemed to get it sharp. Aside from the crappy low hollow grind, the steel was the biggest reason I got rid of my first Manix 2 and developed a disliking for the model entirely until it finally came around in FFG and different steels. Maybe I just got a bad one or something. To this day I haven't experienced anything like that from Spyderco.

My s30v (HG) Manix was probably the one that started me off on my current multi-year spyderco kick.

I've heard many good things about CPM 154, but not so much about 154CM.

I guess I'm glad I got the s30v. Although my bank account would probably have preferred I got the 154CM and hated it.

I'm all but certain mine was an isolated incident. I've seen almost unanimous love for 154cm and it gets used in a lot of customs so it must have some good qualities. If the same knife had come in FFG I may well have given it a second chance, and if it were to come out in another model that I really liked I don't know if it would stop me from buying it. That said it sure didn't hurt my feelings when they switched to S30V.

[twinboysdad]

Emerson uses 154cm exclusively, they run it soft as to not be brittle and sharpen easier in the field. I am not real big on their knives so no opinion one way or the other on their lack of brittleness or ease of sharpening

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Here is an interesting article on Crucible and the powder metallurgy and tool steels:

http://www.newwestknifeworks.com/conten ... /cpm-s35vn" target="_blank

[bh49]

IIRC Spyderco had one sprint with cpm 154. One of the Golden model, I cannot recall which one.

[edge-e]

CPM 154 is a good steel. I use it in the 61-62 rc range. Well rounded high carbon stainless. Not quite as aggressive cutting nature as high vanadium steels but no slouch overall!

[DougC-3]

Didn't Spyderco already use 154cm on the hollow ground Manix 2? Bark River use cpm 154 on some of their fixed blades, it's an interesting steel, I'd like to try some one day.

Can you still get the hollow grind? The hollow ground Manix 2 that I have is s30v. I think they switched from 154cm to s30v about a year before switching to FFG.

I see the hollow grind PE in 154cm on Amazon still, though.

Going by the spydiewiki, the back lock version had S30V (2005-2007). In 2009 they did a pilot run of around 50 CBB lock Manix 2 knives with stonewashed 154cm, about 20 or 25 FFG and the rest hollow ground (Radioactive has one of the FFG's and I've got one of the hollow ground ones). They decided to go with the HG version in 154cm and made it from 2009 to 2012 when they switched back to S30V. Amazon just didn't change their specs when the change took place -- they listed them as 154cm but shipped S30V in early 2013 that I know of. They have very little interest in keeping their listed specs accurate.

Edit: typo & clarity

[stalag2]

Given Spyderco's success and love story with VG10 it would be nice to see how would it fare using PM technology, judging by how highly estimated is CPM154, it could be the cat's meow.