I find that S35VN is a Super Edge holder at 60-61 and is still tough. If you spend any time in the kitchen or outdoors, you'll understand the value of having a strong knife blade that retains a sharp edge. CPM 440C CPM D2 154 CM CPM CPM CPM CPM S35VN 3V S30V M4 S90V 10V . S45VN. Disadvantages: Relatively difficult to … Advantages: Toughness, wear resistance, corrosion resistance. The grade of steel, as well as how it's made, determines everything from the blade's hardness and durability to its ability to take and hold a sharp edge and its corrosion resistance. S35VN. There is a reason you see so many knives with those 2 steels. Its chemistry has been rebalanced so that it forms some niobium carbides along with vanadium and chromium carbides. Like 154CM, there is a newer version, S35VN, which shares many of the same attributes as S30V but is easier to craft into a knife thanks to niobium. Why Steel Grade Matters . ... CTS-204P and CPM-20CV … The S35VN and D2 are probably the best balance of edge retention and ease of sharpening. CPM S35VN Steel Review Chris Reeve Knives PacificWhen Crucible Industries introduced its CPM S30V steel, blade-smiths and knife-lovers alike fell in love with it; the quality wear resistance, toughness, and machinability offered by the steel was equal to none other. S45VN is somewhat better, especially after 24 hours. The steel looks somewhat similar to S35VN but with increased Nb and N, decreased C and V, and a 1.5% cobalt addition. That is all relevant to How long somebody needs it to hold an edge. Cru-Wear (non-CPM) matches the toughness of S35VN despite being a conventionally produced ingot steel. Joined Nov 10, 2017 Messages 318 Likes 766 Location New Zealand. 204P (same as M390 and 20CV) This puts S45VN more on par with 204P/M390/20CV as shown in this comparison chart of my previous corrosion experiments.  Originally developed by both Chris Reeve (a world renowned knife maker) and Dick Barber of Crucible Industries, S30V is a martensitic powder-made stainless steel. CPM S35VN. Below is a comparison between S45VN and S35VN where 24 hours is on the left and 48 hours on the right. 20cv vs s30v. "CPM S35VN is a martensitic stainless steel designed to offer improved toughness over CPM S30V. CTS-204P VS CPM-20CV CTS 204P D2 is also fairly hard to sharpen. It is also easier to machine and polish than CPM S30V. The toughness is probably a bit better than S35VN. ZDP-189, S90 and S110…nope, I will pass on trying to sharpen those. The resulting steel is expected to have similar hardness and corrosion resistance to S30V and S35VN. Thread starter Nic7364; Start date Jan 5, 2019; Nic7364 Scout. S35VN is not too bad, but M390 is about as hard to sharpen as I care to have. Martensitic is a specific type of stainless steel alloy. Links and social media shares are also appreciated. People were calling it, “the best knife steel available,” and indeed, it might have been. What it is: CPM S35VN is a "Crucible Particle Metallurgy" stainless steel, an improvement over CPM S30V, and is widely regarded as a "super steel" for its properties and performance. CPM-S30V has become one of the most used premium steels on the market among knife manufacturers. Jan 5, 2019 #1 Ok so I've been trying to talk myself out of buying a benchmade 940 for weeks, but I cant do it. From the Elemental Break down of Elmax it seems like it will be more abrasion resistant than S35VN so - in theory - Elmax should hold an edge longer. S35VN offers slightly lower edge retention, lower corrosion resistance and comes with the same toughness compared to the CTS 204P. The edge retention is likely a small step down from S35VN. So a LOT of Spyderco knives use CPM S30V, which is a fine steel that used to be the cutting edge (pun intended) of knife steels.