Fashion or Function? Mirror Polished Edge on M4 Steel Comparison

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[@NickShabazz]

I can't wait for more of these, to see just how crazy I am for loving the mirrored edges. Thanks for testing this!

[@CedricAda]

i suspect with some steels it will be to the benefit - and also I think rope cutting may favor coarse in general. I am wondering how things like VG10 and LC200N do, the most

[@NickShabazz]

Whoa! Didn't anticipate that result. Neat!

[@ChristopherDaffron]

Cedric & Ada Gear and Outdoors I was thinking the exact same thing. Possibly the case. More abrasive materials may yield a different result entirely.

[@ashoppa]

Thanks Nick for supplying Pete with the KME! I wish it had been out 5 years ago, I'd probably have one and several hundred dollars instead of the Wicked Edge with what ever pro-pack I'm up to now, lol. Nick, Pete, and Frankie and Bird really enjoy your channels!

[@oceanwaves83]

Makes sense to me. These tests involve slicing rope, which lends itself to a toothy edge. Michael Christy's tests are push cutting, which lends itself to a polished edge. Christy's tests end at the blade not being able to shave hair as well. Not surprised that polished edges come out on top and the opposite happens for Pete.

[@NikeaTiber]

Nick donating the KME to *you* was a really a *huge* gift to the *entire* knife community. It's a beautiful thing.

[@scottchantos2388]

God, that FFX music just hits me right in the feels.

[@wedo4444]

Really looking forward to seeing the future results. I asked Big Brown Bear about s110v and he said a stropped 600 grit edge works best. It will be great to see actual testing for a variety of steels.

[@CedricAda]

he is definitely the guy to listen to about that sort of thing. My tests will largely just confirm his theories, probably. He know the stuff.

[@rymic72]

Stop being such a decent and likable person with a good sense of humor who also does interesting steel comparison tests 😡. In all seriousness thanks for the great videos you do. They are both informative and entertaining.

[@mikelikesknives428]

This is a great series. Unleashed to the Max yielded some crazy results but this is equally shocking. Thanks for sacrificing your hand to the steel gods.

[@_BLANK_BLANK]

I would really love to see more of these videos. It's great being able to give my customers guidance on what kind of edge would be best for them.

[@sngx1304]

Great experiment, I love you going back and challenging your results. You are definitely a PhD in Bro Science. I’d love to see this also in M390 as it is regarded as the “best EDC steel”! And we pay such a premium for it

[@knifetimestory]

You are literally my go-to guy for edge-holding knowledge when I get that all too familiar urge to add another knife to the stable. Even if I already own a knife with that particular steel, after your video I get all warm and fuzzy for my knife with that steel that I may not have carried in quite some time. Thank you!

[@refinededge399]

I believe what you are seeing is diamond vs aluminum oxide or silicon carbide abrasive. The diamonds are able to abrade the tungsten and vanadium carbides instead of tearing them out. Im not certain but i feel you would get even more cuts with a polished edge as long as you used diamonds or cbn. Would be interesting to see what would happen if you got a couple higher grit diamond water stones. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@CedricAda]

these are diamond abraisives on films that are attached to glass plates, up to .10 micron (160,000 grit diamond)

[@refinededge399]

Cedric & Ada Gear and Outdoors I thought you said you finished on a 600 grit diamond? Sorry

[@krustysurfer]

@@CedricAda WTH??? 😳

[@Thetinebroken]

I sooo glad someone is willing to do this so that I do not have to! I get to relax enjoy the film and hit the like button

[@EDGEoftheOUTBACK]

Another great video Pete. I've always been a huge M4 fan. Really like it in use with a polished edge for the looks and a toothy micro bevel of the Spyderco sharpmaker brown rods. Best of both worlds. Bite with bling I call it.

[@Ohm.Slice.]

I can't wait for more of these tests with all the steels, and lower grade basic steels too. You are doing great things

[@EDCwithAaron]

Awesome to see that you finally got the KME! Nick is the best. You can probably boost those numbers even more by changing up your finishing technique, I usually go from 20 strokes on each side, then 10, 5, 4, 3, 2, and then 1 on each side back and forth a few times getting lighter each time. Helps to ensure that there is no but whatsoever especially if you arent a stropping after and just ending with one of the diamond stones, but helps even if you are going to strop or polish after too!

[@jeremys8360]

You got the KME! love it man. You deserve so many more subs than what you’ve got brother

[@Cycletroll]

Great test! I've been using 600 grit with my Gayle Bradley for years and is a monster user finish. Shout out to Nick too! You guys are both a super asset to the knife community!

[@holdernewtshesrearin5471]

M4 is my all time favorite folding knife steel. love the stuff!

[@jeremyblack3869]

Very interesting results. Thanks for the time and effort you put into these videos.

[@KMESharpeners]

Beautiful job Pete 👍 Nick told me you had an awesome channel. He is indeed a true gem right? Enjoy the sharpener. I just subbed and I’m looking forward to more already. Well done sir! Ron

[@whocares3986]

Thanks Pete. Great video. Thank you to Mr Shabazz too. Very nice looking edge.

[@0neTwo3]

I agree with your results... I have that same knife and do a lot of cardboard breakdown. I also have experienced less cutting life from a polished edge. I also use a KME, I set my angle at 20 (on the scale) sharpen up to 600grit and then strop a bit just to de-bur the final edge.

[@latetodagame1892]

Damn! That was surprising! Brilliant test ideas! Shabazz is awesome! That was super generous!

[@heli0s2003]

Awesome video. Always love to see real world demonstrations

[@nathanheggen1378]

Wow I did not expect that. Thanks for the test!

[@highlander1396]

Stumbled upon this channel by accident and have been hooked ever since, love the consistency in tests. Love my m-4 PM2, definitely going to use the results from the video when I sharpen it next

[@danmichell7647]

function over form makes alot of scence for tools love to see a full series on this ,as this example is a surprising increase you will increase the life of my blades thats for sure

[@soullessone_edc6226]

You're the only one I can think of with a reasonable mindset on knife sharpening as in you know not everything has to have a mirror finish I'm on a budget right now and I have an edge pro and I was wondering if I could get away with just buying up to an 800 grit diamond Stone with that leave me a pretty good working edge I do have a thousand grit aluminum oxide I could finish off with I just didn't know what I would end up with with an 800 grit finish and if it would be good enough for say cutting rope and stuff at work safely

[@RookieLock]

Wow, thanks a lot for doing these videos. Answered a lot of my questions. Well done buddy! Thanks again !

[@adamtimmins3035]

This makes me feel better. I thought maybe it was my poor sharpening technique that made my edges feel less sharp and "bitey" after moving up to 2000 grit.

[@dasklingenspiel4089]

The Hero that we need!, pls continue these kinds of tests, but keep in mind to say how many HRC the steel was, some manufactures do a different kind of heat treatment on the same type of steel. Thank you by the way for the effort!

[@CedricAda]

most of the time the manufacturers dont even tell us what it is, unfortunately!

[@dasklingenspiel4089]

True that

[@gc9172]

Itd be interesting to see now if a sub-micron strop after grinding a toothy edge on M4 can improve its retention. Using something like 0.5 or 0.25 micron diamond spray/solution, you can remove some of the friction coming from the toothy edge without really removing its toothiness. Ideally the diamond particles would be smoothing the carbides and not tearing them out, due to their small size and hardness, and maybe having a smoother edge while preserving a toothy microstructure may prove to be advantageous. S90V is another one where this experiment could work.

[@ChristopherDaffron]

That FFIX world map music! Makes me want to go back and play it again. You play a lot of FFIX music. Great vid, great music and great info as always my friend. You pretty much make videos answering questions that I wonder myself. This was one of them.

[@CedricAda]

my favourite game in teh Final Fantasy series is IX :)

[@ChristopherDaffron]

Cedric & Ada Gear and Outdoors I of course loved VII and VIII was my first. Of the PS1 power trio though, IX had the highest replayability for me. Really made me feel like part of the adventure. I even did the grind to get Zidane's Thievery to 9999 to help beat Ozma. Lol. Plus IX had Chocobo hot and cold. Which was fantastic.

[@TubieMcTubington]

As a mirrored edge addict, I’m feeling pretty dumb right now. Can’t wait for the s30v test.

[@ozyrob1]

Great test Pete. Love the KME sharpener! Looking foreward to those upcoming tests 😊

[@Hamilton100m]

Omg! Final Fantasy soundtrack. Like button right away👍

[@MyKnifeJourney]

When you want to learn about M4, head to Pete's Knife Lab! Thank you for all your great testing

[@49giants3]

Great video. I have a kme as well, some knives sharpening the tip drives me crazy. Keep up the great work

[@IronShadow93]

What about mirror/rough finish at the same time? Mirror with up to 6000 grit stone and then diamond paste of 2,5 and finally 1micron and on the other side rough on 240 diamond and just smooth it out a bit with 1micron paste. I'm trying it out on my xc75 steel hardened to around 63hrc for some time now and it's performing really well. Wonder how would M4 perform in such or similar configuration. 🤔

[@mossmanguitarpickergs8383]

Thanks!

[@adammaultasch6833]

Great result. I would like to see some tests with chef knives. Mirrored vs toothy for edc use for some chef knives.

[@pauljenkins2370]

👍👍👍 Great information, very useful information for sure. I found that M-4 can be chippy if you aren't careful and hit something like a staple or earth. I also have read, rust is a problem if you aren't mindful in care. 👌👌👌

[@bulbchangingmonkey]

Absolutely love what you are doing keep it up Pete.

[@opticwiddly5263]

What about backstop. The cutting surface. What type of wood do you do your cut test on? Want to see these test performed on Walnut or a Rubber cutting board. Thank you

[@Thor7]

Please tell me where I can get that angle card. Thanks in advance.

[@lewisward4359]

Nice video.Learning a lot about steel and how they function from you. Polished vs coarser grind and on to angles. Good work. Can't wait until the book is published-;-) I see that sharpener is a bit wobbly. Pricey for that much instability. Have you considered hunting it so it's on a solid base?

[@CedricAda]

doesnt reallt bother me too much, o think im supposed to go slower, but the shaking doesnt effect the angles so i just go flat out

[@scotmetcalf2745]

I’m really new to this game (blades) and blade geometry seems to be a big difference in how in cuts a specific material or how long it cuts. I’m curious if you can find a Benchmade Adamas in CPM-Cruwear? I know it’s a new steel? Or is it? And why Benchmade leaves a toothy edge on their blades vs Spyderco or heck I have a WE Practic in M390 that’s hair popping sharp compared to my new Adamas from the factory. Great video! PS how you like the KME? Love Nick and hope that’s not a messed up question being it’s a gift? Have a fantastic evening

[@nicholasfeigen2915]

I’d like to see a video where you test at each grit level to see where you get the peak edge retention. I see you went with 600 grit on the second part of the test, what was the grit/stone/strop progression that you used for the polish?

[@CedricAda]

160,000

[@nicholasfeigen2915]

Cedric & Ada Gear and Outdoors Thanks for the response! Very high grit indeed, I’m interested to see if you went up to the 1500 grit diamond stone on the M4 if it’d help or hurt edge retention :)

[@Phiz787]

How this one does at cutting rope (and a little bit of finger).. before it stops cutting paper.

[@Count3328]

Is there a reason for doing the tougher edge AFTER the mirror finish? Wouldn’t that remove more metal from the blade? Or I might be over thinking...

[@khalilbinmohammadyunus301]

Your videos very helpful..

[@bp-hx9ts]

How do you like the kme compared to the lansky

[@bergknivesandsharpening8014]

Thanks for doing these tests. M4 is my favorite steel. I just watched your test on the D2 challenege and was finding it interesting that M4 is twice as tough and 4x as wear resistant as D2 but “only” held an edge twice as long as the ontario rat. but for real life use that could be years of occasional use. I find the ganzo firebird D2 to be surprisingly good. id even say the best out of budget d2. Do you mark or tape off your edges to ensure each knife is using the same length of edge to absorb the work if you know what i mean? I always have recommended your channel for knife testing!

[@SuperSteelSteve]

Bad ass video yet again pete!

[@asleepyinsomnia]

now to do the same thing with a simpler steel, like 440A or something!

[@CedricAda]

my hands asked me for the same thing!

[@xabalba555]

How long did it take to sharpen m4 on the kme? I own a kme and am thinking of getting a gayle Bradley and I want to know what I’m in for

[@MobiuSphere]

I was wondering how you suddenly got a KME, since it wasn't something you had talked about previously on your Channel.

[@CedricAda]

MobiuSphere a sudden and drastic act of kindness befell me

[@brianf9619]

Hey Pete , great video , I love what your doing , but how about doing the difference between a 1,000 grit polished edge and maybe a 2,000 grit polished edge I think those stones would be more realistic for the normal every day guy .

[@dmontes4192]

Great stuff !! Keep up the good work.

[@mrronvent1122]

The "Rope cut test" is accepted as the gold standard. Rope-smope, is anyone gonna ask what effect the cutting board has on the test? I can cut steak at 500 meals without dulling my knife....if I never hit the dish lurking beneath my bit of beef. After two or three meetings of edge and chinaware, the story changes.

[@mattg6136]

Nice. Good stuff. Thanks.

[@oscarmedina1597]

Thanks so much for doing this. Are you planning to add this data to your on-going table?

[@CedricAda]

or a parallel table. it will be on some manner of table

[@Mrplacedcookie]

Mucho Mucho man! Toothy edge FTW! 👍

[@knifesharpeningnorway]

Can you try the more carbide steels like m4 and m390 amd zdp189 etc thinning them to a burr on say 10 per side and then microbevel at very coarse grit just one or two very light barely touching the steel passes at say 16-17 per side? Would like to se how that would perform. Anywho love your channel mate keep up the awesome good work

[@tacticalcenter8658]

Yup, m4 is indeed a steel that likes to be a more coarse edge in my experience.

[@MiniBikeMayem]

Damn, that’s a shiny edge

[@wtfmrb293]

Good morning Pete. How is winter

[@adrianhanson9584]

I find it amusing that people assume your name is Cedric 😂

[@pmunson7063]

Very intereting. Keep up the good work.

[@littlewoody5539]

Great test .

[@bobfrombrisbane1831]

Hi Pete, interesting video. What do you do with the cut rope?

[@RobertDavis-bh1hf]

What is the name of your angle cut gauge? I looked for Tormach angle cut and got no results.Thanks.

[@CedricAda]

tormek angle card

[@JMichaelRReed-io2vx]

Super interesting! Can we see this on some of the budget steels as well?

[@CedricAda]

oh certainly, I’ll just keep going through them i think

[@mohdzaudikhasni8829]

Nice make one book every single steel polish vs toothy edge.

[@bodyoftruth7766]

KME!? You ARE bigtime now!

[@altovivago]

Mate U R a legend

[@grumpyoldwizard]

I am disappointed with myself. I bought a great looking Bark River Bravo 1, with black handles, red liners, and decorative pins. It is a first production run too...of M4. I didn’t do my homework so I was horrified at seeing the tests where M4 rusts just by looking hard at it.

[@justinAroy]

Nice video. Thanks.

[@flat6targa]

How about a plain blade vs a black dlc coated blade comparison.

[@ciderandthorazine]

aww sweet! jealous of KME setup

[@gambitgaming4573]

you got a kme? awesome man. how do you like it so far?

[@spider5001]

That music was beautiful 😢

[@davidrutan7736]

Sweet

[@overlandedc]

Interesting. I tested s35 polished vs non and s35 polished had more cuts.

[@fakebobbyhill296]

Why would you use a 15 degree edge to cut rope? 15 degrees is for kitchen knives cutting food.

[@mastermachetier5594]

Maxamet !

[@Ondal1]

It is a somewhat known fact already. Putting a mirror polish on a kitchen knife makes no real sense, as you need the toothing to cut slippery things like tomatoes. Mirror polish is for looks and showing off, which is a point, but it doesn't help you with everyday tasks.

[@grumpyoldwizard]

Thanks. I bought a M4 Bark River Bravo 1 so I have been interested in this steel.

[@tm1182]

It's my favorite steel, but if you look at it funny it will rust

[@bp-hx9ts]

Just put some mineral oil on the blade before you put it in the sheath

[@ashleepettinga4826]

Selling the Mantra, Cedric?

[@Aaron-lx3gz]

Sounds like Final Fantasy. Edit: Pretty much positive that is some FF7 jams in there.

[@LTT.Official]

I'll just use my hacksaw as my edc knoife then?

[@jojojaykay]

ThisIsAPrettyLongUserNameWhyTheFuckWouldHeDoThatSoThatEveryoneWouldThumbsUpIt .

[@SeniorSupreme]

👍🏻

[@BrentonCarr]

Finally! My laziness will pay off!

[@benmacdhui]

Maxamet?

[@ozyrob1]

Red rum1 I would also like to see how the KME diamonds handle Maxamet

[@eachday9538]

4:45

[@CedricAda]

heheh, just some behind the scenes. Some handles make me want the steel to stop sooner than the steel lets me. The mantra has a fine handle for... not doing this

[@eachday9538]

I usually click through the cutting a bit, so I was lucky to catch it. Glad you left it in.

[@PaulK390S90V]

How are you getting the kme to 15°....did they make a new one that goes less than 17°??

[@CedricAda]

just pull the knife really far out from the jaws and the angle declines further, theres also a little hack you can use, ill link the vid

[@Pew7070]

I am totally gay for what you do! All the best!

[@felixmagallanes9270]

Fashion. This shit rusts in humid air.

[@Jises_Kristos]

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