Lionsteel m1....not for me, maybe not for you(SOLD)

sold immediately after video. This one is unfortunately a pass for me

[@valebliz]

Sharpening is a matter of technique, get better. It's not the knife fault if you can't get it, you just need to be VERY careful to your angles and pressure sharpening this kind of steel, because most of the time you can't get a burr like on softer ones. I have both an m1 and a Viper Lille in m390 and honestly I didn't find them much harder to sharpen than other knives, even the lille that has a crazy belly.

[@maxblanco5305]

Fair point. That being said, I have sharpened d2, 154 cm, all sandvik stainless steel, aus 8a, and 1095 from multiple companies all to razor like sharpness. Factory geometry and edge thickness have a big impact on how the blade performs. A wouldn't expect a straight razor to split wood or a maul to skin animals. Thanks for you comment

[@valebliz]

It's very true that thick but small blades are a pain to sharpen. Probably the harder skife to get really sharp I own is a benchmade fact 417, and it's all down to blade geometry. Hitting low angles consistently is extremely hard, at least freehand.

[@1911Funguy]

@@maxblanco5305 I just reprofiled a knife in CPM-20CV which is functionally the same as M390. It took close to an hour, on a guided system, with a diamond stone. M390 is well known for being hard to sharpen but holds that edge beautifully. Patience pays off.

[@maxblanco5305]

@@1911Funguy in your opinion do you feel it absolutely needed the reprofile?

[@1911Funguy]

@@maxblanco5305 Just personal preference. I wanted a thinner edge than the knife came with.

[@urastus9202]

Hey MaxBlanco I have a thought. I'm sharpening an inherited knife right now. It looked OK, but on closer inspection there is a very fine bevel along one side that I haven't removed yet, so the knife isn't sharp. I can only see this with a 20x loupe (a jeweller's type magnifying glass). The bevel is a fraction of a mm and I couldn't see it with naked eyes. I would recommend a 20x loupe - they are cheap from ebay; it's possible you can't see what's going on right at the edge.

[@danielgoen9452]

Great Video. The M1 is my favorite gutting knife. I use a Tormek T4 for sharpening, and the M1 will get scary sharp. It is hard to sharpen other ways however. Thanks for a great review

[@maxblanco5305]

Thanks for watching. Part of my problem was using diamond stones, which don't give feedback anything like ceramic stones, and being impatient. Up till that point I was only doing d2,154cm and the like so the massive spike in vanadium in m390 definitely caught me by complete surprise. I'm willing to try this knife again if one comes up for cheap though

[@rainerbernhardt6193]

Hi Maxblanco, first of all thank You for the honest and detailed review. That said I do not buy into that argument of some tempering issues with the knife. Even the most rubbish steel can be sharpened to cut paper, so that cant be the issue. Since You say You have decent experience in sharpening knifes, I would check the grind stone. I had similar issues years back when I replaced my kitchen knifes with Kai Shun Kaji (61 Rockwell). I sharpened my other knifes for years without issues (54-56 Rockwell) and started to think I am stupid or there is something wrong with the knifes. So basically the same like You experienced. But I had to learn the hard way that these beasts with 60+ Rockwell hardness simply destroy slowly a cheap grindstone instead of getting sharp. So I bought DMC diamond grindstones and I am happy since then. I own an M4 and I sharpen it like my other outdoor and EDC knifes with a lansky system. All get razor sharp.

[@alexandergutfeldt1144]

I am contemplating the m1. Thank you for sharing your opinion. Helps my forming my own.

[@dylanh8927]

This guy is wrong but it, is the best edc fixed blade out there! .

[@alexandergutfeldt1144]

skank hunt 48 I've since had the chance to hold and inspect an M1 at a local knife store (I'm in Switzerland) It fit my hand perfectly and it looks and feels just great, the sheath also looks better than the one shown here ... BUT: the edge geometrie is odd. The micro bevel is very steep. The knife is still very thick close to the edge. This was discussed and illustrated by another KZbinr: jackknife 68 (German). That's how I knew to look for it... and why I put the knife back with a sigh. So pretty, but at that price I don't want to regrinde the blade. Not that I am really equiped or have the skill😳

[@alexandergutfeldt1144]

Replying to myself ... I've since picked up an 2nd hand M1 at a great price. Cuting tests were dismal, as expected, but I've started to grind a convex onto it and am having fun with that, I might even be successfull😀 great looking & feeling knife, just not ready to use out of the box

[@hanikaram3351]

@@alexandergutfeldt1144 you did well because if you had brought the two edges after grinding to one point (convex ) edge the sharpness is achieved , could you tell what you used to make the convex edge ?

[@alexandergutfeldt1144]

hani karam I used a fallkniven DC4.

[@toadstkr]

M390 takes a lot longer to sharpen than the softer steel on your other knives 🔪

[@warthogviking4991]

Thanks brother, I passed on the M1 and went with the ESEE Xancudo. It's a better choice for EDC for me and it came with the great plastic sheath, not leather. Thanks for the video and be safe be well!

[@100BearPaw]

You can send it to me. I’ll sharpen it. I actually carve with m390. It just takes longer in the initial shaping due to the greatly added wear resistance.

[@970diego]

Did you check for a burr after using the first stone? If you're not getting a burr on both sides after the diamond stone, there's no point in moving up grits. You need to make sure you're completely apexed on that first stone.

[@timwhite5562]

I picked up one of these that they did a limited run using M4 tool steel instead of M390. If you think the M390 is difficult to sharpen, the M4 is much more difficult (but I was able to do it). Lionsteel M390 is typically 59-60 HRC, the M4 is 64-66HRC.

[@maxblanco5305]

Was it the same exact thickness behind the edge as the m390 version?

[@timwhite5562]

@@maxblanco5305 Didn't take measurements, but it wasn't any different from how I remember the M390 was with the exception of it having a finish on the blade instead of satin like the M390 model. They did them for Blade HQ, so they'll have the specs. One thing is that I convexed the micro bevel and gave it a higher angle. If you don't have one you may want to try a precision sharpener that come with angle guides. That way you'll know for sure it's not that the angle is changing when you freehand it. I've never had a problem with M390, I've had it on a few knives going back 10+ years, it just took much longer. If you've never sharpened anything with that hardness level, it would be easy to think that it just can't get sharp, because it takes significantly more time. Scott's have those sharpeners and they're not super expensive, start around $30.

[@Ouwkackemann]

I have the M5 and don´t like it. The reason is, that the blade is raised all around at the grip, and it hurts after a while in my hand.

[@matthewadler1329]

Funny that you say 3V is harder to sharpen than M390. I find the opposite to be true. S110V and Maxamet are silly hard, and I don't even try with my current set up. Thanks for the vid. I do really want this knife, but not sure if I would rather have a Viper Berus. Anyone wanna suggest one over the other

[@AOAOAO96]

You may have a angle that is too thick because of changing under your sharpening process, m390 is hard and its harder to keep a right angle with hand sharpening. I am not good at handsharpening, but I use my Lansky sharpening system in 20 degree per side with 200, 400, 600, diamond stone, 650, 800 ceramic stone, polish with 1000, 2000 sapphir stone, finish with Leather strap for my M4.... And it's sharp, shaving, cirkel cut, no problems....

[@LuisGonzalez-gl4wc]

Vanadium rich steels like that M390 can be time consuming to sharpen especially if the knife is not thinly ground and not thin behind the edge.

[@LuisGonzalez-gl4wc]

I got a microtech utx-70 in m390 sharp, but not super thick behind the edge. 0.018-0.020” behind the edge. ZT0357 in CPM-20CV was a pain to sharpen, but a quite a bit thicker more than 0.025” behind the edge. Geometry plays a big part. If blade steel was 0.010” or less behind the edge. You would have no problems.

[@maxblanco5305]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I recently got a landi knife in a2 steel. Very thick behind the edge. It had no edge whatsoever from the seller so i had to use a king 300 stone for quite a bit then 1000,4000,6000, then stropped. The very edge shave hair but cant do deep cuts.....still too fat

[@LuisGonzalez-gl4wc]

@@maxblanco5305 That’s a shame about that Landi. I heard some qc issues on his work; that’s why I never picked one up.

[@LuisGonzalez-gl4wc]

Plus, that necker you got in the Enzo neck knife is top notch. I have one without the scales. It is thin behind the edge. Under .010” behind the edge; pretty good value considering what your getting and puts many knives to shame in cutting performance

[@silverback4434]

Hi , try a kitchen rat tail to sharpen and a leather strop after . That work for my lionsteel m4 in same steel .

[@GTMGunTotinMinnesotan]

It gets old that so many knives are thick behind the edge.

[@markjg2275]

I wish they made it in 1095 it would be less cost easy to sharpen and would take a nice patina. Personally, I do not like M390 I also had a lionsteel M4 and could not get a sharp edge on it either and I too know how to sharpen knives. I sold the M4 and no more m390 knives for me.

[@lyflessgray1634]

Thanks for the input. Sorry you had a bad experience too. They use a lot of different steels and its a shame they only used m390 for this. I briefly owned 2 of there large opera models and the blade geometry was great in case you wanna check those out. Great size too, the wood handle one was super traditional and highly recommended if you want classic meets modern. Kind of buck 110 vibe but better steel, ergos, and weight.

[@brandonjones1580]

One of the best knives I’ve purchased hands down I get it razor sharp with ease maybe you are indeed a slouch when it comes to sharpening? M390 requires a bit more finesse

[@undeathredemption]

mine came razor sharp out of the box. It took me maybe 45 mins to change it a screaming sharp 34 degree (inclusive) microconvex edge. you just need to have good stones... and not blame your tools for a lack of patience or skill. you can sharpen a rock with tools and knowhow. dont blame the knife for your failure. p.s. comparing your success with AUS8-A to m3-fuckin-90 means nothing. apples and oranges

[@maxblanco5305]

Seriously dude wow

[@slkknifelover]

Almost all ITALIAN knives have crowned spines

[@Datsyzerberg]

Everything Im reading says M390 because of its corrosion resistance has a hard time hetting hair popping which is where steels like s35vn and elmax shine. I had an m390 guardian and could never get it hair popping but never really dulled either. Its m390. If you need a finer edge Id go with elmax or s35vn. Its the carbides in your steel though, not the sharpening. Conversely I carry a bravo edc in elmax and it stays hair popping sharp, especially with the occassional stropping.

[@maxblanco5305]

Thanks for the insight. I've been wanting to try knives in both of those steels for a while, just waiting for the right knife for the right price. As of late d2 has really performed well for me in the kitchen which is where I mainly use most of my blades. It strops back to near perfect which is crucial. Thanks for watching

[@Datsyzerberg]

@@maxblanco5305 man if you like D2 in the kitchen youll be floored by Elmax. Id buy all my knives in it if I could. Ive processed wood from tree to shavings, cut steak and carved rotisseries all between stroppings. Forgot to clean it after my last trip and it was covered in steak juice for a week. Pulled it out, shook my head for forgetting, washed it with dishsoap and its back to brand new. 0 rust or spotting. If you get a chance, its beyond worth it. Especially for food.

[@boktuklok-9trainingandcons362]

May be technique, or rare heat treatment failure. I’ve got 3 Guardians in M390 and everyone will get sharp enough to tree top hair. And they maintain the edge. Gotten them sharp enough to shave 5 curls off same section of hair without cutting the hair.

[@Verus3]

Thank you for the video, your opinion is appreciated.

[@maxblanco5305]

Thanks

[@gottfriedschimann7672]

Well, you have to learn Super Steel's!!!

[@maxblanco5305]

What's there to learn? They just take longer to sharpen and reprofile. This knife in particular needs a reprofiling badly from the factory which renders sharpening almost useless. If it that's thick behind the edge from the factory it's going to get progressively worse as you sharpen because the blade keeps getting thicker. I can't speak for all of lionsteels knives but this one is a pass.

[@csarebel8657]

I had a knife like that…. S30V if you can believe it. I could NOT touch it with anything.

[@mostmuscular619]

Unfortunately I can't give any tips on how to successfully sharpen this knife. I will say I recently bought the Lion Steel T5 made with Niolox steel, it came out of the box very sharp. As of now I'm considering the M1 and or M3 as a smaller alternative. Came across this vid for info on these knives. Great content, solid vid.

[@maxblanco5305]

Thanks for commenting! Since this review I've owned more knives in more steels and got better at sharpening. However, I've sharpened a spyderco manix 2 in bd1 which was quick to do so, and a cold steel srk in carbon v with a saber bring and both steels in different grinds responded quickly to sharpening and didn't require reprofiling to become shaving sharp.

[@ronfry5851]

Thank you very much for your Insight I've had my eye on that knife for quite some time that one and it's brothers so now that I know about how hard it is to sharpen it it's changing my mind a little bit anyways thanks for your info

[@davidtua6076]

what can u say about this 2 handles Santos or walnut? wich one its moast resistant or easy to keep in good condition without effort...tks

[@maxblanco5305]

Santos wood is about twice as hard as walnut so impact resistance is much better if you baton your knives, both are equally rot resistance so if it's going to be a food knife either is good but if you baton or are constantly putting your knife down on hard surfaces while working walnut is more prone to scratch and possibly chip. Santos is the better all rounder.

[@benjamincorley5948]

Burr my friend apex it any steel will get sharp enough to cut paper. M390 is tough you won't reprofile it in 10 min.

[@maxblanco5305]

I spent more than 10 minutes backing the the shoulder up to thin the edge and more than 10 minutes actually sharpening the edge with a 1000 grit ceramic stone and sucker still didn't wanna cut. I've read of people leaving m390 kind of toothy because it works better for them and I've had similar success with lower grit diamond stones. The factory edge was duller than a cold steel edge (which I consider a good standard)and also Enzo knives. Nothing else has given me this much trouble. Thanks for commenting

[@dylanh8927]

I have one m1 and m4 and they are hard but you can get that m390 sharper then a mother. Send me it and I'll hook ya up with a sharp edge

[@PhillipMoita]

Super steel needs super stones. ;)

[@maxblanco5305]

I've done a lot of research and testing since this video and saw a lot of people(in forums and other places) having a nightmare of a time with spyderco s30 and having to use diamond stones in the interest of time and sanity. Since m390 is a step beyond we can only imagine the necessary effort on top of this blade being ground thicker than most spydercos. Thanks for watching and commenting

[@PhillipMoita]

@@maxblanco5305 Shapton glass stones ;) thanks for your time.

[@brianlash154]

Multiple people complained about the dullness of the lionsteel M line, being that it dulled fast and was very hard to get sharp, might be a problem with the heat treatment that they didn't catch onto yet

[@paulll47]

Never understood why people have problems sharpening this knives, I am by no means an expert but I was able to sharpen a lionsteel m4 (basically a bigger version than this one, with the same steel and all) without problems using a common field sharpening stone and my buddy who has the m1 did the same (took him 20 minutes but the edge lasted after a week of very heavy use in the woods).

[@Phaminator525]

Same here man. I've never ever had an issue sharpening any steel. Maybe they ain't putting enough pressure or something. Plus if they're inpatient just use daimond stone

[@paulll47]

@@Phaminator525 I think that people don't realize that they need to put pressure on their knives when sharpening, high quality japanese stones might be different but since I'm not made of money, I always used cheap stones and you needed to put in some force to shave off metal.

[@hanikaram3351]

if he says he can sharpen knives that means he can sharpens them , this is a production knife so most likely the heat and temper where not done right , only custom made knives by a master craftsman the knives comes out 100% perfect because they take good care of the knives individually MaxBlanco it is not your fault just return the blade

[@hanikaram3351]

i have a BRK that you could put an extremely sharp edge on a section of it and never be able on another section , the section that can not be sharpened has a slightly brassy color to it which means either when knives came out of heat treatment other knives sat on top of it and retained the high heat or the knife sat too long in the tempering oven

[@maxblanco5305]

@@hanikaram3351 thanks for sharing your experience. I got rid of it shortly after this review and it remains one of the only videos thats isn't an unboxing and mentions sharpening/usage. I have gotten better at sharpening and maintaining the angle since this vid and would give this blade another shot if the price was right. Can I ask what steel your bark river was?

[@hanikaram3351]

@@maxblanco5305 In 3V

[@wrjames38]

Don't think you are using the right technique. All the other knives you mentioned (including necker) you can almost sharpen with a rock (kinda a exaggeration ) if you had to. The S30V, S35VN, CTS -204p, M390, 20CV Cpm stainless class are very hard to apex if you don't use the right technique. Good luck.

[@richardmosier41]

If you dont want it, send it to me lol 😁

[@Datsyzerberg]

That Kabar for sale?

[@maxblanco5305]

Not a chance lol. Thanks for watching

[@timwhite5562]

Ill point out that there's no reason why, with enough time and the right technique M390 wouldn't sharpen. Beyond that M390 can take a nightmarishly sharp edge. With mine I'd challenge anyone to run their finger tip down the edge as lightly as they possible can for more than 1" without cutting themselves. That said, not all steels are like that, including ones that are considered great blade steels. If this had been able D2 for instance, I have no problem believing that someone spent hours sharpening it, even using a guided sharpener that will maintain a consistent angle, and having it not sharpen. No doubt many in this comment section will be aware of it, but this might benefit those that aren't, especially seeing how ubiquitous D2 has become, it might save time and patience. I'm not going to get into what they exactly are, but just will at least be familiar with carbides, they're one of the things that contribute to steel's performance (think carbide steel drill bits). They're not always in steel, lower quality stainless steel won't have them, and they're not always in the same form from one steel to the next. The carbides in D2 are longer than they are in other steels. As a result D2 won't take as fine of an edge as steels with smaller ones. You're not going to be able to wear down a carbide on a sharpening stone, either the stone will pass over them or it will knock them out of the steel. If you make a really thin/fine edge, you'll have sections of individual carbides poking out of it. Picture making a ramp out of snow, with pieces of the sticks jutting out of it. When you keep working it you'll knock the sticks out and all the snow that it was buried in will crumble when it gets knocked loose. D2 is a hard steel, consequently making it difficult to sharpen, but you'll have much more success doing it if you keep the angles at 20⁰ on up (or 40⁰ inclusive). M390 doesn't have this issue, it's just a pain in the ass to sharpen.

[@maxblanco5305]

I have a small d2 steel knife thats harden than a tsubosan 60hrc file. It does zero to that knife. That knife is fullflat ground 3/32 thickness at the spine and probably half the thickness of the lions if i remember correctly. Incredibly fine and razor edge with minimal effort. If anyone has a dull m1 that they want sharpened I'll be willing to do that for them to follow up with my personal experience but problem was the knife being too thick at the edge to do anything that requires deep cutting(food prep) which is crucial for a small edc fixed blade

[@timwhite5562]

@@maxblanco5305 I actually found the M1 to be thinner than I would have preferred. The Myto folder is considerably thicker, closer to the M4. The Esee iluza and Becker bk14 were as well.

[@oratusalbumus9862]

@@maxblanco5305 I think he's referring to the bevel angle more than the edge performance. I have an Esee with a 50⁰ inclusive that's hair popping sharp, and others with higher angles that won't. I've had Scandi grinds that are even lower that'll shave the hair with no problem.

[@BOOSTEDLASER]

like the M4?

[@maxblanco5305]

I do not

[@BOOSTEDLASER]

Why dont you like the M4? What do u carry these days

[@maxblanco5305]

@@BOOSTEDLASER Enzo necker is my edc champ, also been carrying a slightly larger d2 knife that I will review shortly. I have a swiss army that I like but it always gets left behind. Sorry for late response, thanks for commenting

[@BOOSTEDLASER]

I EDC the Lionsteel M4( neck carry) now M390. I did Convex it

[@udoodu8023]

You have to convex the grind.

[@vaqueromago9087]

Send it to a professional or spend more time working on it I know most pros say it can take up to 1-2 hours of work to get it sharp

[@maxblanco5305]

I dont know, most of the comment section warlords would have you believe it takes 5 minutes or you suck. Lol jk thanks for commenting

[@vaqueromago9087]

@@maxblanco5305 yea those are also the guys that got 500 dollar sharpening rigs... I know the M390 I owned took me 30 minutes just to strop back to shave. It won't hurt to give it a shot

[@Phaminator525]

@@vaqueromago9087 my $20 daimond stone will get it sharp in 10 min. Yeah it shaved off more metal but you won't have to sharpen for a long time especially if you strop it regularly. I've always used daimond stone and I've never had an issue with any steel. Not even s90v.

[@urastus9202]

A lot of arrogant people here who dismiss this guy completely. Just a tiny bit of thought would be awesome. It's sad that most here don't consider much at all but are so ready to condemn based on what? Ignorance! This is a production knife, and as such tempering will be a bit hit and miss. I suspect the rockwell hardness of Maxblanco's knife is too high. I'd try to return it with this suggestion. And this is just one possibility of many.

[@timwhite5562]

They're delivery may leave much to be desired, but their main point is accurate. It's going up be an issue of just not spending enough time, relative to what he's using to sharpen it with. It its the case that he got the one that slipped through with a bad heat treat, it would be that the steel is too soft, not too hard. In which case it would sharpen fine, or likely more easily, but it won't hold the edge.

[@trajtemberg]

Super steels are great until you have to manually sharpen them.