Premium Steel for Pocketknives Quick Comparison Review, M390 VS 20CV VS S90V VS S110V

This is a quick comparison between premium steels used in pocketknives. Today I'm comparing M30, 20CV, S90V and S110V. Enjoy it!
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[@inthemiddleof]

I must live in a different dimension than everyone else. I periodically sharpen all steels, including s110v, and I dont find any steel hard to sharpen. I must say that I dont cut paper or apples only.

[@michaell397]

The manufacturers charts state that S110V has better edge retention, however now tested by many knife companies and custom makers, turns out that S90V edges out 110. KnifeMaker

[@zankelley]

i still think s30v is the best balanced pocket knife steel. but it seems the industry has moved on.

[@uzumlubay]

Agree with you generally but things like heat treatment and HRC also have a big bearing. I have just ordered today a Maserin nimrod after watching many reviews including yours. The knives available here in Turkey is more limited and importing can be a problem. Supersteel Steve does a lot of testing of blades and when he did a review "International M390" on 4 different manufacturers got surprisingly different results. The Nimrod exceeded the others by a long way retaining a fine edge (hair shaving) cutting 140 feet of cardboard and a working edge (cutting paper) 375 feet of cardboard just using 1" of the blade. This result was similar to that of Spyderco S110V which gave results of 144 & 358 feet.

[@jackmclane1826]

That is very plausible. Such specialized steels need VERY elaborate heat treatment cycles that decide on how good it will perform. The exact alloy of those super steels is not as important as properly heat treating it.

[@Fablades]

Yea hey treatment and geometry as well are key

[@TheJChau]

Finally a knife video with decent audio!

[@Fablades]

Hey thanks man, appreciate it!

[@Notmanypeople]

Joe, I must say you shouldn't criticize someone using his time to teach you. Don't be such a disgusting ignorant

[@chillax1969]

Thanks. I guess you know M390, 20CV and 204P are the essentially the same composition from different manufacturers. Depending on blade geometry and heat treatment they have excellent stainless properties similar to S110V, only beaten by LC200N and a few others. None of them more corrosion resistant steels come close to the steels you discussed in edge retention. The downside for M390/20CV for hard use is a relatively low toughness (chip and fracture resistance) . S110 has only half the toughness of M390, but 20% better edge retention then the excellent edge retention (especially for stainless) of M390/20CV.

[@Fablades]

Yessir! You are correct thanks for sharing 🙏

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... better edge retention than* ...

[@samla2404]

Nice video and like the Paysan as i've been looking for one for quite some time now. Knifecenter just opened up the pre-orders but they're delayed and don't have an eta on when they're going to become available. Please let me know if you have one for sale, I'd love to buy it LOL. Thanks and God Bless.

[@Fablades]

thank you! Sorry mine is sold, but it shouldn't be hard to find. Please send me an email, so I can contact you if I find one. Cheers

[@sanhxhebsbbb1048]

20cv for me it’s amazing and holds an edge forever

[@Laszlo-Szabo]

You missed M390 in the video description

[@josephledesma2637]

M390 and 20CV are essentially the same in all aspects just manufactured by different companies. 20CV is just U.S. made M390.

[@Fablades]

Absolutely! Thanks!!

[@loveall3890]

Interesting. I’m new to knife making. I’m in the uk and purchased some CPM 20cv from a renowned English knife making supplier, and I thought therefore it would be European. Is m390 European? I am going to make hunting knives out of it, and I would love to know more about its properties.

[@josephledesma2637]

@@loveall3890 CPM 20CV is made by crucible hence the CPM (crucible particle metallurgy). M390 is made by bohler.

[@Fablades]

Yes Bohler from Austria, CPM from US

[@Hectorszenshopedc]

thanks .. i need to watch this twice.. I have adhd

[@hexphire03]

Bro. I like ur vids but can you PLEASE give the names of the items you’re telling us about.

[@Fablades]

Hey thanks for the feedback, you are right! This was just a quick overview of the steels. Check the full reviews for more details 😉

[@austinzinke1353]

Bro he literally says every name and manufacturer

[@AGC828]

What is the difference between K390 and M390 steels? Same steel composition but different companies??

[@Fablades]

K390 has very high hardenability (typically Rc63-64) and edge retention in abrasive environments. M390 is generally not used as hardened as 10V/K390 typically Rc61-62 edge retention is good, but not in the same level as K390.

[@MoswenMedia]

M390 is a all arounder, good edge retention, good corrosion resistance. While K390 is a tool steel more focused on edge retention and has a crazy amount of vanadium. Barely any chromium so it will rust with neglect. It has a good amount of Carbon, Vanadium, Tungsten, Cobalt, and Molybdenum, all of which are very important to form hard carbides to keep the edge sharp. It makes me think of CPM 10V.

[@marcelvdfvandamme5927]

What knife is that last one in m390? It looks awesome.

[@Fablades]

it's a Cultrothech Svarn III, a russian custom

[@marcelvdfvandamme5927]

@@Fablades oh wauw. Very nice. Thanks.

[@anthonym.3931]

Elmax Rules!

[@phillipnunya6793]

Aren't 20CV and M390 basically the same steel with different names made by different companies?

[@Fablades]

Almost identical, the only difference between the two steels should be the silicon content (CPM-20CV: 0.03%; M-390: 0.07%), and that they are produced by different makers. Also the heat treat and/or blade geometry will make the difference

[@michaell397]

@@Fablades One company is Austrian (M390), Two are U.S. CPM-20cv (Crucible), and 205 cv, (Carpenters, U.S.) . KnifeMaker

[@boatbuilding4412]

Cruwear is the best

[@oldlincolnpipewelder]

I bought a bugout in 20cv and I absolutely love it. IMHO, 20CV is the perfect steel for every day carry: Life happens. Drops happen. Hitting things you can’t see, ect. S110v I feel sacrifices way too much just for the sake of edge retention. Once you’ve learned freehand sharpening, it doesn’t become a drawback anymore. Carry on y’all! 👋🏼✌🏼🇺🇸

[@Fablades]

Yea very tough, but a bit harder to sharpen

[@DonnieRayyy]

I am debating on getting the 20CV or the S90V on my mini Barrage.

[@bigbullet9224]

@@DonnieRayyy I’d go s20v actually am

[@dannyboyspace]

@@DonnieRayyy me too (on mini crooked river). did you decide 20cv or s90v?

[@HellGatefr2]

@@matthewkuhl79 Hi, how did you like your Magnacut blade ? what use ?

[@chillax1969]

Long story short all the steels you mentioned have some of the best corrosion resistance around. The 110SV may be preferred if you want the best edge retention. Agree its a challenge to sharpen. M390 is arguably one of the best all round steels for EDC. Suggest looking elsewhere if toughness, hard use,, or $ are important.

[@booishoois309]

Dude they're all in brand new condition, not a single scratch or scuff. Go cut some stuff and then report back on the steels instead of just reading the facts online.

[@Fablades]

This is just an overview of the steel properties, and those are knives from a collection, so not users. A steel comparison test video would be awesome, I thought about that, but it takes a lot of time and money to pull it off. Thanks for the feedback 🙏

[@pugchronicals1374]

@@Fablades That was very informative. There are so many blades steels that are the same, but have different names. Thx for removing some of the confusion..

[@Fablades]

Hey thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed the content!!

[@williambathwise9997]

Way to turn a pretty rude comment into a positive and informative response !

[@Fablades]

Thanks for the kind words, appreciate the support 👊