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#179592 - 04/11/19 02:02 PM Bohler M390 Blade Steel
coachblalock Offline
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Registered: 12/03/16
Posts: 1872
Loc: Lake Fork, East Texas
Anybody on here have any experience with this stuff?

I'm gettin' ready to commission a folder.

I'm down to 3 choices for the blade steel.
M390, M690, and Elmax

I've had really good results with M690. I'm researching the other two.

This one is going to be a user so I need for it to hold up. I can put an edge on anything so hardness is not an issue.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.
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"Filet that fish? Hell naw! I'll scale him, gut him, fry him up in grease, take him by the head and tail, and play him like a French Harp!" - Uncle Paul sometime in the 60s.

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#179607 - 04/12/19 07:45 AM Re: Bohler M390 Blade Steel [Re: coachblalock]
LarryWW1246 Offline
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Registered: 03/20/06
Posts: 1728
Coach--

Check out the information and graphs on page 92 of the 2019 Benchmade catalogue.

https://www.benchmade.com/media/forms/2019_Benchmade_Catalog.pdf

Also, I think you have been reading the thread here about the heavy duty folding knife.

I think the Bohler M390 might be worth a try.

If I recall, Elmax is similar to 154. [I remember an exchange I had with Bob Loveless when he had first started using 154CM. He treated it like a trade secret--if he were alive today, he would have several "better" selections to be secretive about!]

Larry
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#179611 - 04/12/19 12:12 PM Re: Bohler M390 Blade Steel [Re: LarryWW1246]
coachblalock Offline
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Registered: 12/03/16
Posts: 1872
Loc: Lake Fork, East Texas
Thanks Larry.

M390 is what I'm leaning toward now.

I just have not ever seen, used, or talked to anybody that has actually used it. Thus, my solicitory post.

For what I'm gonna use it for, M390 would seem the best choice.
(Super Stainless, Superb edge retention, not brittle).

A lot has been written about the comparison of different steels but no two people are going to use their knives "zackley" the same.

I wish Bob Loveless was still around. I'd love to get his take on it.

Thanks again!


Edited by coachblalock (04/12/19 12:14 PM)
_________________________
"Filet that fish? Hell naw! I'll scale him, gut him, fry him up in grease, take him by the head and tail, and play him like a French Harp!" - Uncle Paul sometime in the 60s.

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#179659 - 04/14/19 04:14 PM Re: Bohler M390 Blade Steel [Re: coachblalock]
LarryWW1246 Offline
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Registered: 03/20/06
Posts: 1728
Coach--

Now I am up in the air.

Thinking to send my Griptillian to have Benchmade change out the 154 blade to get the 20CV in it.

Now I see that Doug Ritter has a deal with Hogue to make the second generation of his Griptillian-similar knife with an M390 blade at Rockwell C of 61-62. Benchmade decided not to continue to work with him.

The second choice will cost about $125 more than the first choice, but apart from what promises to be a better performing steel, (1) it will help to support Doug so that he can keep doing the Knife Rights work, and currently Knife Works is running a pre-market discount at $153. I'll post the link here...although it is a promotional, it does not compete with RMKs or other vendors who support the Forum, so I hope I am not breaking any rules. https://www.knifeworks.com/knives/rskmk1g2.html

Larry


Edited by LarryWW1246 (04/14/19 04:15 PM)
_________________________
Larry W. Williams
RKCC #CM-041
ABKA #046
RKS #1246

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#179670 - 04/15/19 11:36 AM Re: Bohler M390 Blade Steel [Re: LarryWW1246]
coachblalock Offline
Knife Enthusiast

Registered: 12/03/16
Posts: 1872
Loc: Lake Fork, East Texas
Larry:

The more I read about m390, the more interesting it gets.

On one knifemaker's forum, a guy said that it made an awesome mirror finish better than any other material and several other posters agreed.

On another, several posters agreed that m390 had the best edge retention.

The only negative thing I've read is that it is a B!+(# to sharpen and I aint skeered!

I know that Bob Loveless used to like to put a nice polish on his 154cm knives. Take a look at some of the pictures and videos of the polished 390s on the internet.

I just wonder what he might have thought.

???
Coach
_________________________
"Filet that fish? Hell naw! I'll scale him, gut him, fry him up in grease, take him by the head and tail, and play him like a French Harp!" - Uncle Paul sometime in the 60s.

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#179681 - 04/15/19 03:44 PM Re: Bohler M390 Blade Steel [Re: coachblalock]
coachblalock Offline
Knife Enthusiast

Registered: 12/03/16
Posts: 1872
Loc: Lake Fork, East Texas
Hey Larry:
Take a look at this link:

https://www.bladehq.com/cat--Best-Knife-Steel-Guide--3368

Coach
_________________________
"Filet that fish? Hell naw! I'll scale him, gut him, fry him up in grease, take him by the head and tail, and play him like a French Harp!" - Uncle Paul sometime in the 60s.

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#179683 - 04/15/19 04:36 PM Re: Bohler M390 Blade Steel [Re: coachblalock]
pappy19 Offline
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Registered: 10/31/07
Posts: 7367
Loc: Garden Valley, Idaho
Great link Coach!! I once skinned an entire black bear without needing a strop on my steel. It was a Bud Tracy knife in D2 hollow ground. My Chris Reeve sure holds a good edge too.

Pap
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#179687 - 04/15/19 05:45 PM Re: Bohler M390 Blade Steel [Re: coachblalock]
LarryWW1246 Offline
Knife Enthusiast

Registered: 03/20/06
Posts: 1728
Coach--

Thanks for digging a bit further.

The graphics sure clarify the similarities and differences in the qualities that we look for.

And...I take back my comment about reading the Elmax and 154CM were comparable--I read that someplace, but these charts show Elmax to be superior.

Time to bite on the Knife Works Ritter I suspect, depending on whether they get back to me and tell when they would ship a knife to me.

Larry
_________________________
Larry W. Williams
RKCC #CM-041
ABKA #046
RKS #1246

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#179688 - 04/15/19 05:53 PM Re: Bohler M390 Blade Steel [Re: LarryWW1246]
Eric Offline
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Registered: 11/18/15
Posts: 1668
Loc: Michigan
Larry, If serious, try 'knife18' in the knifeworks checkout coupon field, may get you additional savings.
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#179707 - 04/15/19 10:07 PM Re: Bohler M390 Blade Steel [Re: pappy19]
coachblalock Offline
Knife Enthusiast

Registered: 12/03/16
Posts: 1872
Loc: Lake Fork, East Texas
Originally Posted By: pappy19
Great link Coach!! I once skinned an entire black bear without needing a strop on my steel. It was a Bud Tracy knife in D2 hollow ground. My Chris Reeve sure holds a good edge too.

Pap


Nothing wrong with D2. But they say that m390 is even an improvement on it.


Edited by coachblalock (04/15/19 10:09 PM)
_________________________
"Filet that fish? Hell naw! I'll scale him, gut him, fry him up in grease, take him by the head and tail, and play him like a French Harp!" - Uncle Paul sometime in the 60s.

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