# Benchmade M390 knifes?



## ScaryFatKidGT (Feb 19, 2014)

What is this? "Better" than 154CM or SV30? For the price they want it better be folded hand pounded Katana Steel lol


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## wavicle (Feb 19, 2014)

It isn't just Benchmade. Spyderco, Kershaw, and others have made M390 knives. The stuff is difficult to grind at high hardness, i.e. costs more to manufacture.

If you don't cut a lot of abrasive materials, and if you're not a collector, then M390 might be an unnecessary expense.


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## ScaryFatKidGT (Feb 19, 2014)

wavicle said:


> It isn't just Benchmade. Spyderco, Kershaw, and others have made M390 knives. The stuff is difficult to grind at high hardness, i.e. costs more to manufacture.
> 
> If you don't cut a lot of abrasive materials, and if you're not a collector, then M390 might be an unnecessary expense.


So it has a lot better edge holding? Is it brittle and am I going to be able to sharpen the thing?


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## Leadsender (Feb 20, 2014)

It will hold an edge a lot longer than 154cm and s30v. Depending at what hardness the manufacturer set the steel at will determine how brittle the steel is most are run around 58-60 rc. They can be harder to sharpen then other steels but I've found with a quality diamond stone they don't take much longer than less expensive steels


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## SFfanman (Feb 22, 2014)

The M390 is my favorite steel. I believe IMHO that its tuffness is unmatched. Those I have with stonewash show little to no scratches and holds an edge longer than any other steel I have come across. Hope it helps.


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## ScaryFatKidGT (Feb 23, 2014)

Ok cuz I love my Mini Barrage and was thinking about a Barrage M390


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## ZNickey (Mar 2, 2014)

M390 is a very good steel. Rockwell Hardness makes it appear as nothing special, but it is incredibly wear resistant, and not all that bad to sharpen. M390 is like taking ELMAX/S35VN (similar in great & balanced performance) and pushing wear resistance up a few notches. At 62 HRC, it will give edge retention better than CPM-M4 @ 64-65, ZDP-189 @ 65 under heavy cutting, and will be close to CPM-S90V. Unlike S90V, it's possible to keep up with a basic but good sharpener (SharpMaker), arguably making it better-suited for daily and heavy usage.

With that said, S90 is generally superior to continuous cutting of fibrous objects which tend to rapidly deform edges, such as cardboard. S90V @ 60HRC outperforms M390 @ 62 and virtually all other common steels and most exotic steels...but M390 comes pretty close to the ridiculously wear-resistant S90. The biggest issue with S90V is that it is a nightmare to upkeep.

Arguably the biggest drawback of M390, however, is its price. I have a Paramilitary 2 in M390...when I got it, I paid like 50% more than the standard (and already great) S30V Para2. Now, people are paying 500%+ for a M390 Para over the standard S30V Para...to me that is insane given steel 'upgrades' today are relatively incremental!!!

Between upkeep, price, and toughness, I personally like ELMAX/S35VN/CPM-154 and steels in that range over the more exotic steels tho.


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