We will share all the info on the steel as soon as we get this first batch back from heat treat and perform our in house tests. That is all info we will disclose in time. As for the mystery steel....that will continue to remain a mystery as those are still being passed around and evaluated outside of the forum.. You will see a video on those coming up soon from Tim at Everyday Tactical Vids. Simply put, we are still evaluating our steel options for future development. We feel this whole process is a step TOWARDS our customers....We have heard requests for new steels for a long time and we have been reluctant to move in that direction bc of our background and history as a company. I don't know ANY OTHER company that has as much Dirt Time as we do. We spent over 100 days in the field last year actually doing stuff....from survival to SAR we are outside using and evaluating gear. To say we are engrained in our belief in 1095 is an understatement but we also realize that we must meet our customers where they are.... We are stepping toward them to meet that need in hopes that they will step towards us.
Perfect. CRK was running their S35 around 58RC for a long time and I really disliked it for the same reasons I mentioned earlier. It was too soft and required too much maintenance to keep a decently performing edge on it. A few years back they switched to 60RC and I've been fairly impressed with it. Sharpening takes a bit more effort, but that levels out by needing less frequent sharpening/touch ups. I'm not gonna lie, I definitely admire and respect you guys for practicing what you preach. Aside from Ernest Emerson, I don't really know of anyone else that actually trains to develop the product they produce, and use it in that training.
Do you need anyone to test out these new handles to make sure they are suitable for hard and long term use?
Awesome news guys!! I agree with Bcamos... the newer CRK S35vn is decent on my custom Inkosi... I have a BRK in S35vn and it is pretty good too.... but they do fall short of 3v (my current favorite fixed blade steel) in terms of edge holding and durability in my experience. My vote is for 3V for the fixed blades and 20CV for the Izula folder ;-) But I'll be happy with whatever premium steel that comes out I'm wondering from a marketing standpoint tho... if S35vn would not be as popular as say, CPM-154 or 20CV etc? Aka... you have been getting requests for premium steels for a long time, but then come out with S35vn... not that it is a bad steel at all, to the contrary it's just fine, but it seems to be an overlooked steel these days... maybe that's just me idk Handles look fantastic! I agree with others about the TKC G10 handles... they are nice, but the G10 weight just felt a little off to me... so I'm excited to try the contoured micarta! Thanks crew - great stuff coming out!!!
Interesting... I agree for sure with 154CM - never was a fan there... I have a fillet/boning knife in CPM-154 that has worked very well... holds a great edge, good corrosion resistance, and hitting deer/elk bones hasn't caused any chips.
My mini Grip is the only 154CM knife I have experience with and it was a major disappointment in edge retention. Been thinking more about steel choice. I am not concerned with corrosion resistance of the steal, only performance, toughness and cost. So I don't know if there is a better choice for me than 1095 without costing more than I am willing to spend.
It's probably the knife/grind/edge geometry/heat treat on the particular knife. CPM 154 has great performance when done right. Tremendous durability even at very thin cross section, and good corrosion resistance.
Agree with that... I avoided cpm 154 for a long time due to my experience with benchmades 154cm... But since I have tried it I prefer it to s30 and s35vn... Not as much as 20cv or GOOD m390... But they (154 cm and cpm 154) are very different performers IME. CPM 154 makes me think of vg10 with better edge holding.
I know jeff mentioned the new s35v steel will be warrantied however will it be like the 440c blades where it it limited or will the new steel have the same warranty as the 1095- no questions asked? Just curious
I believe "ALL" ESEE knives now have the same great, unconditional warranty regardless of steel. There was a time when the 440c had a lesser warranty than the 1095 but I'm almost certain that is not the case any longer.
Will the laser strike have the improved ergonomic scales? I love this knife but this is probably numero uno in the esee lineup for desperately needing less blocky ergos in my opinion.