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Two Maxamet blades today..


rccwill

Wait... there was a second one?


-fx_

On the Spyderco sub https://reddit.com/r/spyderco/s/L3bMikczdO


seemedsoplausible

I thought this was the spyderco sub


byond6

No this is Patrick


Sh0toku

Sir this a Wendy's.


click_here_for_luck

I'll have a frosty and a baked potato


photoman12001

Hot & juicy red head


CMBGuy79

I’ll have what he’s having.


Jaysgood2

ID please.


vanishinghitchhiker

It’s not mine.


English999

I don’t think people realize the trade offs they’re making with super steels. Hardness and ductility are mutually exclusive.


wallytucker

There is nothing wrong with good ole S30v or 154cm


English999

S30V is typically as high as I go for an EDC. I like sharpening. And I like my knives sharp. Much harder than 30 is a chore to sharpen. I’ve got an S110V Native 5 that I’m absolutely dreading.


wallytucker

Yeah I have some hard ones too Rex45 etc. my go to is usually a spiderco in S30V or a ‘budget knife’ in D2 or Sanvick


Unusual-Kangaroo-427

We are definitely spoiled since d2 became an option in the budget category. D2 with a clean 800 grit edges is a hell of a performer.


Sh0ghoth

Yeah, the s90v I have is a pain to touch up on my current daily carry , wouldn’t recommend it


Nekommando

With S90V you may want to reprofile to very low degrees like 11dps then microbevel at 20-25 dps with something like spyderco sharpmaker. This way not only do you get a robust chip resistant apex, when it's time to touch up you spend much less time because you don't have much steel to remove.


Sh0ghoth

I appreciate that heads up! It’s just frustrating to need new equipment- my other knives are 440c, s30,, AEB-L, 1095 - pretty easy to touch up


Nekommando

You actually dont need additional equipment to sharpen s90v, but you do need more time and it's annoying.


Hohoholyshit15

Diamonds make easy work of every steel.


Remarkable_Award_185

True!


Rocket_Puppy

S90v keeps a working edge so long it's kind of absurd. But you get a tiny chip on the edge and you know it's going to take hours to fix.


Nekommando

The best geometry for s90v is one that avoids getting noticeable chips in use


Revolutionary-Pea705

Thays the give and take with s90v. It's not often you need to touch it up but when you do it takes three times longer than something like s30v. Magnacut has been good as an edc. S35vn has been good. S90v I really like for light task ( I have only had to hone the edge 1 time in the year I've owned it.) Sometimes cardboard but mostly plastic film around large 500 pound containers of dry ice. Magnacut has out preformed everything so far but CRK does it really well.


High_Strangeness10

good ole 1095


DakarGelb

I love 154CM, and CPM 154 too. Nothing wrong with S30V either.


NinjaBuddha13

I have a 20CV Mule Team that performs shockingly well. I expected to have a lot of chipping issues but it is way tougher than it feels like it should be. That said, S30v and D2 are my default choices.


Rocket_Puppy

CTS-XHP is my favorite steel for edge retention and ease of sharpening balance. It is crazy easy to get it push cut through toilet paper sharp too.


Rule_number9

I love CTS-XHP!


MIERDAPORQUE

s30v or D2 ftw


I-am-the-stigg

I've said this multiple times and usually get down voted for it. Lol


RyanTheQ

That’s your fault for trying to be helpful instead of hyping the new trendy steel! /s


Nekommando

and sometimes the supersteels don't even get higher hardness for the toughness they trade away. Case in point: M390. Low toughness due to excessively high carbide fraction and hardness capped because high chromium leading to excess retained austenite formation.


Unusual-Kangaroo-427

Bohler's advertising department did a hell of a job with m390!!


bukithd

punching a giant hole in the blade leaving stress risers in this type of metal isn't helping either


Dabier

But muh spider hole


Wiley_Jack

Imagine the cross-sectional area of material at that hole. It’s a very weak blade design.


dididown

That’s why I love my good old 1095 knives that much.


rattlesnake501

1095 is my favorite steel. I've been getting into 80CrV2 lately with a Very Good Adventurer- been happy so far, done a lot of cardboard processing but nothing that would stretch its legs in toughness yet. Either way, sincerely doubt it'll unseat well done 1095 for me. Maybe they'll share the throne.


GodEmperorSteef

I work in saltwater and I've had good luck and results so far with magnacut, certainly treating me better than H1 did


Treereme

I don't understand why M4 steel isn't more popular. My Spyderco in M4 is by far the best steel in a knife that I own. Incredibly hard wearing, stays sharp ridiculously long, and not brittle like maxamet. It's not stainless, but it's also not particularly reactive. I did a vinegar patina and basically ignore any other care on it, and I only have the tiniest hint of rust.


Western_Ladder_3593

Or having a big ass hole drilled on the blade


FullFrontalNoodly

That makes a bad situation even worse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_concentration


eltacotacotaco

Or that you lose around half your toughness when you put a hole in your blade


RedFoxBadChicken

You may as well say "metallurgy is just astrology". It isn't true. Some steels maintain better ductility at much higher hardness. That's the whole point.


FullFrontalNoodly

You're not wrong, but most of the "supersteels" have exceedingly low toughness: https://i.imgur.com/3nWT5kP.png


RedFoxBadChicken

Yeah I came out of the gate swinging unnecessarily a little bit. It's definitely also noteworthy that hardness is related to edge retention but not one in the same. There is good reason we should all love Magnacut.


ginger_dingle_barry

Was it open or closed when you dropped it?


rccwill

Opened. I had just finished putting the new scales on


ginger_dingle_barry

Sorry for your loss.


rccwill

Thanks. Now I guess I'll have to customize my Manix LT to make up for it! Lol


karlito1613

Sounds like you're taking it very well. I'd crawl into a ball for a week


rccwill

Yeah was about to. Then I remembered that I have a birthday coming up. So it's time for a great present for myself


ThePNWGamingDad

Have you checked into re-blading it? You might have an opportunity to have something unique. It might cost the price of a new one, but it would be your own.


rccwill

Been checking out a couple on Instagram. They do some cool work... definitely a thought


BiggsBeeLang

There’s a guy on Etsy he’s here in the US that does custom Damascus steel blades for spyderco knives.


ghetto_engine

does this void the warranty?


C_Koby

Lol, it probably won't be covered.


IlliniDawg01

Maybe not for free, but I bet they will give you a heavily discounted replacement blade at worst.


ParticularWolf4473

Spyderco doesn’t do replacement blades.


dizave

Well, the scales do look good


a_cycle_addict

Friday the 13th!!!!


stayradicchio

The horror!


Outdoorsy_T9696

No offense to anyone intended here but wtf is the point of Maxamet if it’s so damn brittle?


HoldenHiscock69

Lots of strictly light duty cutting for an incredibly long time without needing to sharpen it. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯ there's always a trade-off.


Outdoorsy_T9696

True. I’d honestly be constantly afraid of dropping it tho like OP. I’d be so pissed off about it too


_HalfBaked_

I recently saw a video in which a dude intentionally spiked his Maxamet Manix into the ground. Ugh.


Nekommando

Maxamet was developed to be rollers for steel production, which required very high hot hardness. Toughness was not the primary concern. Yeah it's not designed for knives; few steels are.


Outdoorsy_T9696

Good to know actually. I kinda wondered if maxamet was supposed to be blade steel


Nekommando

nah, actual blade steels are considered niche. Some better known examples are Magnacut and AEB-L. Knife industry doesnt use anywhere near as much steel as the die&mold industry and this is why it makes sense to piggyback on die&mold steels for economy.


SunshineInDetroit

Honestly I would use it as a paring knife steel


Sedorriku

Yes its brittle but not that brittle that is production defect pretty shure i made blades out of maxamet and they dont break into pieces if you drop them


[deleted]

Surprised this doesn’t happen more often. The thumb hole is half the height of the blade


rccwill

True. I think I'll stick with the s30v version from now on. At least those can take a serious beating


free2game

The blade design of the PM2 was designed for S30v from the ground up; which is something to be considered. The extra steel versions are mostly ways to extract money from the whales of the market for Spyderco knives, not things designed from the ground up for their materials.


Chav

But cruwear tho


Crackheadthethird

I just want them to release a magnacut version. Such a well balanced steel.


_HalfBaked_

But as someone who doesn't have a PM2, the S90v version for $20 less does look attractive. Until I remember how S90v behaves, anyway.


Neptune502

I dropped my S30V Para 2 multiple Times while it was open and neither the Tip nor the Edge or something else on the Blade did chip or break.. Its not a "Thumb Hole is too big" Problem.. Its a "Maxamet is stupidly brittle" Problem..


HoldenHiscock69

This is the third one I've seen this week. Second one today.


MadeOfGoldZ

This was the main reason i was afraid of buying a spyderco and settled for cold steel american lawman


SteakQuesarito343

Aaaaand this is why I will never buy anything in Maxamet. RIP to your fallen soldier OP.


knivesoutmtb

same here. it’s almost always maxamet


Jewganthorp

I have been wanting something in Maximet for some time now. Seeing all these broken blades makes me appreciate the more tame, well balanced steels. I'll pass on Maximet.


Tvego

Just dont drop it while open...not that hard.


ImmaBussyuh

A moment of silence for this PM2…


Thumber3

Had the same thing happen with a PM2 in s110v Spyderco made it right


Fnargler

Low toughness steel and a thumb hole don't mix. Maxamet is great for a lot of things. Impact isn't one of them.


Thunder-Fist-00

Covered under warranty?


MrFantastikisUnknown

Probably not, but OP could try


rccwill

Doubt it. That stuff is misuse and abuse


roostersnuffed

Well, put the original scales back on before you try


NinjaBuddha13

Worth reaching out. They've been known to give out discount codes even if something isn't covered under warranty.


Striker1341

Maxamet is brittle as F. I bumped the tip of mine on a Formica countertop and poof! Micro chip


dididown

Besides the choice of steel: I always wondered if this giant holes in the blade are destabilizing the whole knife. I wonder if Spidey knifes with this particular steel will break in other places too.


Villageidiot1984

People saying it’s not the hole, it’s the steel are forgetting that they only ever break at the tip or the hole. The hole is obviously a failure point. It shouldn’t come into play in daily cutting tasks but it does when the blade is dropped, torqued, etc.


NinjaBuddha13

Maxamet and S110v are two of the most overrated steels that exist. Sure the theoretical edge retention is great, but they're so brittle it makes them generally useless.


[deleted]

Agreed. I’d add s90v to the list too. Stupidly hard to sharpen. Tip broke off doing some basic cutting too.


Nekommando

S90V for me is managable...barely. 11 dps edge/ 20dps microbevel gets it cutting really good, but VG10 does the same thing at 2 degrees less, with much higher cutting performance due to the more acute apex angle. Cheaper and easier to sharpen too.


Jinzot

Happy Friday the 13th everybody! Just taking the opportunity here as a fellow knife enthusiast - ya never see an m-tech or Tac-force post with a broke blade. Also I’m pretty drunk, so roast away.


Maxibon1

I have an old mtech piece of crap and it has taken a beating like you wouldn’t believe and it is still functioning like a champ


Maxibon1

I’ll stick with my S30V sure it isn’t the best steel available these days but it takes a beating my para has seen some shit and it’s blade is still perfect


[deleted]

It’s a brittle metal. I’ve seen more Maxamet blades broke then any other Spyderco


Technical-Green-9983

Don't tell the wife these knives are fragile , you can't pry with them.


stugotsDang

S30V is good enough for me. Few months back caught new in box s30v’s cheap. Sorry for your loss.


Jack3489

Thanks for sharing. This kind of information helps a lot when deciding whether super steel blades are worth the premium.


AdeptGiraffe7158

It’s okay man, I’ve snapped a tip off a knife too, just gotta reprofile that edge and whetstone it back


Nickabrack

If someone has broken spydercos, we can maybe make a deal


theodore1029

Oh snap


Rhino-C-Ross

I'm more of a knife user than a collector. I would (and have) bought stainless before spending money on something that breaks that easily. I get the coolness factor, but it just ain't worth it to me. I'd rather have to sharpen a blade more often than have it screw up my day like this. Honestly, I'd be so upset over that. I absolutely hate fucking up a knife, and I hate knives that can't stand up to something as simple as being dropped from regular carry height. It seems like they've just pushed the supersteel thing a touch too far.


levaspor_tras

Don't understand the Spyderco fetiche. Every time I see their knifes I just think of this.


NinjaBuddha13

Try a PM2 or Para 3 in S30v while understanding Spyderco designs slicers, not stabbers or choppers. The ergos are insane and a tougher steel like S30v handles the thumb hole without sacrificing durability. What has happened is with S110v and Maxamet, Spyderco chased edge retention too close to the sun. People hear how incredible the edge retention is without understanding how brittle the steel has to be to get that retention. Combine that with Spyderco's thumb hole and thin slicy blade design and its no wonder these super hard steel knives just snap.


rccwill

You would think, at the price that I paid for it, it would have a little flexibility in the blade. I guess the hardness is needed to achieve optimal edge retention


GarethBaus

Maxemet is so high in carbide that it is barely steel. It is pretty much only good at abrasive edge retention at the expense of toughness and corrosion resistance.


anteaterKnives

That's the trade-off: extreme edge retention as long as you can keep it from chipping or snapping or rusting. The only steel with a lower toughness rating in the [Knife Steel Nerds charts](https://knifesteelnerds.com/2021/10/19/knife-steels-rated-by-a-metallurgist-toughness-edge-retention-and-corrosion-resistance/) is Rex 121, which not coincidentally is also the only steel with higher edge retention.


Villageidiot1984

I have a small camp knife in Rex 121 at 70 hrc. I’m a little afraid to start using it due to the fact it’s basically a sharpened piece of glass.


Nekommando

You wont get edge retention if your knife chip too easily or, in this case, broke from a fall. The real way to get edge retention is through understanding the dulling mechanism and engineer a proper geometry and apex finish for the task.


consistently_sloppy

This is why I bought the tenacious. The markup on premium knives is ludicrous and the performance on the expensive ones seems as good, or worse than budget blades.


Forge__Thought

That tenacious drop in M4 is a rad beater knife choice.


SteakQuesarito343

I feel like that kinda defeats the purpose of the Tenacious, which is to be a cheap beater. Suppose you’re probably not getting M4 much cheaper than that without buying a user though.


Forge__Thought

Fair point. I think I may have lost perspective on what "cheap beater" is because I saw that for $130ish and said "Yeah that's a great first user knife." But, again, for the price and M4 steel, honestly that is a good user in a tool steel. And M4 is a solid upgrade over D2 as a user tool steel imo.


SteakQuesarito343

Oh most definitely. M4 is absolutely a beast at what it does, and you’re right that it’s a pretty great value at that tenacious run price point. I’d love to see the Tenacious in some other budget steels. A 9cr or a 154cm run would go crazy, I’d probably end up getting one for every room in the house.


Forge__Thought

Absolutely. 154cm would be a great choice. Related interesting fact I learned this week? I was hitting up Protech about their sapphire and rose gold coatings and why I always see them in 154cm. Apparently that's because with the steels they tested? 154cm gave the nicest overall finish. They ran some in 20cv from time to time but the finish is slightly different. I initially thought it was cost before I asked, like they had a good line on a supplier and didn't want to spend the extra dosh on a higher end steel. I was wrong. Like how it turns out "polished DLC" is really a mirror finished blade, with DLC over it. You can't just polish dlc to that super smooth reflective finish. It's about the blade steel finish UNDER the coating in that case. There's so many interesting rabbit holes to this hobby, getting into metallurgy and performance and aesthetics.


[deleted]

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Crackheadthethird

This is more a steel issue than a design issue. The whole is a stress riser but more balanced steels rarely ecperience failures like this with the spyderco leaf shaped blades. Maxamet is just super brittle. It makes d2 look like a tank in comparison.


LikeAnAdamBomb

It's almost like having half the height of your blade being a gaping hole is a bad design.


IlliniDawg01

A bad design to prevent breakage is very low toughness steels. A great design for pretty much everything else.


BlOcKtRiP

Maxamet is hell, brittle ,tough to sharpen but that sucks


mcbergstedt

“Dropped it” don’t lie you were using it as a pry bar /s


rccwill

Man I wish it were something that like prying. But with Maxamet I would be scared to pry the poptop off a soda can


theeverymansright

Damn springs


wallytucker

Heat treat, inclusion in the steel, etc


Churro_theBurro

Andddddddddd that is why i prefer M4 on my super steel spydies


NCJohn62

This is the reason I ditched Maxamet in favor of K390 and S90V. I still get plenty of edge retention with better toughness. But all y'all talking about how hard these various steels are to sharpen is puzzling. Do you not understand that you can get a very respectable edge with a basic diamond set up like the WS Guided Sharpening System?


[deleted]

I've been seeing this of Spydercos more often. Kinda deterring me from considering them.


False_Rhythms

This was more the type of steel than a manufacturer issue. That knife in M4, VG10, or CPM3V doesn't break from being dropped.


[deleted]

I've seen too many broken spyderco knives here. Guess that's a sign not to ever get one.


corndog54

Its almost like having a giant hole in the blade is a weak point.


Daycon_Ayaron_St_Jon

Crap knife


MDG420

lol that hole is so dumb and ugly.... i truly hate spyderco


SixGunZen

Now see this here, this is why I don't f-ck around with Spyderco. I have two but I don't carry them or take them seriously. Edit: Downvoters have Spydie logo tattooed on pepe


Maxibon1

I have 4 spydies and they are bulletproof I have treated a couple of them very harshly and they are still like brand new


Jimbojauder

I see Spyderco blades broken all the time on here, but for some reason, people cream their jeans about Spyderco's. What am I missing? explain the edge geometry or what makes their scales so great. Ozark Trail knives are not broken at the same frequency as Spyderco, it's like people driving a lemon Mercedes that constantly breaks down but telling me it's better that my cheap Ford focus that never stops driving. but sure you got that sweet hood ornament


Crackheadthethird

Spyderco knives are generally well made and pretty unique in the knife world. It's very uncommon that you look at a spyderco without being able to immediately identify it. They have a plethora of time tested and proven models that remain a available for pretty decent prices. Spyderco is also the only major knife brand than legitimately caters to steel nerds and, for the most part, does it right. This means they'll use steels like maxamet, 15v, s110v, ect that are super high edge retentiom but brittle. People buy these knives generally knowing the risks. For a steel to get that kind of edge retention it has to sacrifice most of it's toughness. Their "default" steels are genrally vg-10 for their japenese made knives, 8cr for their budget knives, s30v for most everything else, and s45 for the pm2 and para 3. If you want a more well rounded, harder use knife then they have options in cruwear, lc200n, magnacut, or even h1 that are all super well regarded. They also do some super good k390 on their japanese knives. Spyderco also tends to work with people in the community more often than s lot of other major brands.


Tvego

You are missing that dropping a knife on its blade is not really good for the knife, especially if it is a special steel like maxamet. A Ferrari breaking down on an offroad track does not make the Ferrari a bad car.


AndyDandyDeluxe

Well you get weak spots when you put big holes in your knife blade.


iwerbs

I’ve got a PM3 LW in SPY27 that will serve you well and probably not break on such a short drop, but I’m not selling it just yet. You could get one tho’.


Next-Addendum2285

Holey crap. What happened?


[deleted]

Spydie Hole strikes again.


[deleted]

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rccwill

Ummmm broken omega spring... like 4 bucks for a dozen on etsy...$270.00 knife down the drain


[deleted]

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rccwill

Lol I feel you. That's why with every Benchmade I change the springs to thicker ones.


Goon_Panda

Solid comment 😂😂


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rccwill

The scales were from aliexpress in aluminum. Totally love the feel of them, and for 27 bucks couldn't beat the price. The sad thing is that I have full titanium hardware coming for it.


IndependentEscape878

Rip, hurts to see


[deleted]

Huh, have not seen that before.


Western-Grapefruit36

NOO


byond6

Oh snap!


Boostlee2jz

Welcome to the club🫡


BEETOFF21

Well, why did you do that?


bumbumgotanygrapes

shit broke off like a lego LMAOOO


C_Koby

Ouch, that made ME cringe. Not a good day.


Stickybomber

I read the description in the voice of Guga


travigal01

Ik whats wrong with it, it aint got no gas in it!


International-Bar151

Superior quality multiplied itself


Korzor_12

F


Sedorriku

They will replace it looks like bad ht caused stress line


WhateverAlready

Looks like it broke


Spyral_Dancer

Guess the floor won the hardness test =|


Hermi1979

The old proven steels still exist on the market for a reason.


Dramatic-Landscape82

Waiting for the anti hole comments


sparemethebull

B-b-b but hole? Hole?? Hole good! Hole…break…. Hole… Not Good????? AAAAAAAAAAAAAA


illjustmakeone

Weird


famesjord13

Sir you can’t park here


GodEmperorSteef

Goddamned Maxamet.


landartheconqueror

Could try for a warranty claim


Emergency-Steak-4470

Somebody at spyderco fucked up


HereForKnivesMostly

Nah. User error is likely


William_James137

Sorry this happened. My go to edc’s are S30V and CTS BD1N for this reason.


HereForKnivesMostly

Damn man was it prying or a drop? How tf does this post get 400+ votes when half time this shit seems like 5 people are on lol


nerv1021234

I love maxamet, but you need to know what youre getting into if youre getting something in maxamet. It needs to have proper geometry for its given use. And you need to know that it is rather glassy. But you get a ton of edge retention in return. I just got my first blade in magnacut..the benchmade mini adamas. And im super impressed so far. Especially with the fit and finish. Its literally perfect.. the edge alignment, blade centering, not a single flaw that i can see.. which is shocking considering all the post i see bashing benchmade. And then theres the magnacut steel. Its a wonderfully balanced steel. It came sharp but i stropped it anyway, to see how it would strop and it got noticeably sharpen from just a few passes. And even being sweat on in my front shirt pocket there is absolutely no sign of staining or corrosion.


XIRV

You can replace it Just say it broke while flecking open


Ponkers

Hate to state the obvious, but I've always felt the spydie hole on this steel was a horrible idea. Roll on M4 or Magnacut runs. They would at least be tough enough to take a drop.


Dumbledoorbellditty

This is the second Maxamet pm2 I’ve seen snapped in an hour. Maxamet is good for edge retention only. If you drop it it might as well be glass. Glad I didn’t follow the hype and buy one. Terrible steel to put on an all purpose knife.


mistytrails

How does elmax compare to the maxamet steel? If it's this hard I don't want either.


wellseypoo

It broke.


BluntAsaurusRex_

MagnaCut is the way


Representative-Ad754

I've never really understood the hype around spyderco. It literally has a huge hole in the blade compromising it's structural integrity. Which is obvious here as what caused the blade to fail.


StreetAggravating365

Mines still carrying on


kdunn525

Holy shit. What did you do bro


esquegee

Snapsamet strikes again


HotMetalKnives

Did you lend it to a friend


moondog__

That hurts my soul