MagnaCut is a very good balanced blade steel, but it will be outshone by some steels in other categories. CPM S90V has superior edge retention, CPM 3V has superior toughness, and Vanax has superior corrosion resistance. Many other steel alloys perform differently from MagnaCut, and each of them has a place.
MagnaCut has an excellent balance to its properties in terms of edge retention, toughness, corrosion resistance, and sharpenability. There are no real tradeoffs with MagnaCut. It performs very well in each category. To get better performance in any one of them would necessitate a drop in one of the others.
The most balanced is CPM-MagnaCut which is in an area all by itself on the chart. The steel was developed to be free from chromium carbides which gives it properties similar to balanced non-stainless tool steels like CPM-4V and CPM-CruWear.
Both are excellent knife steels, but MagnaCut represents a leap forward in properties and performance compared to traditional steels like M390. By optimizing the carbide structure and fully eliminating chromium carbides, MagnaCut achieves a better combination of corrosion resistance and toughness over M390.
Designed specifically to address the trade-offs typically seen in knife steels, MagnaCut provides an outstanding balance that challenges older steels like Elmax, especially in environments demanding high toughness and corrosion resistance without sacrificing edge performance.
Elmax is like M390 but tougher and easier to sharpen. M390 isn't all that bad to sharpen though, so I wouldn't let this be the deciding factor. It is slightly better at retaining an edge than S35VN, but it is as expensive as M390. S35VN is a great steel, but it is in my mind inferior to M390/ 20cv/204p.
Due to MagnaCut's toughness, the recommended heat treatment for CPM MagnaCut is on the high end of hardness for knife steels which ranges between 60-64 HRC. According to the Crucible steel datasheet [2], the optimal balanced heat treatment with a balance of toughness is 62.5 HRC.
So if MagnaCut is run hard, it will most likely dull before rolling or chipping. It will still cut, especially if you have think geometry. Once a blade starts to roll/chip, performance really suffers.
Both S90V and M390 steel have excellent wear resistance, making them ideal for high-stress applications. However, M390 has a slight edge due to its higher corrosion resistance, which can help prevent premature wear and rusting of the blade.
CPM 20CV vs.
MagnaCut is designed to offer improved toughness over CPM 20CV, making it an attractive choice for users who prioritize durability in challenging conditions.
Edge retention: Both MagnaCut and S35VN are known for their excellent edge retention, but MagnaCut is often considered to be one of the best steels available for this property. This is due to its high carbon content and other alloying elements, as well as its fine-grained microstructure.
MagnaCut is the latest super steel offered by Crucible Materials of Syracuse, New York, the same folks who make such high-end blade materials as CPM S30V, S35VN, S45VN, CPM 154, 20CV, 3V and others. Metallurgist Larrin Thomas, winner of the BLADE Magazine 2024 Publisher's Award, invented MagnaCut.
Due to a difference in forging techniques, Japanese steel blades contain much more carbon than German blades, making them harder, but also more fragile. Because Japanese-style steel is harder, it's capable of holding an edge longer and doesn't need to be sharpened quite as often as German knives do.
Parker says that the powder atomization process and heat treatment for MagnaCut cost about the same as any other premium steel, but that there's more costs on the manufacturing side. “Once we have it in the factory, it's really hard to grind and process it,” he says.
Leatherman multitools primarily makes use of three different steels for their blades: S30V, CM154 and 420HC. 420HC STAINLESS STEEL: An improved, high-carbon (HC) form of 420 stainless steel that works well with high production tooling. 420HC's strength is optimized in Leatherman multitools by heat treatment.
Very high hardness up to 67 on Rockwell C scale (HRC) and good toughness, Satisfying corrosion resistance, Not the easiest steel to sharpen, but with a fine microstructure for fine sharpness and ability to stay sharp (much) longer than other traditional steels.
You can see that S90V has a very good toughness-edge retention balance compared to other stainless steels at a similar edge retention range. It has both higher edge retention and toughness than M390, ZDP-189, and S110V, for example.
CPM S110V contains a high volume fraction of both vanadium-rich and niobium-rich primary alloy carbides for exceptionally good wear resistance compared to other commercially available PM tool steels. It also offers better corrosion resistance than 440C or CPM S90V.
S90V has better edge retention than S30V – hands down. It has a higher amount of vanadium that vastly improves wear resistance.
MagnaCut is a very good balanced blade steel, but it will be outshone by some steels in other categories. CPM S90V has superior edge retention, CPM 3V has superior toughness, and Vanax has superior corrosion resistance. Many other steel alloys perform differently from MagnaCut, and each of them has a place.
Magnacut is a proprietary steel developed by Larrin Thomas and produced by Crucible Industries, renowned for their innovations in metallurgy. It falls into the category of high-performance, powder metallurgy (PM) steels, which are known for their exceptional properties compared to traditional steels.
The excellent toughness results indicate that CPM MagnaCut is very resistant to chipping and breaking. In knifemaking, the high toughness makes it especially good for bigger blades. And fine cutting knives can have thinner edges for better cutting ability with reduced risk of chipping.
Edge retention from knifemakers has also been excellent. Phil Wilson did his standard test with 3/4″ manilla rope where he uses a consistent edge geometry to compare steels. A MagnaCut knife at 62.5 Rc made 45 cuts, which compares with 40 cuts for 61 Rc S30V and 60 cuts for S90V or S110V.
It is a martensitic stainless steel to which vanadium and carbon have been added for exceptionally good wear resistance. CPM S90V offers substantial improvements in wear resistance over 440C and D2, and other high chromium steels, with corrosion resistance equal to or better than 440C.