I'd like to hear opinions from folks that have experience with CPM 3V as a knife steel.

I sm thinking of using it for a multi use type knife (not strickly a skinner) which can handle camping, butchering, and generally demanding outdoor needs. Perhaps some basic wood working and light choping as well.

What are your thoughts?

Take Care,
Dave

CPM3V is talked about for it's toughness and wear resistance but most of the knives seem to be of the 4" typical hunting knife type. That hardly involves the toughness of the alloy.Last year I had a custom knife made , a chopper .Beautifully made ,8", 1 pound ,max 1/4" thick balanced perfectly !! It's a working knife and a pleasure to use.
While some would call it a Bowie knife most consider a Bowie a 'combat ' knife yet the original Bowie was made as a large hunting/camping knife and there's documentation to prove it !
It's a premium steel and requres careful HT to bring out it's best properties as do most high alloy steels .NOT for DIY HT !
If you're looking for a cutom knife you can specify exactly what you want as far as materials and design , that's the best way.
Mine is a bit too large for butchering though it would chop through meat and bone .It would work fine for anything else and last forever !

mete,

Thanks for the response.

So CPM 3V wouldn't provide any advantages in a smaller sized general purpose knife designed for hard use...? What would you recommend as far as steels go?

I am thinking about a Nessmuk, Canadian belt knife or something along those lines with a 5 inch blade heavy spine and either a scandi or convex grind.

Maybe A2....?

Best Regards,
Dave

A2 makes an excellent blade and should be more popular than it is. Perhaps because it's not stainless steel is the reason.
For a stainless blade my favorite is CPM154, the powder metal version of 154CM.
A2 and CPM154 also require precise HT.

http://www.dlttrading.com/bark-river-knives.html
Bark River makes a number of A2 knives and they are very good quality.I don't know off hand if they use CPM154.

Anyone else have any experience or an opinion about CPM 3V?

Take Care,
Dave