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That being said, I decided to cancel my Drop, as I went for the Pingo with ELMAX blade instead... I love the Pingo, which has become my EDC blade!
Edit: aaaaaaand, I rejoined the drop, can't shake the feeling that I want this miniature beauty.
Seems M390 is a new super steel and it can be polished to achieve a mirror finish. It's supposed to be moderately difficult to sharpen, and the Benchmade 581 Barrage is an "affordable example" of an M390 knife... However that knife is $200, I'm not sure if I would qualify it as "affordable"!
And don't forget: steel alloys are raw materials; manufacturer take those raw materials and manufacture their blades with different techniques, different grinds, different heat treatments, different cutting techniques, various thicknesses, etc.
So, you cannot say one of those steels is better than the others; exactly like cars, they are merely different types of products, within several categories (common to premium - the exact classification is purely subjective, one man's premium steel is another man's mid-range). And in a given category (say, "mid-range" or "compact" if you follow the car analogy), the products will all have slightly different characteristics. So what will make a difference for a prospective buyer? Usage and budget (and perhaps, same as in the car analogy, bragging rights and projected image).
Indeed, depending on your usage - for example, are you expecting to cut great volumes of material and will need to sharpen your blade often? Will the blade be used in a humid environment? An acid environment? Do you need to pierce more, or cut more, or both? - you might then prefer one steel to the other. Then lastly depending on your budget, you will settle for one steel or another (finished steels have different prices, due to differences in manufacturing technologies, same as cars).
The steel you'll choose will end up suiting *your* budget, needs, and perception in the category or range that *you* will have settled on, but it won't be an absolute "better" steel because of that.
Don't let anyone convince you otherwise; there is no "best steel in the world", same as there is no "best car in the world" 😏
Hope this helps!
Resistance to chipping is very important in a knife, whereas saw blades are usually thick compared to a pocket knife's blade edge, and the saw blade's teeth may be naturally more resistant to chipping because of their rounded profile. Plus, micro-chipping on a saw blade teeth is no big deal, but I am sure that many owners of high quality knives would be horrified if they would experience random chipping...
Then there is the fact that saw blades are usually stamped or laser cut in huge batches, maybe that's helpful if manufacturing products with carbide steel. Many good quality knives are made in smaller quantities (cheaper knives are made in huge quantities, but they use cheaper 440 style stainless steel).
Lastly, a saw blade is to be disposed of when dull, whereas a pocket knife needs to be sharpened. Not sure if a carbide steel pocket knife would be easy to sharpen?
Not sure but interesting to know nonetheless! 🤔
I kind of really, really like the Pingo. The joint is solid, and even if it is a slipjoint, there is a 'latch' (not a lock) mechanism, so there is no wobble and the blade is very sturdy.
I really like it, it's very EDC and office friendly! The design is top notch and likeable for non-EDC people.