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    • CPM 20CV

    CPM 20CV Knives: Premium High-Wear Stainless Steel with Best-in-Class Edge Retention

    CPM 20CV sits at the very top of the premium stainless knife steel hierarchy and has held that position for years. Produced by Crucible Industries using their proprietary Crucible Particle Metallurgy (CPM) process, 20CV is a high-vanadium, high-chromium martensitic stainless steel with a carbon content of approximately 1.90% and a chromium content of 20% — numbers that translate directly into exceptional edge retention and outstanding corrosion resistance in a single package. It is metallurgically nearly identical to Bohler M390 and Carpenter CTS-204P, making it part of what knife enthusiasts refer to as the "super steel trinity" — three steels from different manufacturers sharing essentially the same composition and delivering the same elite-tier performance.

    What makes CPM 20CV so compelling for serious knife users and collectors is the combination of its wear resistance and stainless performance at a level that most steels simply cannot match simultaneously. A properly heat-treated 20CV blade will hold a working edge through far more cutting cycles than mid-tier steels like S30V or 14C28N, while its high chromium content provides corrosion resistance that handles moisture, sweat, and light saltwater exposure without complaint. The tradeoff — as with all high-wear steels — is that 20CV requires more effort to reprofile or sharpen from scratch, though touch-up maintenance on a strop or fine stone remains very manageable. For everyday carry, collector pieces, and hard-use folders where edge longevity matters most, CPM 20CV remains one of the finest choices available in production knives today, and it is the steel of choice for brands like Zero Tolerance, Benchmade, and Spyderco on their most premium production models.

    Browse all CPM 20CV knives available at Knifeworks below and carry a blade that stays sharp longer than almost anything else on the market.

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