Expensive.
Yes, they are. Per Sal, the owner of SpydercoâŚMaxamet is a very difficult steel to work with. Lots of problems with warping of the blades. I knew it wouldnât be around for long, so I had to get a taste of it. Itâs edge retention is incredible. The blade still cleanly cut through paper after this test, sharpened to 15DPS and finished on 600 grit, so itâs a little toothy.
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I have a couple of Maix 2 LW and a PM3 in Maxamet. It can be a bit pricey, but usually not much more than some of the other super steels. I havenât used anything that has the same level of edge retention. It doesnât take as fine an edge as some and doesnât maintain that hair whittling edge for longâŚonce you finally get it. But it does stay working sharp at least 5 times longer than other high end steels. Even the vaunted S110 and the like.
What do you mean it would not be around long. Was it limited production?
It was produced for a few years, but I believe itâs been phased out with the introduction of MagnaCut and 15V being easier to work with, with similar or even better results depending on various variables. There havenât been any new releases with Maxamet in a few years now and some of the knives with Maxamet have been discontinued and price dropped.
Totally agree with your assessment. Once you get thereâŚreally wore on some of my diamond abrasives! Much more so than other steels. But, well worth it once you get that edge and then just maintain to keep it near razor sharp so I donât have to go through the whole process again.
Speaking of super steels, Iâm rocking some 9Cr18Mov today. 
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Perfect ash, knife is ok. Lol
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Interestingly⌠I decided to sharpen my three Maxamet knives yesterday. I use a belt grinder these days for most sharpening tasks. I used a 150 grit, 400, 1200, and a leather belt with ~ 3 micron polishing abrasive on it. Took about 12 minutes. Literally hair popping sharp edges resulted. Of course, if I was going for the prettiest edge and possibly a slight degree of higher sharpness, I would have used my Wicked Edge system. But it would have taken an hour or more. Maybe 2 if I was going for a mirror edge.
Doesnât that remove too much material?
Not once one gets the technique down. When learning I took way too much material off. Some of the cheap blades that I learned on were comical when I got done, Typically I only do one or two light strokes on each side with each grit. A few more on the leather belts. If I do it right, I should not remove any more metal than I would by hand sharpening.
Of course if one would use something like 80 grit and use a lot of pressure, sure you can remove lots of metal. Though, that is great for fixing things like broken tips⌠or reprofiling a new edge angle on a new knife.
Thanks! Itâs funny. I had to touch up that cigar quite a lot. It had construction issues. I tried another of those today and thankfully, no issues. These Encores have interesting notes, sort of malty. (I think they are cured with palm bark or something.) They go great with coffee, even more than usual.
That âokay knifeâ is the Sencut Snap. Itâs honestly one of my favorite budget knives of all time. Great action, solid lock-up, and 9Cr18Mov with an industry-leading heat treatment. Itâs sadly discontinued but old stock occasionally surfaces on the cheap.
Todayâs knife is this Vosteed Kroc. Very cool for what it is.
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Appreciate the explanation.
Cool, appreciate the explanation.
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Very interesting Photo. It took me a minute to figure out what I was looking at⌠
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