Every few years a new steel comes along that genuinely changes the conversation. CPM MagnaCut is one of those steels.
What Is MagnaCut?
CPM MagnaCut is a stainless steel developed by metallurgist Larrin Thomas and produced by Crucible Industries. Released in 2021, it was designed from the ground up to solve a problem that has plagued knife steels for decades: the trade-off between toughness and corrosion resistance.
Traditionally, steels with high corrosion resistance (like M390) sacrifice toughness. Steels with high toughness (like S35VN) sacrifice some corrosion resistance. MagnaCut was engineered to deliver both — and it delivers on that promise.
What Makes It Special
MagnaCut achieves its remarkable balance through a carefully controlled carbide structure. By eliminating chromium carbides — which reduce toughness and corrosion resistance when they form — and replacing them with niobium and vanadium carbides, Thomas created a steel where the chromium is fully available to provide corrosion protection.
The result:
- Corrosion resistance that rivals or exceeds M390
- Toughness that rivals S35VN
- Edge retention that sits comfortably in premium territory
- Sharpenability that's better than M390 despite similar performance
MagnaCut vs. M390
M390 has been the collector's corrosion-resistant steel of choice for years. MagnaCut challenges it directly — matching or beating it in corrosion resistance while being significantly tougher and easier to sharpen. For most collectors, MagnaCut is the better all-around choice. M390 retains an edge in mirror polish aesthetics for display pieces.
MagnaCut vs. S35VN
S35VN is the benchmark production steel. MagnaCut offers better edge retention and corrosion resistance while maintaining comparable toughness. It's a meaningful upgrade in almost every measurable way.
The Collector Angle
MagnaCut knives are increasingly appearing on limited edition and premium production runs — exactly the kind of pieces that end up in serious collections. Its combination of performance and story (a steel designed by a metallurgist specifically to break trade-offs) gives it genuine collector appeal beyond just the numbers.
As more makers adopt MagnaCut, expect to see it become the new benchmark for premium production knives — the way S35VN was a decade ago.
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