Thread: CPM M4 steel for razors

I have been a lurker here and have learned much from the forum in my short three years with a straight razor....thanks. After collecting many less than perfect vintage blades to test their shave-ability and spending more and more time with the hobby and of course honing, stropping, honing, stropping it occurred to me that none of these vintage blades ever benefited from the new "super" steels. In the last thirty years or so quantum leaps have been made in specialty steels with a lot of feedback from the knife forums but virtually nothing from the razor guys in typical searches. It piqued my interest to know how a "modern" steel from the hands of a custom maker, like Doug of Douglas Cutlery, would compare to the tried and true Filarmonica, Dbl Duck, Henckels, Boker, Wade, Torrey or other favorite?. How would those blades compare to what Doug was already making? Doug has agreed to satisfy my curiosity. He is currently making a pair of razors in the same style but with his preferred choice of steel to compare with the micro-powder processed CPM M4 which has won many extreme cutting competitions. How is it as a razor steel? Doug and I will let you know how this project progresses. I for one am very excited at the mere chance of getting my "perfect razor".