Goodbye CPM 15V

CPM 15V: The End of an Era – Don’t Miss Your Chance

Those of you who live and breathe blades will likely have heard the recent, sobering news that Crucible Industries, the historic manufacturer of many beloved powder metallurgy (PM) knife steels, has filed for bankruptcy for the final time. This time, there’s no restructuring, no comeback. Production of PM steels under the Crucible name is officially coming to an end.

But all is not lost.

In a silver-lining moment, EraSteel, a European metallurgical company headquartered in France with its main production facility in Sweden has stepped in to acquire the intellectual property rights to Crucible’s PM cutlery steels. This move will help preserve many of the steels knife enthusiasts have come to know and love, including popular grades like CPM 3V, M4, and S90V. EraSteel is expected to begin production of these steels, many under the same names or slight variations thereof.

Thankfully, Niagara Specialty Metals, a US-based company long involved in the hot-rolling and finishing of Crucible’s steels for knife industry use, will continue to play a vital role. They’ve proactively stockpiled Crucible inventory and are working closely with other producers like Carpenter Technology to minimise supply chain disruptions while EraSteel ramps up.

However, inside of ever silver-lining...

Some specialty steels may never return. There’s growing uncertainty around the future of REX121 and SPY27, with the latter’s outlook appearing especially bleak. But one steel, in particular, seems all but certain to vanish: CPM 15V.

Why? Because producing 15V isn’t just a matter of replicating a recipe. It requires extremely high smelting temperatures and specialised equipment that, up until now, only Crucible Industries had. For another manufacturer to replicate this process would require significant capital investment, a move that from a business standpoint, simply doesn’t make sense given the niche demand.

In other words, unless a miracle occurs, CPM 15V is done.

That makes the current availability of 15V knives a rare window of opportunity. If you’ve ever been curious about this steel or already know and love it - now is the time to act. Production is over. What’s in circulation today may be all there ever will be.

Notably, Spyderco’s recent line of 15V knives has been heat-treated using a proprietary protocol developed by Shawn Houston, pushing the performance of this already-exceptional steel to new heights. CPM 15V delivers world-class edge retention with respectable toughness, making it a top-tier option for those who demand the absolute most from their cutting tools.

Collectors, enthusiasts, users, this is your heads-up. These knives are quickly becoming scarce, and their desirability is only going to grow as availability dries up. Whether you’re buying to use or to hold, a CPM 15V blade represents a unique moment in knife steel history.

Don’t wait. Pull the trigger now, or risk missing out entirely.

https://arcticknife.com/search.php?search_query=15V