MagnaCut vs S45VN

MagnaCut holds an edge longer, is tougher and resists corrosion better, and the two tie on ease of sharpening. The biggest gap is toughness (8/10 vs 5/10). S45VN does not beat MagnaCut on any rating, so pick it for a specific knife rather than for the steel.

MagnaCut vs S45VN ratingsMagnaCut: Edge retention 7/10, Toughness 8/10, Corrosion resistance 9/10, Ease of sharpening 5/10; S45VN: Edge retention 6/10, Toughness 5/10, Corrosion resistance 8/10, Ease of sharpening 5/10Edge retention7 / 6Toughness8 / 5Corrosion resistance9 / 8Ease ofsharpening5 / 5MagnaCutS45VN

Who wins each property

MagnaCut vs S45VN: rating differencesEdge retention: MagnaCut 7, S45VN 6; Toughness: MagnaCut 8, S45VN 5; Corrosion resistance: MagnaCut 9, S45VN 8; Ease of sharpening: MagnaCut 5, S45VN 5← S45VN betterMagnaCut better →Edge retention+1Toughness+3Corrosion resistance+1Ease of sharpeningtie

Side by side

MagnaCutS45VN
TypePowder metallurgy stainless steelsPowder metallurgy stainless steels
Hardness61–64 HRC59–61 HRC
Edge retention7/106/10
Toughness8/105/10
Corrosion resistance9/108/10
Ease of sharpening5/105/10
Price tierPremiumPremium
MakerCrucible (designed by Larrin Thomas)Crucible
MagnaCut vs S45VN hardnessMagnaCut: 61-64 HRC; S45VN: 59-61 HRC55 soft60 mid65 very hard507061–6459–61

Composition

ElementMagnaCutS45VN
Carbon (C)1.151.48
Chromium (Cr)10.716
Vanadium (V)43
Molybdenum (Mo)22
Niobium (Nb)20.5
Nitrogen (N)0.20.15
Manganese (Mn)0.40.5
Silicon (Si)0.40.5
Phosphorus (P)0.030.03
Sulfur (S)0.030.03
MagnaCut vs S45VN compositionMagnaCut: C 1.15%, Cr 10.7%, V 4.0%, Mo 2.0%, Nb 2.0%, N 0.2%, Mn 0.4%, Si 0.4%, P 0.03%, S 0.03%; S45VN: C 1.48%, Cr 16.0%, V 3.0%, Mo 2.0%, Nb 0.5%, N 0.15%, Mn 0.5%, Si 0.5%, P 0.03%, S 0.03%0%5%10%15%20%25%Carbon (C)1.151.48Chromium (Cr)10.716Vanadium (V)43Molybdenum (Mo)22Niobium (Nb)20.5Nitrogen (N)0.20.15Manganese (Mn)0.40.5Silicon (Si)0.40.5Phosphorus (P)0.030.03Sulfur (S)0.030.03MagnaCutS45VN

Property by property

Edge retention

MagnaCut holds an edge longer: 7/10 against 6/10 for S45VN, a 1-point gap. Vanadium: 4% vs 3%; more vanadium carbide generally means more wear resistance.

Toughness

MagnaCut is tougher: 8/10 against 5/10 for S45VN, a 3-point gap. Typical hardness: 61–64 vs 59–61 HRC; harder blades trade toughness for edge holding.

Corrosion resistance

MagnaCut resists corrosion better: 9/10 against 8/10 for S45VN, a 1-point gap. Chromium: 10.7% vs 16%, though what matters is the chromium left in solution, not the total.

Ease of sharpening

Both rate 5/10 for ease of sharpening.

Knives in each steel

MagnaCut

KnifeBrandBladeWeightLockList priceBuy
Zero Tolerance 0562CFZero Tolerance3.5"5.5 ozTitanium frame lock$375Blade HQ
Chris Reeve Knives Large Sebenza 31Chris Reeve Knives3.61"4.7 ozReeve Integral Lock$500Blade HQ
Hogue DekaHogue3.25"2.1 ozABLE Lock$184.95Blade HQ
Benchmade Adamas 275GY-03Benchmade3.82"6.54 ozAXIS lock$325Blade HQ
Kershaw Link 1776OLSWKershaw3.25"4.7 ozLiner lock$209.99Blade HQ

S45VN

KnifeBrandBladeWeightLockList priceBuy
Spyderco Para 3Spyderco2.93"3.4 ozCompression lock$263Blade HQ
Spyderco Paramilitary 2Spyderco3.45"3.8 ozCompression lock$279Blade HQ

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FAQ

Which is better, MagnaCut or S45VN?

MagnaCut holds an edge longer, is tougher and resists corrosion better, and the two tie on ease of sharpening. The biggest gap is toughness (8/10 vs 5/10). S45VN does not beat MagnaCut on any rating, so pick it for a specific knife rather than for the steel.

Which is harder, MagnaCut or S45VN?

MagnaCut is typically run at 61–64 HRC and S45VN at 59–61 HRC.

Is MagnaCut or S45VN more rust resistant?

MagnaCut (9/10). Both are powder metallurgy stainless steels.

Related comparisons

Full steel pages: CPM MagnaCut · CPM S45VN