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Noticed a big shift in hoof knife steel over the past five years
I was sharpening my old 440C blade from 2019 and compared it to a new M390 knife I picked up. The edge retention on the newer steel is a night and day difference, I can get through a full day on a single horse without needing to touch it up. I think the move towards these powdered metallurgy steels from makers like Mustad is what did it. Anyone else find their sharpening routine has changed because of better steel?
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kim7271mo ago
That "wiping it down at the end of the day" part is so true. I switched to a blade with CPM-S35VN a couple years back and it was the same deal. My old routine was a quick pass on the ceramic rod after every third or fourth hoof, just to keep it biting. Now I just give it a proper sharpening once a week, maybe twice if I have a really busy schedule. It saves a ton of time.
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dylan6041mo ago
Oh man, tell me about it. My old stand-by feels like a butter knife next to the new M390 stuff. I used to have to stop and strop every other hoof, now I'm just wiping it down at the end of the day. It's crazy how much longer the edge holds.
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