Does anyone use RWL 34?

[The Tourist]

Mikov is one of my favorite knife makers and they use an alloy called RWL 34 on some of their higher end blades. Looking at steel charts only provides me with general information.

Due to the end-user costs, I'm reluctant to take a pig-in-a-poke. However, if it is superior steel, I'd like to own one. None of my clients have asked for one, so this will be a personal EDC.

Frankly, none of the custom cutlers I know or have done business with use this alloy. To my knowledge this seems to be more of a "Euro steel."

Does RWL 34 offer any advantages? More to the point, what are some of the pitfalls?

[argel55]

Rwl- 34 is the Sweden equivalent of CPM154 stainless. It is a high quality steel that finishes very nicesly and has a very fine edge.
Only thing I did not like was the cost, CPM154 is just as nice. They both heat treat the same and end up with a similar product.

[The Tourist]

Originally Posted by argel55

Rwl- 34 is the Sweden equivalent of CPM154 stainless. It is a high quality steel that finishes very nicesly and has a very fine edge.
Only thing I did not like was the cost, CPM154 is just as nice. They both heat treat the same and end up with a similar product.

Thank you for the response.

I have found that many of the Crucible "CPM" steels polish quite brightly. Granted, the cosmetic finish is nice to look at, but I figure that if the decorative part of the bevel is devoid of tool marks, so will the the leading edge. Kitchen knives should slice easily, like on a tomato.

One of my current personal EDCs is the new Pelton HEST folder. Made of D2, I think it's more CPM-D2 from the superior polish.

But as you mention, this RWL-34 is a tad pricey, and my garden variety Mikov folders slice just fine. There has been some discussion on the heavier frames they use in that series, and they come with a much nicer sheath. I'm not sure that's worth the cost, however, since my wife and I own several standard Mikov folders now.