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Summary
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For those who are more interested in the results than the process, we won’t keep
you in suspense. On this page we’ve summarized our test results so you can get back
into your shop and finish the project you’re working on. (For those who are curious
about the details of how we tested, we’ve provided lots to read in the pages that
follow.)
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What were the test criteria?
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When we started the process of evaluating new blade materials, we looked at characteristics
that woodworkers really care about.
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These included:
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 How well does the blade handle impact?
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How well does the blade wear?
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How easy is it to sharpen the blade?
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With these criteria in mind, we developed a test suite to determine which material
performed the best.
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What types of blades were tested?
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We tested 21 different metals, some with a variety of heat treatments. Included
in our test suite were metals that are commonly used in blades: O1, A2, M2 and M4.
Every metal was tested with bevel angles of 20°, 25°, 30° and 35°.
Every blade was lapped to the Veritas Tools standard of 5μin.
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How did we test the blades?
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We developed specific test procedures to determine the different performance characteristics
of the blades. The details of how we tested are on the pages that follow.
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How did the PM-V11 alloy perform relative to the other metals?
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This graph presents performance on the Impact and Wear tests.
(Note: PM-V11, O1, A2 and M4 are the only named metals.)
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Wear and Impact Test Results
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The PM-V11 alloy was the clear winner on the impact test, surpassing all the other
metals. Most significantly, PM-V11 blades were able to hold a bevel angle of 25°
during impact testing. On the wear test, PM-V11 blades tied for the second position.
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We tested the top performing blades on the Impact and Wear tests (as well as O1
and A2) to assess their ease of sharpening.
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Our sharpening tests showed that O1 is still the easiest metal to sharpen, but the
PM-V11 alloy was a close second, even a bit easier to sharpen than A2.
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Blade
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Ease of Sharpening
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O1
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10
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PM-V11
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6.5
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A2
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6
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M4
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1
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