M390From blades to tuning-fork heads, follow the part
M390 in EDC is more than a code on a blade. It can carry a brushed finish or a black coating, form an unsharpened folding part, and even appear in the announcement for a gold-plated slider.
M390 is a specific grade within the stainless-steel family. BÖHLER M390 MICROCLEAN is a martensitic stainless steel made by powder metallurgy: stainless steel identifies the material family, while powder metallurgy describes its manufacturing route. Its maker emphasises wear and corrosion resistance, but a grade name is only part of a finished product’s specification.
The examples below follow T01 blade finishes, the unsharpened Lantern Shark, the head of BK4 Forks and the maker’s claims for GOLD SODA. Heat treatment, surface finish and the part made from M390 all belong in the description.
T01 launch configurations. M390 describes the blades; the handle bases and inserts have separate material specifications.
T01: one blade grade, different finishes and inserts
The T01 configuration with a titanium handle and titanium inserts: a brushed, uncoated M390 blade.
Brushed steel and black DLC take different visual routes
Tiesanjiao EDC introduced the Bauhaus-inspired T01 pocket knife in July 2026. All three launch configurations list M390 as the core blade material. The titanium-handle, titanium-insert version has a brushed, uncoated blade in the steel’s natural colour.
The other two retain a titanium-alloy handle base, with copper-Damascus or Zircuti inserts and brushed M390 blades with a black DLC coating. The same steel grade can therefore present a silver or black blade surface. The coloured pattern on the insert belongs to a different material.
These launch photographs show outlines and surface layers. The announcement does not provide comparative tests of the finished knives’ scratch resistance, cutting or feel, so the visual differences are not treated as a performance ranking.
Lantern Shark: M390 does not mean a sharpened blade
An open view following the final magnetic-insert design description. This photograph does not identify the insert material or a production colour. The announcement lists unsharpened M390 blades.
Blade, titanium handle and magnetic inserts are separate
Gecko and Ls Studio’s August 2026 Lantern Shark announcement lists a titanium-alloy handle and an M390 blade, explicitly unsharpened. The crystallised-titanium inserts are offered in natural, green, blue and pink finishes. The final design uses magnetic inserts, replacing the screw-fixed arrangement used in early prototypes.
The listed dimensions are 135 mm open, 75 mm closed and 3 mm blade thickness. The first two describe the whole piece in its open and closed states. M390 is not shorthand for an all-steel assembly, and omitting the unsharpened condition would change how a reader understands the product.
The maker also warns that moisture, drinks or sweat around the sandblasted rear surface and its grooves may lead to rust, and recommends drying after use with light oiling as appropriate. That advice concerns this finished product. It is compatible with the term stainless steel and does not identify the titanium handle as the part that may rust.
BK4 Forks: M390 at the tuning-fork head
The M390 head of BK4 Forks, black PVD-treated and stonewashed. The handle is separately specified as titanium alloy.
The head and handle have different treatments
The Moyeworks BK4 Forks announcement from Ruisha EDC explicitly identifies the fork head as M390. It receives a black PVD treatment followed by stonewashing; exposed light-coloured edges are described as part of that finish. The titanium handle is separately sandblasted and stonewashed, and an aged aluminium-bronze handle version is also listed.
This extension of the BK4 line adds tuning-fork play while retaining functions such as a wrench and bottle opener. Its sound depends on the structure and the opening or closing action. The announcement states that there is no standard decibel figure: the result varies with technique and force, rather than being an inherent loudness of M390.
The source qualifies the M390 as not heat-treated by the original steel producer. It gives no heat-treatment curve or finished hardness that can be verified here. The steel producer’s processing guidance is not presented as the treatment used on this particular tool.
GOLD SODA: a gold finish and a maker’s heat-treatment claim
Clown Orange’s 2022 GOLD SODA pre-order announcement describes a gold-plated BÖHLER M390 version with heat treatment by the original steel producer. It provides another documented use of the grade in a slider, while showing why a gold-coloured finish does not itself identify gold, brass or another steel.
The material provenance and return-to-producer heat-treatment statements come from the maker’s announcement. No supplier certificate or TRB test is available here to confirm them independently. The maker’s comparison with the feel of jade is also a subjective description, not evidence that all M390 products slide more smoothly.
Read the grade alongside treatment and purpose
BÖHLER identifies powder metallurgy as the manufacturing route for M390 MICROCLEAN, with very high wear resistance and good corrosion resistance. This describes the steel grade; it does not replace hardness, wear or cutting tests on a particular EDC product.
For a finished piece, first establish whether M390 belongs to the blade, fork head or another part. Then check sharpening state, coatings and who provides the heat-treatment information. Edge retention is not a measure of slider feel, and coating colour does not establish the underlying steel.
Follow the guidance for the finished product when caring for it. Lantern Shark’s drying advice is one concrete example. Where processing parameters or test results are absent, no universal hardness, maintenance-free promise or best heat-treatment recipe is added here.
IN THESE FAMILIES
Swipe to exploreThree photographed ranges: blade finishes, an unsharpened configuration and a tuning-fork head.
PIECES IN M390
Specific configurations paired with original photographs. These records do not indicate current stock or TRB testing.
ALL MATERIALS
Keep exploring the TRB material guides.
M390You are hereVIEW →Materials indexAlloys, polymers and finishesVIEW →
ZircutiZircuti material guideVIEW →
SuperconductorSuperconductor material guideVIEW →Material background
Stainless steel overview · M390 is one grade within the stainless-steel family. The overview explores grades, finishes and parts; this guide follows specific M390 product examples.
BÖHLER: M390 MICROCLEAN · Grade identity, powder-metallurgy route and material properties; not testing or certification of these EDC products.
