20cv vs s30v - practical use and ease of sharpening

[Humint]

Hey all my favorite user steel is s30V or s35VN; takes a nice fine edge, is easy to sharpen on my sharp maker for me and it's working edge lasts the perfect amount of time in my opinion. With Benchmades new Griptilian coming out in 20cv, I was wondering users opinion on the comparison of that steel against s30 or s35vn in terms of Ed retention as well as ease of sharpening. As mentioned, I have no problem sharpening s30 or s35vn on my Spyderco Sharpmaker.

 

[shinyedges]

20cv is an equivalent of m390 if I'm not mistaken and will have better edge retention and corrosion resistance.

Sharpening should still be able to be done with a sharpmaker but obviously reprofiling or removing major damage will be very difficult without pretty abrasive rods but the same can be said for s30v and s35vn.

20cv is an improvement in my opinion.

I have a knife with m390 and love this steel 204p and 20cv are supposed to be US versions of bohlers m390.

I think 20cv has a very slight chemical composition difference and the powder technology is not as refined as m390. Could be mistaken though.

Still 20cv is supposed to be a good steel.

 

[shqxk]

20CV = better edge holding on low impact/abrasive material cutting, higher corrosion resistance.

S30V = tougher, less chipping.

Given both proper heat treat, I personally prefer S30V over 20CV.

 

[jpless]

My understanding is the same, with 20CV being an American version of the m390. I think the m390/20cv would be better for lighter duties with less need for maintenance while the s30v is better for tougher cutting tasks. This is why I went with the m390 Ritter Mini ifor my EDC and the s30v PM2 for my workhorse.

 

[DocT]

Who is Ed and why would you want to retain him?

 

[Ccc]

I used an M390 Ritter Grip and a s30v PM2 everyday for four weeks while on a training exercise. The knives were used for food, rope, whittling, cutting wire and cord, cardboard, and general chores (opening clamshell packaging, zip ties, cutting LOTS of pesky branches, and preparing terrain maps). I switched the knives out every other day (to keep myself from getting bored, not for testing purposes.)

The s30v did well, but was noticeable affected after the four weeks. It had shiny spots on the edge when viewed straight-on, could not cleanly cut office paper or laminating plastic, and really needed some care to be useful again (i didn't bring a strop or stones with me.)

The M390 also did well. There was one spot on the belly near the tip that was affected (small shiny spot), but the rest felt as sharp as day one. None of my tasks were inhibited by the condition of the edge.

The s30v is easier for me to sharpen (especially Spyderco's s30v), but the durability of the M390 was really impressive. I won't avoid a knife because it has s30v, but I will always show a preference for m390/20cv/204p after seeing the very real EDC difference.

 

[M1GarandGuy]

S30V is not even in the same league as 20cv. I own several knives in both steels and 20cv is far better.
S30V is very chippy (more so than 20cv) and in my experience is just as hard to sharpen (although they are not as hard as people claim)
Edge retention is where 20cv shines... faaaarrr better than s30v.
I own a bradford guardian in m390 (same steel as 20cv) and it is extremely tough, not 3v but it'll do.
20cv will do better for you than s30v will

 

[mycough]

20CV = better edge holding on low impact/abrasive material cutting, higher corrosion resistance.

S30V = tougher, less chipping.

Given both proper heat treat, I personally prefer S30V over 20CV.

S30v, less chipping than M390? I disagree... I prefer m390 over s30v, custom or production heat treat.
Russ

 

[Twindog]

S30V can be chippy if the heat treat is not done correctly, but done well, it's not chippy at all. M390 and its ilk are awesome all-around steels, but S30V, done well, is awesome, too.

 

[philwar]

I have a fair bit of experience with both S30V and CV20/M390, and IMO there is no contest; I prefer CV20. Not taking anything away from S30V, it's a very good steel, but CV20 holds a fine edge longer, I personally don't think it chips worse than S30V and I don't notice a difference in sharpening ease. So given a choice, I'd go with CV20 every time. I think it's one of the best steels around.

 

[walleyeguy7]

For EDC it pretty much works like a strictly better upgrade, and for harder work I'm sure it's still close to a strictly better upgrade. You probably won't notice a difference in hand sharpening, but a little difference in polishing. To me L-20CV/CTS-204P/BU-M390 aren't miracles, but much like CPM-S90V, CPM-S110V, CPM-M4 and other high carbide steels they are all really awesome and you will like them. If you don't like one of those steels for EDC folders I'd be curious to know your reasons because I love using them!

 

[The Aflac Duck]

Neither steel is very tough, and since so many people want M390/20CV ran 60+ (which I don't understand) S30V has the potential to be tougher. M390/20CV is decently wear resistant, and highly corrosion resistant.

I haven't been impressed with either steel.