3V 3" range fixed

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bobnery

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Mar 16, 2008
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Looking for a fixed blade in 3V in the 3 inch blade range

Don't want a convexed edge so Barkies are out on this one

Would like to find on available, and not have to wait for production, so the GSO is out unless there is a dealer that has them.

Ideas?
 
Keep your eyes peeled on the knife makers for sale subforum..many makers have been using 3v as of late. I've picked up a couple in the past few weeks.
 
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You could easily convert a convexed Bark River edge into a standard V edge. There is not much difference to start with.

There are 3.5 inch GSO knives in 3V that come up fairly often on the sales forum. So that's an option.

My first take is to wonder why you would want 3V steel in a 3-inch blade. You don't usually need the extreme toughness of 3V in a small blade, and you can find stainless steels that will be plenty tough and hold an edge better, such as M390.
 
I have really liked the knives from Dunn Knives, especially the 3 1/4 bird and trout knife, they use 3v and have some interesting knives. Check them out, prices are a little higher, but not unreasonable.
 
Twindog said:
You could easily convert a convexed Bark River edge into a standard V edge. There is not much difference to start with.

There are 3.5 inch GSO knives in 3V that come up fairly often on the sales forum. So that's an option.

My first take is to wonder why you would want 3V steel in a 3-inch blade. You don't usually need the extreme toughness of 3V in a small blade, and you can find stainless steels that will be plenty tough and hold an edge better, such as M390.
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Toughness and strength are beneficial at the edge, too. You don't just need them in a chopper or other large knife. If you cut something more than cardboard you'd probably find a tougher steel with good wear resistance more beneficial than a knife with higher wear resistance and lower toughness. For me, and I've learned this through some decent experience, a 3 inch blade with 3V would be far more effective for my uses than a 3 inch blade in a high carbide volume steel.

Edge retention and wear resistance are not the same and I believe some of this super high carbide stuff will fall by the wayside once people start seeing steels with better toughness are more suitable for their needs as long as they use their knives for more than cutting envelopes, boxes, and tomatoes.
 
I recently picked up a strider SA monkeys edge model in cpm 3v steel. I love the sweep angle and lines of the edge. My version has black oxide finish. Stock sheath with techlock is convenient and slick too. I believe overall length is around 7 inches, with an aprx 3 inch blade (from .19mm stock thickness at spine).

Super sturdy and well built unit. Good ergos (even with multiple grip positions). Strider makes some good products.
 
bodog said:
Toughness and strength are beneficial at the edge, too. You don't just need them in a chopper or other large knife. If you cut something more than cardboard you'd probably find a tougher steel with good wear resistance more beneficial than a knife with higher wear resistance and lower toughness. For me, and I've learned this through some decent experience, a 3 inch blade with 3V would be far more effective for my uses than a 3 inch blade in a high carbide volume steel.

Edge retention and wear resistance are not the same and I believe some of this super high carbide stuff will fall by the wayside once people start seeing steels with better toughness are more suitable for their needs as long as they use their knives for more than cutting envelopes, boxes, and tomatoes.
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The big benefit of 3V is toughness, not strength. Strength, for the most part, is just an analogue of hardness. Toughness is the ability to resist breaking, chipping and cracking. What do you do with your 3-inch blades that would break M390 or Elmax?

I'd agree with you that there are situations where a 3-inch blade would benefit from the toughness of 3V. But needing extreme toughness in a small blade would not be a typical situation. It would usually be more useful in a small blade to have more wear resistance and stain resistance -- even strength -- than an super high level of toughness. Why give up wear resistance and stain resistance for toughness that you will never need? The OP may very well have such a need, but he didn't specify it. It made me curious, that's all.
 
Twindog said:
The big benefit of 3V is toughness, not strength. Strength, for the most part, is just an analogue of hardness. Toughness is the ability to resist breaking, chipping and cracking. What do you do with your 3-inch blades that would break M390 or Elmax?

I'd agree with you that there are situations where a 3-inch blade would benefit from the toughness of 3V. But needing extreme toughness in a small blade would not be a typical situation. It would usually be more useful in a small blade to have more wear resistance and stain resistance -- even strength -- than an super high level of toughness. Why give up wear resistance and stain resistance for toughness that you will never need? The OP may very well have such a need, but he didn't specify it. It made me curious, that's all.
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Youre right in your assessment of strength and toughness but wrong in your assertion that edge toughness and strength are not necessary for a 3 inch blade. To each his own. I use the hell out of my blades. If you want to have high wear resistance in a small fixed blade, that's cool, but don't try to manipulate the facts and dissuade someone from a tool that would suit them better. The man said he wanted 3V, while he didn't assert any specific uses he did assert he wanted 3V, that means he's going to be doing more than envelope and box cutting, or he wants the capability of doing more. I can't blame him, I need more too. No matter how much you try to dissuade me from needing a high toughness and high strength steel with good to great wear resistance, it will not work because I know what I need. If I had my choice I'd have a 3.5 inch blade in 4V or Vanadis 4E at about 63 or 64 hrc and that's what I'd ask. Who makes a 3.5 inch blade in 4V or V4E at that hardness. The dude asked something pretty similar. Why are you trying to tell the man he needs something more or less than what he specifically asked for? Do you assume the guy doesn't know enough to know what he wants?
 
bodog said:
Youre right in your assessment of strength and toughness but wrong in your assertion that edge toughness and strength are not necessary for a 3 inch blade. To each his own. I use the hell out of my blades. If you want to have high wear resistance in a small fixed blade, that's cool, but don't try to manipulate the facts and dissuade someone from a tool that would suit them better. The man said he wanted 3V, while he didn't assert any specific uses he did assert he wanted 3V, that means he's going to be doing more than envelope and box cutting, or he wants the capability of doing more. I can't blame him, I need more too. No matter how much you try to dissuade me from needing a high toughness and high strength steel with good to great wear resistance, it will not work because I know what I need. If I had my choice I'd have a 3.5 inch blade in 4V or Vanadis 4E at about 63 or 64 hrc and that's what I'd ask. Who makes a 3.5 inch blade in 4V or V4E at that hardness. The dude asked something pretty similar. Why are you trying to tell the man he needs something more or less than what he specifically asked for? Do you assume the guy doesn't know enough to know what he wants?
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I'm not busting your chops or the OP's. I gave the OP a couple suggestions on how to find a small blade in 3V and asked why he needed 3V in such a small blade. Just curious. And you didn't answer my question: What do you do with your small 3V blades that would break blades made of M390?

And to be clear, 3V is not a high-strength steel. Strength is mostly about a high Rc value. Lots of steels can get harder than 3V. The value of 3V is toughness, which is usually, but not always, more important in larger, hard-use blades.
 
Twindog said:
I'm not busting your chops or the OP's. I gave the OP a couple suggestions on how to find a small blade in 3V and asked why he needed 3V in such a small blade. Just curious. And you didn't answer my question: What do you do with your small 3V blades that would break blades made of M390?

And to be clear, 3V is not a high-strength steel. Strength is mostly about a high Rc value. Lots of steels can get harder than 3V. The value of 3V is toughness, which is usually, but not always, more important in larger, hard-use blades.
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You have to think about what makes it tougher. What causes those bigger blades to break and why they'd need toughness. Now apply that to an edge and it's the same principle. I recently explained it in another thread. I don't cut into empty boxes alone. I hit staples, nails, porcelain, ceramic, I need to awl into wood, I cut into big burlap sack with dried rice and coffee bean. I baton through frozen chunks of fish. I stab into and pry apart squares of frozen shrimp and other stank shit you wouldn't want to mess with all day. I have to cut metal pallet straps on the fly with no other tools on me but a crowbar, a small mallet, a drill, and a leatherman. I use the crap out of my knives for more than just cutting up empty boxes. If you need a weaker steel with high amounts of hard carbides, that's fine for you. I know what I need and why. I can't carry a huge chopper on me, hell, I couldn't use a big chopper anyway, but I do need a knife whose edge lasts by resisting chipping and rolling, the knife needs to be small enough to protect if I end up fighting with someone but big enough to have a usable edge and a handle that's comfortable to use hard. So I need high strength, high toughness, and good to great wear resistance to last about a week because I don't want to sharpen everyday. So now that I explained what I do with my knives and how hard I am on them and why I say SOME people need a high strength and high toughness small fixed blade, exactly how hard do you use your knives? If you think really ANY high carbide volume steel is tough enough to withstand that amount of abuse at the thinnest part of the knife, ie, the edge, then please tell me. You'll be a famous man because you've figured out something that's been debated for quite awhile. Please tell me how a weak steel with a lot of carbide fracture potential can withstand hard use? I use my knives for what knives are meant for. Cutting, stabbing, and separating. And I need them in a small to medium sized package.

And I don't need a super thick blade either. It needs to resist fracture and deformation at the edge first and foremost while still retaining a good cutting profile. I cannot make it clearer because I'm not knowledgable enough to lay out a dissertation explaining the science behind it and I'm not patient enough to find all the other people's research that explains it all. I understand most people probably want a corrosion resistant knife that doesn't need sharpened very often, that's cool. To each his own.
 
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An actual dog fight!

Can somebody please point me to a thread that discusses the difference between strength & toughness?
 
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