3v usage?

cbach8tw

cbach8tw

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Jan 9, 2006
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Need any advice about 3v performance, edge holding, etc, and anyone's use of it in the field. I certainly would appreciate it.
 
Ive used 3v as done by daniel winkler and i am VERY impressed at edge retention and toughness. Let me emphasize more on edge retention.. outstanding. Really there is no real negatives to 3v unless you like to sharpen knives with an arkansas stone the size of a match box.
 
It good shit and I dont think it is as hard to hand sharpen as people say. I have some 3V in. 62RC to 60 and 5 inches to 24inches. I just reprofiled my big chopper to about 0.025-0.035 sholder on a reasonable cutty profile and may reduce it more.
 
I have a GSO-10 in CPM-3V & have chopped thru several 6"-8" logs(pine & maple) & was still able to shave hairs with it without any touch up.It's probably some of the best steel I've ever had the opportunity to use along with M390,M4,& S90V.I'm far from any steel guru though.
 
I've had three fixed blades in 3V as well as a folding Spyderco TUFF in CPM-3V. My first choice is SurviveKnives and the GSO series. You can pay a lot more if you wish to buy from custom folks...like Winkler. Note that Winkler has an excellent rep.
You can find plenty of videos with Guy Seiferd (SurviveKnives CEO) on YT, illustrating the value of 3V.
http://surviveknives.com/knives/gso-series/
 
Best steel since sliced bread. (That makes Zero sense)

I used it in two knives back to back, an El Patron and a Hawkbill Custom by Coty Handley.

The charts say it's top 2 or 3 on the 'toughness' scale. I am not sure if this is applicable in any normal situation? Personally I beat on CPM154 the same as I do on 3V....

The major difference I see between the two is edge retention and how easy it is to get that edge back.

The steel takes an incredible edge relative to how strong it is.
It's reasonably chip resistant, and holds a working edge for a VERY long time.

It's almost as easy to sharpen as 1095.

Where this gets strange is HT.
If done well, it's a second to none blade steel.
 
Check out nathan the machinist videos of him demonstrating the toughness of 3v, he busts up concrete with his knife... keep in mind his knives are designed to be cutters so their not .30 thick with an obtuse edge like 60+ degrees inclusive and his knives hold up damn well. That said ANY steel can suffer damage from a drop on concrete.. something about Murphy's law.
nopyo said:
It holds a great edge...until you drop it on concrete :(
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shinyedges said:
Check out nathan the machinist videos of him demonstrating the toughness of 3v, he busts up concrete with his knife... keep in mind his knives are designed to be cutters so their not .30 thick with an obtuse edge like 60+ degrees inclusive and his knives hold up damn well. That said ANY steel can suffer damage from a drop on concrete.. something about Murphy's law.
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Recently got my chopper done with this HT. Last night after reducing secondary bevel and 3-4 brandy shots I accidently took a large swing at the granite fireplace while chopping at some wood. There was a large gash in the granite but only the faintest reflection but would cut paper fine. It is definetly different and tough with that HT.
 
i'd like to get a chopper in 3v, granite ain't no joke..just goes to show how tough 3v is.
gsx-rboy750 said:
Recently got my chopper done with this HT. Last night after reducing secondary bevel and 3-4 brandy shots I accidently took a large swing at the granite fireplace while chopping at some wood. There was a large gash in the granite but only the faintest reflection but would cut paper fine. It is definetly different and tough with that HT.
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The more I learned about 3v, the more I had to try it for myself. Not as a looker but a user and let me tell you...I love the stuff. I ended up selling a bunch of knives one by one in order to fund more knives in 3v and I'm glad I did.

I have 3v from SK!, Winkler and Fehrman. You won't go wrong with any of these guys. Fehrman, in my opinion is king of 3v with their in house proprietary 3 day HT process.
 
shinyedges said:
i'd like to get a chopper in 3v, granite ain't no joke..just goes to show how tough 3v is.
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I made myself a 17inch chopper in Zwear, just finished the 23.5 3v chopper, got a A2 golok I traded for and going to do a 28inch ztuff chopper/sword next. Which I will try to have treated similarly to the 3V.
Do it and go big!!
 
Nice, I've read good things on z wear so its definitely on my list of steels to try. Quite the variety of choppers you got, I'd be happy with a gladius in 3v or a2 or zwear for that matter lol Good on you for making your own blades as well, that's also something I want to get into.
gsx-rboy750 said:
I made myself a 17inch chopper in Zwear, just finished the 23.5 3v chopper, got a A2 golok I traded for and going to do a 28inch ztuff chopper/sword next. Which I will try to have treated similarly to the 3V.
Do it and go big!!
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gsx-rboy750 said:
I made myself a 17inch chopper in Zwear, just finished the 23.5 3v chopper, got a A2 golok I traded for and going to do a 28inch ztuff chopper/sword next. Which I will try to have treated similarly to the 3V.
Do it and go big!!
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At 60 HRC I believe Z-Wear is tougher than 3V
 
bodog said:
At 60 HRC I believe Z-Wear is tougher than 3V
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I have a 3V at 61rc and a zwear knife at 60rc both HTed the same way but different sesions.
Last night I smacked the spines on each other 3 times and the damage was slightly more on the zwear.
That does not mean much but is real world.
 
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I feel that 3V is the best combination of toughness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance that exists in a blade steel right now.
 
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