Anyone dislike S30V?

I'll never need a steel "better" than s30v, I think its perfect on the price to performance ratio. I don't plan on upgrading anytime soon.
 
I personally like VG-10 quite a bit better than S30V. I'll buy an EDC-type knife with VG-10 before one with S30V. My VG-10 knives will take a razor sharp edge and hold it longer than S30V, as others have mentioned. It's not hard to get a sharp edge on S30V with stones (Spyderco ceramics, King water stones), but it doesn't seem to take a razor sharp edge like VG-10 will. YMMV.
 
It is my least favorite steel of the steels I own. But it seems to work pretty well as an all arounder blade steel.

I greatly prefer some other steels that seem to hold a keener edge for longer. I do not mind a minute or two of routine maintenance to keep a super keen edge on some knives and S30V is more of a steel that does 'well' with no maintenence (but degrades to 'working sharp' and stays there for a relatively long time).

I don't hate it, I just don't love it!
 
Oh man, this just is the crux of the issue for me Joe. I grew up on 5160(leaf springs) and 52100(ball bearing and ball races) with hit or miss heat treat and this makes s30v pretty impressive to me. I still have knives in both steels that I really like but they also make me appreciate more what is available now.
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I'd take either of these any day from a home made charcoal forge than what used to pass for stainless steel here in the 70's. Unless you bought Buck or Gerber with 440C most stainless was junk. When it said "surgical" it was supposed to be an improvement. A step up. I couldn't afford real Buck or Gerbers back then so I got some real junk until I just started getting carbon steels. Then as now the carbon steels were easy to sharpen but some of those surgical steels just didn't want to get sharp. Sort of our equilavent to our Pakistan pot metal blades of today. I've seen some of those that were like chrome plated plastic as far as trying to use. Joe

Joe
 
It is my least favorite steel of the steels I own. But it seems to work pretty well as an all arounder blade steel.

I greatly prefer some other steels that seem to hold a keener edge for longer. I do not mind a minute or two of routine maintenance to keep a super keen edge on some knives and S30V is more of a steel that does 'well' with no maintenence (but degrades to 'working sharp' and stays there for a relatively long time).

I don't hate it, I just don't love it!
 
If I had my choice I would probably choose everything in M390, but I really like S30v. I think there are tons of threads out there with people who even prefer s30v over s35v. Like others stated, I have a ton of blades in S30v and I also agree that it is a wonderful price to performance steel.
 
I don't dislike S30V at all, but I prefer VG-10 for it's ability to hold a sharper edge for longer. Both are very good user steels, though.
 
After reading all the discussions on different steels I almost have to compare them to Microsoft windows. The older versions work, maybe not great, but they usually do what you want it to do. But after awhile we want something "new", so they come out with a newer windows, "Maybe" a little better, some new bells and whistles and some people like it, some people hate it. So, again after a little time goes by, another version comes out....etc...

So, would S30V be comparable to windows XP? :D
 
I love it! Especially the CRK variety at a lower RC.

It holds a working edge forever. Sure it will lose it's razors edge but it will cut and cut and keep on cutting for months on end with no maintance.

The initial bevel shaping takes the longest, but if you put a microbevel on it, you can bring it back to a razors edge in a matter of seconds.

All of the modern super steels chip and deform with the kind of use I put my edges too. The higher RC steels like ZDP chip into a non-working edge rather quickly, and I ended up resharpening the initial bevel weekly...the added maintenance and not being able to come in contact with softer metals without chipping has turned me off to these "super" steel.

Give me a softer medium-end steel any day of the week.
 
pilote said:
i love the stuff...holds its edge well and as long as you don't wait till it get really dull it's easy to get the edge back...

and since i have no intention ever of shaving my face with an s30v knife, getting one "shaving sharp" is irrelevant; all i ever need on my knifes are "working edge" sharp
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This. I don't really understand the comments about it being so hard to sharpen. It's harder than Aus8 for insttance, but still not hard to sharpen on good diamond bench stones.
 
I carried a 154CM BM 940 for years. It served me well. I now have VG-10, M390, S30V, and 1095 in my arsenal. They all do the job. I tend to think some of this I just desire for knife collectors to try something new.

For me, the greatest desire is to see more US-made steels.
 
What does everyone think of zero tolerance's
S30V ? I just sent my ZT 0350 to richardj for
A paper wheel spa treatment ! Thanks

Frank
 
This is just what I find, but I have a benchmade 940 in S30V and it gets little pits of rust on it easily. It's never been wet ether, because I got it a few weeks ago, I've also put WD40 on the blade as well at night to keep it from rusting. I much prefer my Manix 2 in 154cm for EDC. But my S30V Para 2 hold a great edge and I absolutely love it... Maybe this is just a benchmade thing?
 
I have both Blue Para2 M390 and the plain S30V, TBH i dont noticed any superior edge retention of M390, strangely, sometime i even feel that S30V cuttin more aggressive than m390.
 
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