anyone else tired of s30v?

I love S30V but as I get older I am drawn to the carbon steels. M2, M4, 51560 ( whatever it is) and even "lower" grade 10XX carbon steels are awesome. The patina factor alone makes them super interesting.
TC
 
Ok well no need for harshness, but I use a knife everyday constantly at work....I cut paper and plastic because I'm an automotive painter and enjoy using my knives for this task over a razor blade

I am no metal expert but have a difference in my uses and s30v doesn't perform the greatest for the task I have given it (I'm not saying it is bad) it doesn't seem to hold a razor edge and if I don't leave it toothy it will slide

I wish I could get a different steel, but not pay sprint prices for knives I use on a daily basis...that is no ones fault manufacturers are giving us great products lately.

Maybe I should have said I'm tired of s30v for my uses

And I am a fan of vg10, but certain blade shapes, grinds and handle combos work better for my purposes and I still rotate my endura into work rotation
 
TheChunk91 said:
Nah, s30v is still a great steel no matter how tired of it one may become. I think of it as the standard for supersteels cause its so common, and things that are common are common because they tend to be good. But S110V is my new favorite:D
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And I do agree with s30v being a standard
 
I think S30v is an excellent steel. However, I may be alone in this but i still love plain old 154CM the most.
Carbon steel is my second fav.
 
yoko said:
Ok well no need for harshness, but I use a knife everyday constantly at work....I cut paper and plastic because I'm an automotive painter and enjoy using my knives for this task over a razor blade

I am no metal expert but have a difference in my uses and s30v doesn't perform the greatest for the task I have given it (I'm not saying it is bad) it doesn't seem to hold a razor edge and if I don't leave it toothy it will slide

I wish I could get a different steel, but not pay sprint prices for knives I use on a daily basis...that is no ones fault manufacturers are giving us great products lately.

Maybe I should have said I'm tired of s30v for my uses

And I am a fan of vg10, but certain blade shapes, grinds and handle combos work better for my purposes and I still rotate my endura into work rotation
Click to expand...

Just get a knife in a steel that's not s30v. There's lots of choices there. And endura in ZDP is pretty good for holding a fine edge. Or you can get a GB in cpm-m4.
 
yoko said:
Ok well no need for harshness, but I use a knife everyday constantly at work....I cut paper and plastic because I'm an automotive painter and enjoy using my knives for this task over a razor blade

I am no metal expert but have a difference in my uses and s30v doesn't perform the greatest for the task I have given it (I'm not saying it is bad) it doesn't seem to hold a razor edge and if I don't leave it toothy it will slide

I wish I could get a different steel, but not pay sprint prices for knives I use on a daily basis...that is no ones fault manufacturers are giving us great products lately.

Maybe I should have said I'm tired of s30v for my uses

And I am a fan of vg10, but certain blade shapes, grinds and handle combos work better for my purposes and I still rotate my endura into work rotation
Click to expand...


Lots of choices out there, M390 (Benchmade) and ELMAX (Kershaw/ZT) to name just 2....

Also that S110V Manix 2, that's not a sprint run either....
 
My most common edc steel now seems to be m390 or the American equivalent. But I have no problem with s30v. I sometimes wonder why s35v has not become more popular.
 
There are 4 grades of CPM S-X-V steel that are higher rated (spec'd) than S-30-V. To wit: 60, 90, 110, and 125. Spyderco does/did 60, 90, and 110. Kershaw did 110. Benchmade just unveiled 90. These are not new steels, but new tooling and techniques have allowed them to be produced at a reasonable price. I'm all over a knife that I can sharpen once and hike the Appalachian Trail. Wear resistance in is still wear resistance out. Hit me with your best shot (CPM S-125-V)?
 
I actually got tired of my high wear blades (some m4/M390, and 1 S90v) and sold them about 5 months ago~. Too much hassle to maintain.
S30v~ or similar is my limit now. Easy to maintain.
 
tiguy7 said:
There are 4 grades of CPM S-X-V steel that are higher rated (spec'd) than S-30-V. To wit: 60, 90, 110, and 125. Spyderco does/did 60, 90, and 110. Kershaw did 110. Benchmade just unveiled 90. These are not new steels, but new tooling and techniques have allowed them to be produced at a reasonable price. I'm all over a knife that I can sharpen once and hike the Appalachian Trail. Wear resistance in is still wear resistance out. Hit me with your best shot (CPM S-125-V)?
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Wear resistance does not equal edge retention.

No, I'm not tired of S30V. It's a good, fairly well rounded steel.
 
yoko said:
Ok well no need for harshness, but I use a knife everyday constantly at work....I cut paper and plastic because I'm an automotive painter and enjoy using my knives for this task over a razor blade

I am no metal expert but have a difference in my uses and s30v doesn't perform the greatest for the task I have given it (I'm not saying it is bad) it doesn't seem to hold a razor edge and if I don't leave it toothy it will slide

I wish I could get a different steel, but not pay sprint prices for knives I use on a daily basis...that is no ones fault manufacturers are giving us great products lately.

Maybe I should have said I'm tired of s30v for my uses

And I am a fan of vg10, but certain blade shapes, grinds and handle combos work better for my purposes and I still rotate my endura into work rotation
Click to expand...

Just razing you a little, didn't mean to be be mean. :D
S30V is not a good choice for a razor edge because it has large carbides to start. A toothy steel like that works great for me on cardboard etc. Try AEB-L or some of the other Swedish razor steels, or heck, CPM-154 or even good old 440C might work better for you?
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
Just razing you a little, didn't mean to be be mean. :D
S30V is not a good choice for a razor edge because it has large carbides to start. A toothy steel like that works great for me on cardboard etc. Try AEB-L or some of the other Swedish razor steels, or heck, CPM-154 or even good old 440C might work better for you?
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440C also has large carbides.
 
My S30V Blur is the sharpest out of the box production knife I have ever seen. Its so sharp I am almost afraid to use it but do whenever anything absolutely must be cut immediately. Has yet to dull, roll, chip whatever. S35VN on paper looks awesome. My ZT 0550 is my only S35VN knife so far but it cuts and holds a wicked edge well so far. Have a few Elmax blades that came so-so sharp from the factory but have held their edge very well. Have a couple M390 blades that came just above razor sharp from the factory and have held their edges SO well they still look brand new. My VG10 blades take the sharpest edge the fastest and polish very well. All my 1095 stuff doesn't get used much but are all very tough. When they do roll or dull putting another edge on them takes for freaking ever. Same for 5160. Benchmades 154cm steel has been the best overall blade steel I have used so far it just has a near perfect balance of everything and is easy to sharpen and polish.

M390 is the beeswax for now will prbly just be a couple months before another super stainless and super tool steel is on the market. I myself jump at the chance to buy anything in M390 these days as on paper its properties are amazing etc...

S30V rocks. S30V rocks the hardest when its done by a custom maker with a non mass production level of attention. S30V will be the best bang for the buck for likely the next decade at least.
 
TheChunk91 said:
Nah, s30v is still a great steel no matter how tired of it one may become. I think of it as the standard for supersteels cause its so common, and things that are common are common because they tend to be good. But S110V is my new favorite:D
Click to expand...

My V goes up to 11!
 
Actually, yes, I am. I tend to steer clear of it myself. I know that sounds silly to some, but I'm not the fan others are. The beauty is that there are many knives I really like in other steels. I REALLY like Duratech 20CV(M390), M4, CPM-154, S90V. In fact I sold both my Hinderers in S35VN, and a Strider in S30V. I also sold 2 CRK's in S35VN. I guess I am a steel snob, but S30V is BORING. I feel that other steels offer better performance for the same amount of work. There is NOTHING wrong with S30V, I just like so many others better. Remember OP, we are spoiled. This is an amazing time in steels that we live in. I just choose to branch out and explore them. :)
 
Tired? Not really. However, I do see S35VN as a pretty significant improvement to S30V despite the actual changes being pretty subtle. I've read from some custom makers who feel the increased toughness allows it to be hardened higher than they would have S30V, and I find it to be easier to sharpen, for whatever reason. In that sense, a S35VN blade at 61HRC is going to give noticeable better edge retention than a S30V blade at 59HRC, even though S30V and S35VN at the same hardness seem to have very similar performance in this category. From my own usage, I think the increased toughness has equated to a better blade for general usage in which some applications will push the toughness component more than other measures of performance. As neither are inexpensive steels, to me the above is justifiable reason for me to value a blade in S35VN more than a blade in S30V (despite S30V still being a great steel).

I also think that that release of ELMAX makes the viability of using S30V a more difficult of a question, because there is now an alternative steel that has fantastic toughness, excellent wear resistance, and excellent edge retention. ZT's use of ELMAX and the use of ELMAX by many smaller makers has proven that ELMAX has numerous performance advantages and that the end user gets performance that often justifies the price and hence makes the steel a superior choice to other options (in many cases, including S30V). We are seeing other steels that also fit this bill. I mention ELMAX by name because I think many users would agree it to be a better steel than S30V in most cases, and because knives with ELMAX and knives with S30V are often in the same ballpark pricing.

My other issue with S30V that is neither new nor unique is that I often don't feel it is much of an improvement upon good-quality CPM-154. In many cases, I see good CPM-154 to be a better all-around steel than most S30V. What that translates to is me personally questioning if the price is justifiable if there is a premium between the two, and just how much of an "upgrade" it is to go from CPM-154 to CPM-S30V. And as the many credible independent testing on this forum shows, as of 2014, there are a ton of options in the steel category and many steels that perform well. So that leads to the question of what steel is justified in what case and when does premium pricing go beyond the performance premium?
 
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