BG-42 vs. S30/90V

[Josh K]

Compare. Strengths and weaknesses of both. I've read the BG-42 is harder, but more brittle and less "tough" then the SXXV steels. Can anyone confirm?

 

[halfserrated]

The best place to look is under Maintenance, Tinkering, and Embellishment, still under the General tab at the top. There is a steel FAQ at the top of the page. There is a paragraph directly comparing the 3 steels. Hope this helps.
Andy

 

[MORIMOTOM]

here ya go:

BG-42, S90V, and S30V constitute the next group. BG-42 has better
wear resistance than all the previous steels except for S60V. It is
tougher than ATS-34, and more stain resistant. It is wear resistant
to the point where it can be difficult to sharpen. S90V represents
the ultimate in wear resistance in the steels discussed so far. Also
tougher than ATS-34, and more stain resistant. It can be very
difficult to put an edge on. It is difficult enough to machine than
it is used almost exclusively in custom knives, not production
knives. In your buying decisions, you might want to take into account
the difficulty of sharpening these steels. S30V backs off on the wear
resistance of S90V, but is significantly tougher and easier to
sharpen. It is more wear resistant than BG-42. But, both BG-42 and
S90V get a bit harder (and stronger) than S30V. The jury is still
out, but it may end up this week's ultimate high-end all-around
stainless steel, due to high performance coupled with easier
machineability and sharpenability than the other steels in this class.

 

[halfserrated]

Thanks Morimo, for some reason I couldn't get it to copy and paste. Great info.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

Thanks Morimo, for some reason I couldn't get it to copy and paste. Great info.

my pleasure.

that's a great thread with lots of simple explanations about lots of topics. about the most comprehensive i have read.

 

[These_Nutz]

S30V has strength near A2 S90V will hold a edge longer than any of the 3.

 

[Stainz]

For a user, I like S30V. It is easier to re-edge than D2, maybe about what A2 takes... a short career to re-edge my Spydie Native in S30V with my Sharpmaker - and it lasts. It doesn't seem to take the same shaver-edge as the CSs - or the BG-42s I have, which are all Buck Custom Shop 110s, only one of which is an EDC. I have heard that BG-42 is difficult to sharpen - it'll likely be a while before I test this.

I look at S30V as a 'user' blade metal; S90V, if I ever get one, and BG-42 are more for 'bragging rights' here.

Stainz

 

[znapschatz]

For a user, I like S30V. It is easier to re-edge than D2, maybe about what A2 takes... a short career to re-edge my Spydie Native in S30V with my Sharpmaker - and it lasts. It doesn't seem to take the same shaver-edge as the CSs - or the BG-42s I have, which are all Buck Custom Shop 110s, only one of which is an EDC. I have heard that BG-42 is difficult to sharpen - it'll likely be a while before I test this.
Stainz

Once I sharpened the S30v blade on my Charge TTi to a hair splitting edge, also accomplished on a Sharpmaker, with a little help from stropping. Since it was the only time I ever took the trouble to do this, I can't make comparisons, but S30V seems to be capable of taking as keen an edge as I could possibly use. Maybe there are differences in S30V used by different manufacturers.

BTW, I also have sharpened blades in ATS 55, VG10, 154CM, 420HC and whatever Vic uses, all sharp enough for me. But as no sharpening hobbyist, maybe I don't know what I am missing.