I'm a city slicker so I rarely have a need for a full sized knife. I thought about getting a Cryo2 but most of my knife duties include opening boxes from Amazon, letters or other small tasks so a full grip isn't really needed or necessary. I do have full sized knives (folding and fixed) for camping and motorcycle trips but the Cryo is perfect for edc most of the time. I just ordered a Griptilian (S30V) and Mini Grip (154CM). I'm not really a steel snob but the S30V was only a few bucks more so I thought I'd give it a try.
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Chinese knife steel
- Thread starter cabdmd
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I'm a city slicker so I rarely have a need for a full sized knife. I thought about getting a Cryo2 but most of my knife duties include opening boxes from Amazon, letters or other small tasks so a full grip isn't really needed or necessary. I do have full sized knives (folding and fixed) for camping and motorcycle trips but the Cryo is perfect for edc most of the time. I just ordered a Griptilian (S30V) and Mini Grip (154CM). I'm not really a steel snob but the S30V was only a few bucks more so I thought I'd give it a try.
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If you look around you will find some knives made in China from S35vn. Much better steel than 8CR13mov, IMHO.
https://www.knifecenter.com/item/KU...vn-stonewashed-blade-orange-aluminium-handles
https://www.hudsontoolsteel.com/technical-data/steelCPMS35VN
https://www.knifecenter.com/item/KU...vn-stonewashed-blade-orange-aluminium-handles
https://www.hudsontoolsteel.com/technical-data/steelCPMS35VN
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The 2nd link is very intersting, thanks!
The point is a $20-30 Cryo is a very usable knife and you don't need a premium steel on every knife you own. If I wanted a S35V blade, it most likely wouldn't be from a chinese manufacturer.
I have a few knives made in China, and for the most part I don't care what the blade says the steel is. It could say 440C and actually be 420HC, for all I know. Big deal! Why? Because there's no such thing as a bad knife steel. There are knives made of steels that are NOT good knife steels. I avoid those, for the most part. I do have a CRKT S.P.E.W. in 5cr15mov, and gave one to my wife for her purse. The steel is good enough for the design intent, but not much else. It IS easy to sharpen, but it's NOT a good knife steel. I have Chinese 440C, 440A, 8cr13mov, and they all work. My latest is a Ruike P108, but the blade is Sandvik 14c28n, so it doesn't count. Tho, the handles are 3cr13mov, that's gotta count for something, right? Good design and proper heat-treat are much more important to me than the blade steel. Don't get me wrong. I LIKE having choices. And I LIKE having better than average steels. But that's mostly for bragging rights, and I am man enough to admit it.
I think that 90+ percent of knife users don't care WHAT steel the blade is made from. It's on the packaging, and it's nice to know, but most don't care, as long as it does the job they need it to do. After that, they just don't think about it. It's geeks like us who drive sprint runs of exotics. It's not the back-yard handyman who cuts a lot of garden hose, twine, cardboard, and such. All he cares about is that a knife cuts stuff. 'Cuz, in the end, it really is all about cutting stuff. A knife that doesn't cut stuff isn't a knife. It's a paperweight.
I think that 90+ percent of knife users don't care WHAT steel the blade is made from. It's on the packaging, and it's nice to know, but most don't care, as long as it does the job they need it to do. After that, they just don't think about it. It's geeks like us who drive sprint runs of exotics. It's not the back-yard handyman who cuts a lot of garden hose, twine, cardboard, and such. All he cares about is that a knife cuts stuff. 'Cuz, in the end, it really is all about cutting stuff. A knife that doesn't cut stuff isn't a knife. It's a paperweight.
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S35v doesn’t exist. All s35 is s35vn. If you see people calling it s35v it is just an error they are making because other steels in the family all only end with v (s30v, s60v, s90v, s110v).
Of the family only s35vn has the n at the end signifying niobium in the steel.
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Thanks for the correction. I have corrected my post.
Many Blade Forum members use the term S35v.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/s35v-s110v-or-cruwear.1589605/
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fwiw, kershaw 'starter' and 'manifold' use 3cr13... (as do the majority of schrade knives) (you can select knife steel '3cr13' from knifecenter's website and see them all)
I would submit that 3cr13 is in fact a bad knife steel, it can't be hardened past 51 or 52 hrc - edge retention will be like aluminum
My Cryo is 8cr13mov steel and have been great for most light tasks over the years. I think I only sharpened it 3 or 4 times.
I just got my Mini grip and it is S30V steel, not the 154CM that I ordered. I contacted the vendor and they said if I wasn't happy, they would exchange it
. I guess I'm stuck with it now 
.
I just got my Mini grip and it is S30V steel, not the 154CM that I ordered. I contacted the vendor and they said if I wasn't happy, they would exchange it
. I guess I'm stuck with it now .I was being sarcastic (or a smartass)
. I was also trying to be honest and do the right thing as the S30V is a few bucks more. I think the cost of shipping would make the exchange not worth it to them but I wanted to give them the option and clear my conscience.
I put forth the premise that 3cr13mov is NOT a knife steel, regardless of the fact that it's used in knives. I don't consider 5cr15mov a knife steel either. Or any of several others. Hell, I can grind a sharp edge on a piece of 304, it's stainless too. But that doesn't make it a good knife steel. You can make a knife-shaped object out of any of these steels, but a knife's entire purpose is to cut stuff, and these steels don't cut it. At least not for long enough to be worth the cost. Most are simply too soft, even after heat-treatment, to be considered viable blade steels. Great for folder handles and such, but not much else. In my opinion.
Allow me to liken a knife made from inferior steel to a pencil. A pencil is a writing instrument. As is a pen. But try to get your doctor to write a prescription in pencil. He won't do it. And even if he did, the pharmacy wouldn't honor it. It's just not good enough. Similarly, a 3cr13mov blade will cut stuff, but not very well, or for very long. It's a cutting tool, but of such poor quality that it's practically laughable. It's just not good enough.
Allow me to liken a knife made from inferior steel to a pencil. A pencil is a writing instrument. As is a pen. But try to get your doctor to write a prescription in pencil. He won't do it. And even if he did, the pharmacy wouldn't honor it. It's just not good enough. Similarly, a 3cr13mov blade will cut stuff, but not very well, or for very long. It's a cutting tool, but of such poor quality that it's practically laughable. It's just not good enough.
