Cut Test: Cold Steels new S35VN vs their CTS-XHP.....and a little M390 for fun

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Mick_1KRR

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I figured since the ball was rolling on the SR1 I'd do as i said and see how the new S35VN performs. Firstly I just want to say this is absolutely not a definitive test, scientifically consistent or anything of the sort. Mostly due to the fact that the knives I'm using don't all have the exact same edge geometry, plus I'm really just a guy cutting cardboard and can't be consistent enough to form solid conclusions. We all probably cut different kinds of material in our EDC lives so i'm just cutting stuff that usually comes my way often. Just a bit of curious fun.

So, the test subjects..

Recon 1
- CTS-XHP steel
- Removed DLC coating a while back
- Sharpened to 20 degrees per side

SR1
- S35VN steel
- Re-profiled to 21 degrees per side. As it's a little thicker behind the edge i didn't want a to make the bevel too big, i may drop it down to 19-20 eventually tho.

And for kicks...

Benchmade Contego Knifeworks Exclusive
- M390 Steel
- 19 degrees per side
- Chosen because i know from use that this thing holds a very good edge

Lets get started

A few shots of the SR1 and Recon 1 Edges, both easily slicing phonebook paper.


Contego just chilling out feeling up for the challenge.


If i didn't cut it up she's just going to chew it to bits and leave it all over the house anways.


Off we go, after every 20 cuts i swapped knife to make it easy to count and slice some paper in between.


I made sure to try go from the heel of the blade to the tip with every slice as best i could, used the same slicing motion and pressure. Force changed from time to time as i cut through all the stickers and glue also. I'm 40 cuts each at this point and all still shaving hair easy.


100 cuts each at this point. Testing on paper wasn't fun here because the edges are covered in crappy glue and tape residue. They all still shaved tho with moderate pressure.


200 cuts in now, getting harder to shave hair for all 3. I won't know proper hair shaving feel until i clean the glue off these guys a bit later.


280 cuts...I figured that's enough as i don't want to risk dulling them all completely and not knowing if one dropped off before the other. Also the puppy is jumping on me non stop, too cold to put her outside.Time to clean them up and see how we're going.


After cleaning them all off here were the results for paper and shaving.

Recon 1 CTS-XHP
As expected there are small hangups on phonebook paper, not clean cutting, have to walk it through. Easily still slicing printer paper tho and a great working edge, also still shaving hair with medium pressure. I honestly am so impressed with their XHP steel, it's been great since the day i got hold of it.

SR1 S35VN
Struggles through phonebook paper as expected, still slicing printer paper but needs a bit of walking through. I'm pretty happy to be honest, it still has a working edge, still shaves although takes more pressure than the XHP steel to make it shave. Cut test was very comfortable in hand the whole time, zero hot spots, and at 21 degrees it went through the cardboard nice and easy despite being significantly thicker behind the cutting edge.

Contego M390
I have to admit this has slightly more bite than the other 2, but - it's seriously close between this and the XHP on the Recon. I knew this would hold a good edge and i'm glad i included it to see how the others felt in comparison.

As you can see the XHP and M390 scraped off slightly more skin flakes when shaving arm hair, just a little more bite than the S35VN.


So that's it gents, nothing scientifically rock solid, but i can safely say Cold Steels S35VN performed well on this amateur cardboard cut-up, being their first knife in this steel i think they've done a good job with it. I'm going to try them out on some hard wood soon also, will update the thread at a later date with those results. FYI all 3 knives were back to phonebook slicing sharp after about 15 seconds each on the spyderco sharpmaker, about 4 quick swipes per side on the ultra-fine stone. Thanks for looking.
 
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I love the CTS-XHP on my Code 4 spear point. One of my favorite knives in my collection. Beats knives that are twice the price. Such a good deal in my opinion. The recon 1 is perfect as well if you want a g10 version. Great science experiment doc! Appreciate the info
 
Great write-up and fun read. With a puppy picture bonus. 3 great knives too. Glad to see the SR1 is not lagging much, and looks like it will be a great choice in that folding survival knife role.
 
Of the Recon 1 and SR1 which handle do you prefer? I own a Recon 1 and know that it is one of the most ergonomic, comfortable handles of any folfing knife I know of. The SR1 looks blocky by comparison but is larger, thicker looking and that could be a plus. So many folders have thin flat handles that are too small to hold comfortably.
 
Man with no name said:
Of the Recon 1 and SR1 which handle do you prefer? I own a Recon 1 and know that it is one of the most ergonomic, comfortable handles of any folfing knife I know of. The SR1 looks blocky by comparison but is larger, thicker looking and that could be a plus. So many folders have thin flat handles that are too small to hold comfortably.
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If I'm being deadly honest, nothing I've ever held beats the Recon 1 handle, that thing is just perfection. Having said that, the SR1 is still good, it is thicker and more square, but still you get a good hold on it, the g10 is pretty grippy also. People with larger hands will definitely enjoy it. Not sure if you've held a Benchmade Adamas, but its similar to that but more comfy because it's edges are rounded. I really don't think I've held a knife with better ergos than a Recon.
 
Great animal! Oh, and thanks for the test.;)
I agree with you about the Recon 1. As a relative newcomer to Cold Steel, buying my first about two years ago, I thought nothing could beat the Ultimate Hunter for handle comfort. And for compact edc, I really like the ergo s of the Lawman. But the ergonomics of the Recon 1 might be the best of all the heavy duty folders I own. And the xhp steel completes the amazing package.
 
As much as i love the recon's and they do have great handles. The 4max is more comfortable to use for long periods. If it was just a bit narrower closed it would be perfect, it does take up a lot of pocket room.
 
No it doesn't bother me, of course my pistol is right behind it so you pretty much forget the knife is there.
 
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