D2 or S30V for BM EDC?

M

Michael Riley

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Dec 31, 2010
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This is my first post here so I'm sorry if I ask a dumb question. I searched through some posts and tried to find one that could answer my question, but I'm somewhat impatient, so I'm just going to ask it.

I've been wanting a Benchmade 940 for quite some time now and I've decided that it's finally time to get one. My only problem is deciding which steel to go with. It will be an EDC knife and will see a lot of use. The most common thing that I cut is some cardboard at work on the daily basis along with the occasional zip-tie and whatnot, as well as some food. I want whichever blade will hold its edge the longest and doesn't need sharpened as frequently. Out of D2 and S30V, which one would best suit my needs? How do they compare when it comes to difficulty of sharpening and maintenance?

Thanks,
Michael
 
From my experiences I would choose s30V. It is my absolute favorite steel at the moment. I can get it razor sharp on my sharpmaker, but I struggle with d2 and I dont notice a significant difference in the edge holding of the two steels. My only experience with d2 comes from the 710 so my sharpening problems may be related more to the recurve than the steel, but I can get the s30v on my subrosa much sharper so now I'm starting to doubt that. S30v is also much more rust resistant than d2 so it will be easier to maintain.


Oh and welcome to the forums
 
D2 rusts and way harder to sharpen. Everything else is pretty much the same. I personally find S30V to be way better than D2 for EDC. Excluding Dozier's D2 plus some other customs.
 
FWIW I carry a BM Bone Collector in D2 and I find it to be great steel. Yes, it can take some effort to sharpen if you completely dull your knife out but with minimal maintenance (touch ups on fine stones, stropping) D2 will stay sharp for a LOOOOOOOOONG time and as far as rust goes D2 may not be "stainless" but it doesn't take more than wiping the blade off on your pant leg when your done with it and you shouldn't have any problems. The only S30V that I've had experience with is Leatherman's S30V but I prefer BM's D2 by a lot.
 
food for thought: suppose you were given a knife but not told what steel was used. Do you think you could figure out which steel was used just from how long it takes to dull and how difficult it is to sharpen?

In general use by the average person, the difference between the steels is insignificant. Blade geometry and sharpening skill is more important than steel for cutting performance.
 
Chocula said:
food for thought: suppose you were given a knife but not told what steel was used. Do you think you could figure out which steel was used just from how long it takes to dull and how difficult it is to sharpen?

In general use by the average person, the difference between the steels is insignificant. Blade geometry and sharpening skill is more important than steel for cutting performance.
Click to expand...

+1 Although when I find a steel I really like for whatever characteristics it has I like to know what steel it is so I can hopefully purchase another knife that exhibits the same nuances.
 
Howdy...I have had knives with both steels. One is a custom made fixed blade skinner in D2. It took a lot of effort to sharpen it to a razor edge but it has held up through a lot of use over several years without resharpening. IB has been covered in blood and washed off many times while dressing game. I have had no problems with corrosion with minimum cleaning and light oil. The other knife is a Spyderco Military with blade of S30v. I have been very pleased with it also. The edge seems to be a wee bit "toothier" that the D2 and seems to cut paper and cardboard better. I find it easier to touch up the edge but I never let my knives get dull before they get some attention. It has also had no corrosion problems but I do keep all my knives clean and lubed. I like both steels and just see them as a wee bit different. Between the two, I think the blade profile and heat treat makes more difference than the steel types.
 
It is pretty uncommon to find that knife in D2, if that means anything to you.
All else being equal, D2 tends to have better wear resistance, but less corrosion resistance. Still, D2, while not being stainless, is pretty close.
 
Chocula said:
food for thought: suppose you were given a knife but not told what steel was used. Do you think you could figure out which steel was used just from how long it takes to dull and how difficult it is to sharpen?

In general use by the average person, the difference between the steels is insignificant. Blade geometry and sharpening skill is more important than steel for cutting performance.
Click to expand...

If someone gave you a knife with 440A and another with S90V, could you tell the difference? The give away would be edge retention. In this case, S30V seems to lose its razor edge quickly, but retains a very good working edge. D2 on the other hand, takes a really sharp edge and holds it longer when cutting similar things (based on my experience with the S30V and D2 Paramilitary knives).
 
Hmm... All of you're replies are helpful but I'm still torn.. Knifeworks.com has the D2 for sale at $139.95 plus I can get my name engraved on it for an extra $7 which is appealing, although not necessarily a good enough reason to pick the D2 if the S30V is going to serve me better. It seems like the S30V may be the better option for me based off of the replies, but the people who have had experience with the D2 seem to like it a lot as well. I can get a 940 in S30V for $150 or a D2 for the $139 plus $7 for engraving so it's not a big enough difference to matter if one will suit me better than the other. I would like to have my name engraved on it because this will more than likely be my EDC for the next several years. I've carried a cheap $20 Kershaw 1640 Vapor for the last 6 or 7 years. I've been extremely pleased with it for what it cost, but it needs sharpened quite often. I know you can't always expect a simple answer for a question like this, but I don't plan on buying another knife in this price category so I really want to make the best decision for my needs.

Thank you very much for the replies!
 
RevDevil posted his reply as I was typing mine and that one makes me lean towards the D2... So hard to make a decision!
 
The D2 will not disappoint you, Benchmade does D2 very well, I have many knives in D2 and it's consistent.
 
D2 is a wear resistant steel. It is MUCH harder to sharpen than S30V. So if you go with it make very sure to regularly maintain your edge.

Personaly I'm not fond of D2. But S30V is the first stainless I have ever taken a real liking to as it sharpens easily, takes an exceptional edge especialy for stainless, and holds it very well.
 
You'll likely only come away confused the way this thread is going! I haven't had any experience with BMs D2, but I have a Spyderco Para in CPMD2 and S30V and while both are great steels the CPMD2 seems to hold a razor edge a bit longer. It's also darn close to stainless.
 
D2 does not rust, unless really neglected and abused. S30V is an excellent steel, but in my experience, so is D2. Between the two, you cannot go wrong. They are not identical but but IMHO they are equals, and BM does good HT on them both.
 
I have CPM-D2 in my CB Leek, and I'm not all that impressed with it. On the other hand, I was really impressed with S30V in the Native and Military that I used to have.
 
my 710 in d2 outcuts millies s30 on slsal. these knives were used by knarfeng in a posted test. however the millie was 58 against b.ms 60.6 0r 61.4 . if the millie was at 60 it may have cut better than the 710. but between these 2 knives i have to go with the much older 710.
dennis
 
I've had D2 and S30V in both Benchmade and Spyderco knives, and they are so close I don't think you can go wrong with either. I find I can put a better edge on my S30V, so I tend to gravitate to that steel more than any other. But I really liked the CPM D2 on my Paramilitary. That was a great steel. Sorry if this post was no help whatsoever.
 
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