D2 or S35vn

M

Manoloiv

Joined
Feb 21, 2012
Messages
103
Hello everyone,



Which of these steels holds a better edge and is an overall better steel?

D2 or S35vn



Thanks



Manoloiv
 
Heat treat? Primary and secondary bevels, bladestock thickness? Do you need corrosion resistance? There is no simple answer to your question...you buy a knife, not a steelmaker's spec sheet...unless, of course, you are a knifemaker. ;)
 
I'm guessing most people here will say s35vn is better. I have to say its more based on application and personal preferance. I would say d2 generally holds an edge longer, and is also tougher. S35vn takes a finer edge, is easier to sharpen, and is also more corrosion resistant. As for which one is better, it comes down to application and personal preference. For a utility/edc blade or kitchen knife I'd choose s35vn. For a larger, more used, heavier duty knife, I'd choose d2. But it's really about personal preference.
 
From my experience D2 holds a great edge, but it takes me quite a bit of effort to get it sharp again when it loses it. S35vn does not seem to hold its edge as long for me but it is very easy to touchup. The same steel type can vary quite a bit though depending on how it is heat treated, as well as the angle of the bevels on the blade. D2 and S35vn are both great steels.
 
S35VN has more wear resistance, more corrosion resistance, more impact toughness, and better carbide distribution. D2 works fine for most people in most knives made from it.
 
hardheart said:
S35VN has more wear resistance, more corrosion resistance, more impact toughness, and better carbide distribution. D2 works fine for most people in most knives made from it.
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Where did you find it is more wear resistant? And where did you find it has more impact toughness? Crucibles website differs from what you said. Maybe I'm missing something, but I just looked at crucibles site.
 
You are comparing longitudinal and transverse. As the S35VN sheet says, the longitudinal for S35VN, S30V, 154CM, and 440C are all 25-28. Impact testing comparisons are not always applicable, going from unnotched to C notch to V notch to izod, but Crucible reporting on their own alloys should be pretty reliable, one would expect.
 
CrimsonTideShooter said:
I love their CATRA results for S35VN. They actually haven't ran a CATRA on S35VN per their own data sheet, they just gave "an estimate based on market feedback."

I wonder who contributed to that market feedback?
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There's a couple dozen CATRA edge life testers out there, probably one of the large production manufacturers with one in their facility ran the tests independently of Crucible.
 
hardheart said:
There's a couple dozen CATRA edge life testers out there, probably one of the large production manufacturers with one in their facility ran the tests independently of Crucible.
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Very cool. I wish they were readily available and cheap enough to actually own. I'd love to own a CATRA machine as well as a hardness tester. One can dream...... :D
 
I say D2 I just love that steel. It holds an edge a long time, and to be honest I don't think it's that much harder to sharpen (unless you let get really dull, but then they will both suck to sharpen) s35vn won't have the rust problems of D2, although I personaly haven't had any problems with rust. Both are pretty good, but as far as edge holding goes IMHO D2 owns s35vn. Once you have D2 good and sharp it touches up pretty quick. I guess that's the key with any steel really. Sorry I'm rambling.
 
Well heat treated D2 that develops those big aggressive carbides and with a coarse edge works very well.

However S35VN will hold an edge longer given everything else being the same.
 
Are we allowed to pick CPM-D2? I have had two Kershaws with CPM-D2 on the edge (composite blades) and was very impressed by its performance. Still have one, gave the other to a buddy.
 
JNewell said:
Heat treat? Primary and secondary bevels, bladestock thickness? Do you need corrosion resistance? There is no simple answer to your question...you buy a knife, not a steelmaker's spec sheet...unless, of course, you are a knifemaker. ;)
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This is such an excellent reply, I couldn't have said it better myself.
 
Um, well... My Dozier K2 in D2 cuts like a miniature chainsaw with a coarse edge; my Sebbie 21 and Spydie Native 5 in S35Vn take a finer edge and are great slicers. A lot depends on blade geometry, heat treat and other factors, such as if whether they have been tempered in unicorn blood. Benchmade's D2 falls in between these... takes a very fine edge, referring to my Cabella's Gripppie and a 710.
 
These are both very solid steels. You might want to even consider S30V as a midpoint between the two. Slightly better edge retention that S35VN, not quite the toughness but slightly better than D2.
 
JNewell said:
Heat treat? Primary and secondary bevels, bladestock thickness? Do you need corrosion resistance? There is no simple answer to your question...you buy a knife, not a steelmaker's spec sheet...unless, of course, you are a knifemaker. ;)
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^^^Yeah , this ! Especially HT . Lots of cheap D2 out there with less than great HT . Probably also applies to S35VN .

Steel formula is used as a hyped up selling point now , not necessarily comparable across brands and models even .
 
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