How is S35VN to sharpen?

BenLong1018

BenLong1018

Joined
Apr 12, 2012
Messages
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I just got my ZT 0550 in the mail today and I love it! I have no idea about s35vn steel. Is it tough to sharpen like s30v? Please let me know guys because I wanted to sharpen it up a bit and I wanted to know what I was getting myself into before I tried it. Thanks.
 
It's a little easier than S30v. In part I think it's due to ZT possibly running the hardness a little lower on their S35vn. YMMV.
 
It will sharpen up easier than S30V, and polish up easier as well. Edge retention isn't as high as S30V, but its not bad. It is a bit tougher than S30V due to the added Niobium. In my use, it did hold a razors edge longer than S30V as well. But as we all know S30V holds its working edge for a long time.
 
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My 550 responded very nicely to Sharpmaker rods and a couple of strops. It took about 20 minutes to get it to the point where I wanted it. O-O-B sharpness wasn't bad, but not what I like, so it went straight to the SM and the strops.
 
The reduced Vanadium by 1% makes it slightly easier to sharpen than S30V.
 
I wasn't a very big fan of the S35vn, especially after my small sebenza turned dull after just cutting some paracord and cardboard. But today I decided to just run it on the stone a couple of times and then pass it a couple of times down a honing rod.... now I can push cut paper. Pretty surprised how easy it was to touch up the edge and bring it back to life. Now I kind of understand why this steel is used.
 
The edge on my s35vn para 2 rolled pretty badly the first day I used it at work from breaking down boxes and cutting thin plastic straps off boxes. Does this seem normal? This is my first knife with a "higher end" steel (well higher than vg10 and 1095cr) and I expected a bit more from it.
 
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The Logical One said:
I wasn't a very big fan of the S35vn, especially after my small sebenza turned dull after just cutting some paracord and cardboard. But today I decided to just run it on the stone a couple of times and then pass it a couple of times down a honing rod.... now I can push cut paper. Pretty surprised how easy it was to touch up the edge and bring it back to life. Now I kind of understand why this steel is used.
Click to expand...

More to do with CRK HT, not S35 itself. I have a CRK in S35 at 60 HRC and it doesn't dull like that anymore. It did when I first got it though.
 
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