If Magnacut is better than s110v (2010 version), just how MUCH better is it?

MyLegsAreOk

MyLegsAreOk

Joined
Aug 31, 2017
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Topic says it all, but I'll buy one of them suckers and experiment. That is if the companies stop painting them all in red like many are currently doing. Maybe get the Spydie Mule in it.
 
Modernflame said:
S110v will outperform magnacut in terms of edge retention, but magnacut is tougher and more corrosion resistant. Depends on what you mean by better.
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Brilliant post and the answer I was looking for.
King of the Cheese said:
It isn’t “better”, it isn’t “worse”. It’s “different”. Different steels, different pros and cons.
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I was thinking it would be a straight upgrade of s110v (2010), as all the metrics we measure alloys on would possibly see an increase of 5~20%.
 
That’s usually the main focus a lot of people have is on one particular aspect like high edge retention. They aren’t considering the value of toughness and being stainless and still fairly easy to sharpen. There isn’t any other steel available with all those aspects only part. Magnacut isn’t the highest edge holding steel but it puts other high edge steel to shame in toughness and the other aspects. It depends on what you’re using it for and the design of the knife that will dictate how it performs in that particular usage. But Magnacut will be more of an all around type of usage than other types.
 
MyLegsAreOk said:
Brilliant post and the answer I was looking for.

I was thinking it would be a straight upgrade of s110v (2010), as all the metrics we measure alloys on would possibly see an increase of 5~20%.
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If you want an upgrade, you will need to think about what you desire. Do you want better edge retention or better cutting ability? Get a thinner blade. Geometry is very important. Do you want corrosion resistance? Well, Magnacut probably does have S110V beat. Toughness? Well Magnacut is undoubtably tougher than S110V on paper, every maker will make steels differently somewhat, so that also plays a role. A thicker blade will undoubtably be tougher than a thinner one though, geometry matters. I would encourage you to think about these factors, Magnacut is probably going to be an upgrade across the board, including like Alberta mentioned the ability to sharpen the steel easier.

Keep in mind origins as well. S110V was developed for plastic injection applications. Magnacut was developed for blade steel.
 
Your bio doesn't say where you are?
How corrosion resistant do you need? Are you in salt water?

Cruwear is another Very well balanced steel.
Not as corrosive resistant as MC, but still very good!
And Cruwear is maybe better for edge retention and toughness, it's close, i'll have to look.... Definitely been around longer, more proven!

Nobody would turn away a good Cruwear blade.... :D
 
Magnacut is the latest fad steel, it's not necessarily better in every way. It has a lot of desirable qualities and will likely stick around, but a lot of what you're hearing is hype. Steels like Elmax and S110V were once the flavor of the month but are rarely seen now.

S110V is kind of an odd one. On paper it should have better edge retention than S90V since it has more carbides, but due to a variety of factors it didn't perform as well in real world situations. It's far harder to sharpen, chips more easily, and quickly loses a keen edge in favor of a toothy one. So in actual use, many people found their S90V knives performed better, and now you don't see a whole lot of knives in S110V. It was too specialized.

I suspect Magnacut will stand the test of time much better than S110V did because it's very well balanced. Depending on how you heat treat it, you can bring out qualities that are ideal for the majority of users. Soon enough the excitement will die down and people will need something new to chase, but Magnacut will still be a great steel. 154CM, for instance, is practically ancient but still very well liked due to the balance of positive attributes.
 
Also should note that there is a difference between "edge retention" as that term is commonly used, and something like "abrasion resistance" which can be measured, more or less, using a CATRA test.

My understanding is that magnacut can't match s110v in abrasion resistance assuming equal quality of heat treat. However, magnacut has other qualities that can keep it cutting longer than s110v in certain scenarios. For example, magnacut is tougher, which means it can be run harder and thinner without risking chipping. So, magnacut can use more advantageous geometry, which we know is a huge factor in what people describe as "edge retention." Similarly, if you are cutting material where the blade can chip out or roll, pure abrasion resistance might not be the attribute you select for. It doesn't matter how many feet of cardboard a blade can move through hypothetically, if you run into some staples or other edge deforming material that ruin the edge. If magnacut resists that deformation better than s110v given the cutting media, it may be the better tool even if it lacks in pure abrasion resistance.

Stainlessness is also an issue, but both steels you mention should be very stainless.
 
Tsujigiri said:
Magnacut is the latest fad steel, it's not necessarily better in every way. It has a lot of desirable qualities and will likely stick around, but a lot of what you're hearing is hype. Steels like Elmax and S110V were once the flavor of the month but are rarely seen now.

S110V is kind of an odd one. On paper it should have better edge retention than S90V since it has more carbides, but due to a variety of factors it didn't perform as well in real world situations. It's far harder to sharpen, chips more easily, and quickly loses a keen edge in favor of a toothy one. So in actual use, many people found their S90V knives performed better, and now you don't see a whole lot of knives in S110V. It was too specialized.

I suspect Magnacut will stand the test of time much better than S110V did because it's very well balanced. Depending on how you heat treat it, you can bring out qualities that are ideal for the majority of users. Soon enough the excitement will die down and people will need something new to chase, but Magnacut will still be a great steel. 154CM, for instance, is practically ancient but still very well liked due to the balance of positive attributes.
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But the S110V toothy edge holds F O R E V E R ...

S110V is very stain resistant. Better than 20CV, for instance. MC more so, but the difference is subtle.

It comes down to edge holding vs. toughness, in practice. Note, that CPM Cruwear is tougher than MC. MC is similar to M4 or V4e, just stainless. I take Cruwear over all the others, and I have MC knives. But i’m not a diver.
 
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Tsujigiri said:
Magnacut is the latest fad steel, it's not necessarily better in every way. It has a lot of desirable qualities and will likely stick around, but a lot of what you're hearing is hype. Steels like Elmax and S110V were once the flavor of the month but are rarely seen now.

S110V is kind of an odd one. On paper it should have better edge retention than S90V since it has more carbides, but due to a variety of factors it didn't perform as well in real world situations. It's far harder to sharpen, chips more easily, and quickly loses a keen edge in favor of a toothy one. So in actual use, many people found their S90V knives performed better, and now you don't see a whole lot of knives in S110V. It was too specialized.

I suspect Magnacut will stand the test of time much better than S110V did because it's very well balanced. Depending on how you heat treat it, you can bring out qualities that are ideal for the majority of users. Soon enough the excitement will die down and people will need something new to chase, but Magnacut will still be a great steel. 154CM, for instance, is practically ancient but still very well liked due to the balance of positive attributes.
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Some good points here, but wanted to mention that when you compare s110v to s90v, you need to control for carbide type and size, as well as working hardness. Carbide volume does not end the conversation, carbide size, carbide type (i.e., vanadium as opposed to other carbides), as well as how steel formulation affects achievable hardness must all be considered. I know this does not necessarily contradict your point, but thought it was worth mentioning. FYI, I am no expert, I just read a lot; BBB offered some commentary on this exact point in his latest instagram post.
 
Tsujigiri said:
S110V is kind of an odd one. On paper it should have better edge retention than S90V since it has more carbides, but due to a variety of factors it didn't perform as well in real world situations. It's far harder to sharpen, chips more easily, and quickly loses a keen edge in favor of a toothy one. So in actual use, many people found their S90V knives performed better, and now you don't see a whole lot of knives in S110V. It was too specialized.
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This is a great point that I'm surprised people don't know, albeit not related to the thread. s90v from Spyderco is probably better that S110v from the same manufacturer. It's such an odd duck since 420v came out a decade before s110v and just is plain up better aside from cutting a zillion things, it will cut a zillion -1 and s110v a zillion +1.

I also want to add that I use s110v for paper and steel parting at the micro-maching shop. If magnacut can part steel better and can do more cardboard and paper shreds without needing any work done on it, then s110 is beaten. I just need to see it in one of my go-to knives or something interesting for me to bight.
 
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ferider said:
But the S110V toothy edge holds F O R E V E R ...

S110V is very stain resistant. Better than 20CV, for instance. MC more so, but the difference is subtle.

It comes down to edge holding vs. toughness, in practice. Note, that CPM Cruwear is tougher than MC. MC is similar to M4 or V4e, just stainless. I take Cruwear over all the others, and I have MC knives. But i’m not a diver.
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A Cruwear knife was the last one I bought and although I hate to say something like this on this forum, I'd be satisfied even if I never buy another knife. Mine's a PM2 with the canvas micarta panels which I didn't like at first, but now it's my absolute favorite. I could see maybe buying a PM3 if I can get it in Cruwear and similar panels because it would be lighter to carry in nicer clothes, sweats or pajama pants (yes, I carry a knife while sleeping because I find a gun uncomfortable).

😄

I'll still buy other knives from time to time, of course, but mostly to try other/new steels or knife designs.
 
MyLegsAreOk said:
If magnacut can part steel better and can do more cardboard and paper shreds without needing any work done on it, then s110 is beaten. I just need to see it in one of my go-to knives or something interesting for me to bight.
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It can't. It remains the other way around.

Unless ... your knife comes across a steel bracket when cutting your cardboard. Then, the MC knife will be much easier to fix. The place in the edge where S110V chips will look just dull in the MC blade - much easier to sharpen out. In theory.
 
MyLegsAreOk said:
This is a great point that I'm surprised people don't know, albeit not related to the thread. s90v from Spyderco is probably better that S110v from the same manufacturer. It's such an odd duck since 420v came out a decade before s110v and just is plain up better aside from cutting a zillion things, it will cut a zillion -1 and s110v a zillion +1.

I also want to add that I use s110v for paper and steel parting at the micro-maching shop. If magnacut can part steel better and can do more cardboard and paper shreds without needing any work done on it, then s110 is beaten. I just need to see it in one of my go-to knives or something interesting for me to bight.
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What do you mean? Do you use S110V for machining or do you mean you use S110V on paper and steel parting at your work as a edc knife task? If that's the case, what is steel parting?
 
Slice O Life said:
What do you mean? Do you use S110V for machining or do you mean you use S110V on paper and steel parting at your work as a edc knife task? If that's the case, what is steel parting?
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304L steel for hardening/tempering later, brass, or bronze. You turn the metal in a lathe or mill and part the piece you make.
Paper is just paper cutting, mostly tons of boxes and tape.
 
MyLegsAreOk said:
If magnacut can part steel better and can do more cardboard and paper shreds without needing any work done on it, then s110 is beaten. I just need to see it in one of my go-to knives or something interesting for me to bight.
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Try a CPM 15v knife. Just keep it away from salt water.
 
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