Is S30V Steel Any Good In Sebenzas ???

DaveH said:
She doesn't, but I shouldn't have to rebevel/regrind a 22 degree fresh from the factory dull knife.
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Okay, maybe that's a little crass. Sorry about that.

The way I see it, CRK targets a pretty broad market. They have to supply effective products to that market. So the knives have to cut, and not fail in the process.

It seems like half of humanity thinks CRK's blades are too delicate, and the other half thinks they are too thick to cut, lol.

If I were Chris, I would deliver the knives with a serviceable middle-of-the-road edge and let the end users grind them as they saw fit. My experience with out-of-the-box CRK knives jibes with that idea.

I like my knives a little keener than CRK-stock. Some of these 'sport cutting' types who like to whittle hair and post photos on line are going to be doing more work on their blades than I am. Others who are more concerned with robustness are more likely to just polish the factory edge, or maybe regrind it at the same angle with a coarser medium.

And back on topic, I think CRK’s S30V is effective in terms of covering the breadth of uses one would reasonably anticipate in the Sebenza market.
 
There really isn't any difference in use between their s30v and bg-42.
I find them both to be excellent.
 
S30v is the first stainless that I have found which takes as clean, crisp of an edge as high carbon steels, and which is easy to resharpen as well. The ability to resharpen a knife easily in the field is for me a major consideration. It is an excellent steel which performs well in the real world.
 
So is there any place to buy just blades for the Large Sebenza? I'm looking into buying one and think I'd like a blade in both S30V and BG-42. I don't want to spend the money on two knives though, haha. If there isn't any place to buy just the blades for them, I guess I'll just have to "suffer" and get two!
 
CRK can supply you with spare blades. However, you will have to send in your knife so that it can be (hand) fitted. IIRC the price is about $125 + shipping for an S30V blade. They only offer S30V and damascus steel though.

So all that being said, you could look for an "old" BG42 Sebenza, and get a spare S30V blade from CRK. Another option would be to get a custom blade somewhere.
 
True, I don't know that I want to spend that extra buck just to get a custom blade in BG-42. I might just deal hunt for a second large sebenza after I buy one is S30V.
 
Mobile-eyez said:
True, I don't know that I want to spend that extra buck just to get a custom blade in BG-42. I might just deal hunt for a second large sebenza after I buy one is S30V.
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With the economy like it is, you might as well look for the BG knife first. You are relatively likely to find it. Then just send it in and have it fitted with a spare S30V blade.
 
Wow, very, very, VERY good call!!! I'll do that if I opt against getting custom designed grips.

Thanks dude!!! :D
 
Hi,

Sebenzas seem to have their own personnality.
Go figure: I have reviewed a small BG42 Regular Sebbie for 6 monthes with Fred Perrin in 1998.
I was able to keep it vorpal sharp.
When I met Chris and told him my intention to buy the reviewed knife he proposed me a brand new one he'd chosed from his table (this was Paris Blade show back then).
My brend new little BG42 sebbie became my EDC but soon it was obvious: I could not resharp it on the Sharpmaker. It was sharp but never razor sharp. Only in 2004, after testing different sharpening technics I sent it back to CRK for Chris to test the blade. Chris did not found any issue with the BG42 and sent it back to me.
Chris was able to resharp and also gently mounted a S30V blade on my Sebenza.
I got zero issue to keep it razor sharp but I'm not so impressed. (like I used to be by S60V used by Spyderco for example).
The Sebenza which impressed me is "Honnor"
my old 1994 large Sebenza in ATS-34 is vorpal sharp and was never a problem to sharp. (even if I have noticed a micro chip once, later almost blend by resharpening) My ATS34 sebbie is used daily since october and the razor edge is restored by 10 strokes on the white ceramic rods and strangely as a true steel snob, I can say my favorite steel in my Sebbies is that good old ATS-34 blade the way Chris used to grind them and heat treat them.

cheers
Nemo
 
My fav S30V is Spyderco... it offers all the properties of the steel... ie still being "sharp enough" after much use when unsatisfactoy to my scary sharp taste... and it's sharpenability is easy easy easy...

That said, CRKs outcome, on a broader spectrum, is the most "perfect" I've seen. It holds an edge waaaaaaaay longer, and is still not THAT difficult to sharpen. The ratio is outstanding, but upkeep is far more important. The Seb is not a knife for the novice, but if you are serious about knife carry, it is unbeatable.
 
When I bought my S30V Seb 21 Lg, I was disappointed with the sharpness of the edge. I bought a Leatherman Charge Ti with a 154CM blade shortly thereafter, and it was MUCH sharper. I eventually got a Sharpmaker and followed the basic instructions TWICE and the Seb was as sharp as the LM blade. It has held up to my daily abuse and rough usage and is now still sharper than the 154CM blade without rework. I am impressed with the S30V, especially given that it was sharpened by a novice and has held up to my use.

FWIW, I am very impressed with the LM Charge blade and the 154 CM steel as well.
 
Anyone know where to get a ceramic bladed knife? I wanna try and see how good the edge holds up. I like S30V though, it's more shock absorbent than D2 and has better edge holding than 154CM.
 
Mobile-eyez said:
Anyone know where to get a ceramic bladed knife? I wanna try and see how good the edge holds up. I like S30V though, it's more shock absorbent than D2 and has better edge holding than 154CM.
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Check out Boker. They have some ceramic bladed knives.
 
The jury is still out on CRK's S30V from my point-of-view. I've been using S30V Spydies since they hit the market. What I found over the years with Spyderco's S30V blades is that as soon as you sharpen them a couple of times, the micro chipping becomes a non issue. I think the folks in Golden get a little wild with the belt sander and ruin the heat treat on the very razor thin edge and once that's been "sharpened away" you get down to the "good stuff". Now admittedly, I've not been a Sebenza owner long enough to claim to be any kind of authority on their blades, but my overall experience has been somewhat different from my Spydies.

First off, the edge bevel was way too thick for someone accustomed to Spyderco knives. I spent a couple of sessions with a DMT diamond hone, reprofiling the edge to a much thinner profile. Once it was thin enough, I broke out the trusty Sharpmaker and made a surgical instrument out of it. One thing that really stood out in this process was the way the edge wanted to roll to one side. You have to make those final strokes on the white stones baby soft and WAYYYYY equal in pressure. Methinks CRK could have hardened the steel a tad bit more to avoid this. Once sharp, however, it holds the edge and doesn't seem to roll under regular use. This wire edge phenomenon is a reminder of the old 440V, the only bladesteel Spyderco ever used that I absolutely HATED with a passion.

Corrosion resistance is a puzzler with CRK's take on S30V also. I cored some cabbage a few weeks ago and the next day there was a bunch of surface rust spots that just rubbed right off. I also cut some pepper jack cheese and didn't wipe the blade down. For a few days after that, there was a residue on the blade that wouldn't wash or scrub off. It finally "wore" off I guess.

Sweet knife but I really find myself wishing Chris Reeve would let Sal make the blades for these things (with a Spydie hole opener and flat ground blade). I think Spyderco is actually light years ahead of CRK when it comes to S30V, even though CRK helped develop the alloy. I suppose it's because Spyderco has the high tech lab testing equipment and sheer millions of S30V blades out there in the "real world". Nowhere near as many CRK blades in service, and of that limited number very few are being used as hard as their Spydie counterparts. Lots of real world data being gained every day for the folks in Golden.

I'm gonna hang on to this Seb, however. Gonna put it through it's paces and get some real world data of my own. :)
 
dalefuller said:
Eight of my current nine Sebenzas are S30V. No trouble with any of them. A couple of the ones I got new came with an "underwhelming" factory edge, but back they went and now they are outstanding. As far as edge holding, I haven't had a problem with anyone's S30V. I've carried and used CRK, Spyderco, Benchmade, and Strider S30V blades. No chipping, no early dulling, no corrosion... IMAO, it's a fine steel for a pocket folder.
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I've had at least 12 knives in S30V. So far, no problems worth mentioning.

Two of them were Sebenzas. I do have an older Sebenza in BG-42 and it is an excellent knife ... but I can't honestly say it performs any better than one of my S30V Sebenzas.

Of course, I've used these knives to cut and slice. I have other knives for chopping.:)
 
Ive had mine for over a month and have used it pretty hard at work. Cutting rope, plants, plastic wire etc. Its still shaving sharp and I have maintained the edge just by stropping every couple days.

Personally I have only had good experiences with s30v. I have a couple Bms with it and they have held out great as well.
 
With factory edges, the issue with micro chipping may have more to do with the properties of S30V than with the heat treat, or loss thereof, when the final sharpening is done at the factory. Many say that the factory may get a bit aggressive with the belt sander, heating the edge too much, causing chipping issues that go away after a few sharpenings. This may be the case in some instances.

It has been my experience that S30V is prone to forming wire edges when sharpened that are not easy to completely remove. This tendency is very pronounced when you do a heavy reprofiling of the edge (I have seen this with D2 as well). Afterward if the wire edge is not removed it will chip easily. A few normal sharpenings will take care of that wire edge.

It may just be that factory sharpenings may not be done with enough patience to completely remove the wire edge, which is understandable for production blades with time constraints. I suspect this is more often the cause of the reported chipping than anything else.

I did not observe this on the edge of my Sebenza, which came from the factory with a very sharp, very clean edge.
 
CRK's S30V is a truely great steel:thumbup: He did help develope it.

Every bit as good as my sebbie with BG42.


I was told by CRK that they come with a 17 degree edge, which is good for me. I use 20, and it coming at 17 allows me to give it a slight back bevel.
 
My experience with s30v is that once it is sharpened and a good polish put on the edge, it does VERY well.
 
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