Kershaw Shallot: Damascus or 110V?

jfindon

jfindon

Joined
Dec 12, 2006
Messages
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I never heard of 110V steel before so I know nothing about it, but I love anything Damascus so off the bat I'm leaning toward that. How do the two compare?

And is it possible to get a Damascus with a black handle? I've seen them but not on any sites for sale.
 
There were some damascus blems for sale in the exchange forum with black handles, not sure if there are any left. Be aware, a Damascus shallot needs to be taken good care of. It will rust easily if the blade is not clean and dry when not in use.

I would vote for the 110v, purely because of the personal experience i've had with the damascus version.
 
CPM S110V is, according to Crucible themselves a couple lightyears ahead of S30V. It is also a Kershaw exclusive.

I have both, they both work fine, just keep the damascus one clean, and don't use it "hard" if you don't want the etching to fade.
 
Google search this group and you will find a lot of commentary on the Shallot in 110v, some from me.

I have it, have had it now for about six months or so and love it. For best use, you will need to ease back the cutting angle on the S110v to improve the slicing capabilities. After that is done, it is a helluva knife.

I live in South Texas (today - 98 degrees), I work outside in construction and sweat like a pig. The knife is impervious to my high acid sweat, and a few times I have pulled the knife out of my pocket to use and it is literally wet with sweat. So far, not a speck of rust on it.

That much alone would make me pick it over the Damascus.

Robert
 
Thanks guys. I have a Damascus Leek right now that I don't use real hard and keep it clean, no problems with rust or anything.

I tried searching for "Shallot" here but all I get are for sale threads, not many actual impressions of the knife itself or the steel.
 
Here is Crucible's data sheet on S110V:
http://www.crucibleservice.com/datash/Datasheet CPM S110V Rev 1.pdf

The corrosion rate is phenomenally low, like 0 at 500° with Aqua Regia. Plain old sweat doesn't stand a chance to rust this stuff. Wear resistance is considerably higher than S90V, which is saying a lot since S90V is much better than it's famous little sister S30V in that department.

Oh, I have the shallot S110V. It feels slightly heavy and slippery due to the stainless steel frame, otherwise it's a nice, solid, and highly ergonomic knife. I EDC it a lot.
 
What hardness is the Shallot's 110V? Seems like there's 60 and 63 from that sheet. Can someone find me a good picture of the blade with 110V, I want to make sure what type of finish it has.
 
It has a stonewash blade finish, and IIRC the Shallots were run around 60/61 Rockwell. Don't quote me on the Rockwell though.
 
So the edge retention and sharpening ease is better than S30V as well? I never had a knife with that steel, but I have a 710 in D2 steel and that holds an edge very well.
 
jfindon said:
So the edge retention and sharpening ease is better than S30V as well?
Click to expand...

Kind of a rule of thumb, if edge retention goes up sharpening ease goes down. As long as you don't let the edge get dull and do occasional touch ups you will be okay tho.

If you have the proper tools and with a little practice these harder steels won't be too bad. They take a little getting used to.
 
For edge retention, its hard to beat the 110V. Crucible referred to it as S90V on steroids.

I've re-profiled two of them, and I find them no harder to pull a shaving sharp edge on than S30V. You can raise a burr with a little work, and the edge retention is excellent.

As far as I know, its the only production knife to offer the 110V. And Kershaw did a limited run on these. Snag one while you can.
 
So RC58 is within spec. I'd love to try it out at RC62-63.My guess is there would be a large difference. Larger than M2 going up from RC60 to RC65 would be my guess. Phil Wilson compared it to S125V at those levels, without being as brittle. It has the right kind and amount of carbides to be a monster. I might have to try to do what Gator did and Send it out for a reheat. Joe
 
Wear resistance is one area where S110V definitely shines...removing the burr is a complete PITA :D

I own both, and if you want super performance, get the S110V...if you are willing to do regular upkeep, the Damascus is a looker, and will perform just fine as well.
 
If your really looking into a shallot the composite ZDP-189 i think is the way to go. I have one. Man that is a sick, sharp, awesome looking blade.
 
I don't like the way composite blades look. That squiggly line just looks dumb to me.

Is the Damascus also a limited run? I want both, but just not at the same time.
 
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