Leatherman's S30V?

afishhunter

afishhunter

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I heard LM runs their S30V (and 420HC; CPM154; and others) on the "soft" side, for added "toughness", and a bit easier to sharpen, with a slight penalty in edge holding.

Does anyone know what HRC Leatherman runs their S30V at and the 425HC of the serrated blade?

Thanks
 
Why not call them and ask? You're not going to get any factual answers here.
 
I have two leathermans with s30v blades. In my opinion they do run it soft. I don't have means to test HRC but going off experience and how the edge performs. I experience relatively quick rolling of the edge from it, if using it for much more than opening plastic bags and stuff, both blades behave the same. Granted, it IS a decent improvement over the standard 420 blades they use. But I think they could've got longer lasting performance with a little harder heat treat. I ran it for years at 40 degrees off a spyderco sharpmaker and it never did as good as I thought it should, rolling over and dulling too quickly. I then switched to diamond guided system to sharpen closer to 50 degrees with diamonds and still get some edge rolling. I much rather would've preferred a harder heat treat for a stronger edge, even if it microchips occasionally.

I think if you are absolutely going to not carry a seperate knife, their s30v is definitely an improvement over the standard blade. But it does leave a little something to be desired, and the geometry of the blade is not real good at slicing. I used to only carry my multi tool. Now I'm still carrying my leatherman but am also throwing a k390 spyderco delica in my pocket for all cutting. Reserving the leathermans blade for any stupid or abusive task that might need done with a knife. I never use the serrated blade, I keep that factory fresh for emergencies, like cutting rope or seat belts or something. Their 420 is going to need alot of work keeping it sharp, meaning time spent sharpening.
 
I also would note the drastically reduced cutting performance having to sharpen closer to 50 degrees to try to reduce edge rolling. I get it very keen, it will shave hair well, but absolutely struggles to cut through copy paper. It seems like it's definitely too much of a wedge. My knives by contrast around 35-40 degrees and thinner, when sharpened to shave will push cut paper and slice it effortlessly.

I read on another thread someone HRC tested leathermans new magnacut blade in the arc, and they were running that soft too.

I do understand leathermans take, they warranty everything for 25 years and the average user is not probably a knife person looking for top notch knife performance. So for most folks the blade on their multi tool might get beat on and a softer blade saves leatherman warranty money and most folks won't care.
 
oops, never mind, i had a brain fart. I apologize!
 
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I get that Leatherman has to compete with their spec sheets and steel sells but they do 420HC so well and it’s such a tough steel I really hope they continue using it. When I have a premium folder in my pocket I love a tough, easy to sharpen blade on my multitool.

Just look at 420HC standing alone up there:
SHVoA8s_d.webp
 
CSG said:
Why not call them and ask? You're not going to get any factual answers here.
Click to expand...
emailed them a week prior to this thread, and a week after. Also asked about the RHC for the 425HC serrated blade.
STILL no reply.
I guess they consider their heat treat/final HRC numbers a "confidential trade secret". 🙄

My guess therefore is they run their blades outside the "normal" or "recommended" HRC range for any given steel ... maybe between 1 and 2 points on the "soft" side?
Possibly adding to "toughness" and "ease of sharpening" at the expense of at least edge holding and the minimum edge angle.
(40°~50° or higher inclusive rather than 25°~30° inclusive on a blade hardened in the recommended range, for example, making the blades less slicy, and to dull quicker. FACT: A fine edge angle holds the working edge longer than a more ... "blunt" ... edge angle.)
 
afishhunter said:
emailed them a week prior to this thread, and a week after. Also asked about the RHC for the 425HC serrated blade.
STILL no reply.
I guess they consider their heat treat/final HRC numbers a "confidential trade secret". 🙄

My guess therefore is they run their blades outside the "normal" or "recommended" HRC range for any given steel ... maybe between 1 and 2 points on the "soft" side?
Possibly adding to "toughness" and "ease of sharpening" at the expense of at least edge holding and the minimum edge angle.
(40°~50° or higher inclusive rather than 25°~30° inclusive on a blade hardened in the recommended range, for example, making the blades less slicy, and to dull quicker. FACT: A fine edge angle holds the working edge longer than a more ... "blunt" ... edge angle.)
Click to expand...
CALL, not email.
 
I’ve been unhappy with my tti. It doesn’t hold an edge to save its life. I honestly think the normal 420HC is just as good. I just bought an arc so we’ll see how the magnacut does. But between the weight of the tti and the s30v being a disappointment and the cap crumpets on the pliers head I’ve had an on and off relationship with it.
 
My guess is that they run it softer for a couple of reasons:

Yes, it should make it "tougher" on a tool where the blade is more likely to be abused. I would also guess that making it softer cuts down on machining wear and tear. I actually prefer a softer steel on a MT or a SAK. I would rather be able to repair an edge in minutes than have to get the tool back home to get it sharp again.

I reprofiled my Charge this weekend because the edge it came with really sucked. I don't sharpen to degrees, but free hand with a diamond hone and then strop to a convex edge. It gives me a knife sharp enough to cut with but it holds up to a bit more abuse. I rarely sharpen my serrated blades. Instead, I just strop them until they smooth out enough to saw through stuff again. Stropping on a 400 grit sanding sponge works well for me. I follow it up with few licks on a loaded piece of leather.

I plan on carrying the Charge mostly with a pocket clip as I really have been able to get by just fine with even the "crappy" 400 stainless that most multitools have for my day to day needs. Having something a bit more premium is just icing. I usually carry a fixed blade where I would wear my sheath anyway.
The sheath the Charge comes with is pretty nice, and I plan on setting it up as a travel/maintenance kit. It has two pockets withing the sheath, so I have a bevy of bits in one. In the other, I have cut a small loaded piece of leather for stropping the knife. I've got a cut down grey ceramic rod in on of the hoops and an ink pen in the other. Between all that, I should be able to fix anything that I need to repair while traveling and maintain my knife's edge so that I don't NEED (but probably will still bring) another knife.
 
In actually happy with the 420hc on my Leatherman charge, Supertool 300 and surge. It stays sharp all day and is easy to touch up. The s30v on the charge TTI i have seems ok. Nothing g special. The real issue is the blade geometry. It seems like the blade is meant more to stan than cut. It's way too thick behind the edge.

If I ever lose the Charge I'll be replacing it with a regular Wave.
 
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