MagnaCut vs S35VN

K.O.D. said:
While I'd like to try magnacut, there aren't currently any knives that I like in it. I'm waiting for a Spyderco Military 2 with it.
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I highly recommend the Buck 501 Larrin edition. Best $150 I have spent on a knife in a while. Magnacut blade with the Buck edge is tremendous. Can't believe they weren't an immediate sellout. Buck site shows they are gone now. Buy if you ever spot one.
 
Both are great steels IMHO. My Sebbie21 is S35Vn, and my Bradford Guardian is MagnaCut. I have a Buck Custom Shop 110 in MagnaCut on the way, so I'll have to do some serious highly scientific whittling when it arrives.
 
Most reviewers who do edge retention testing do not hold enough variables constant to make truly valid steel comparisons. The most they can say with validity is that one knife performed better than the other. They cannot assume blade steel as the sole factor making a difference.

Primary grind angle, overall blade profile, steel hardness, and how the blade was sharpened have more impact on edge retention and cutting performance than does the steel in and of itself. Cutting on a hard surface can also add variability to the results, because there is no way to control how each cut comes down on that surface.
 
I have a few knives in newer/harder super steels, but for my use, S35VN always seemed to have the right balance of edge retention, toughness, and ease of sharpening. I got two Buck knives in Magnacut in the last six months, and they're all I've been carrying since. They take what I've always liked about S35VN to the next level.
 
S35vn is a great steel and it’s been my favorite for several years having several knives in it. That said I now have some knives I’ve been using in Magnacut and it is definitely a step up in my usage. I agree the Magnacut seems to hold up better in edge stability giving it an advantage over s35vn. I’ve cut some tough dirty stuff with magnacut and I haven’t seen any edge deformity at all. But mostly I love how easy it touches up with just a few swipes to a very sharp keen edge and burrs haven’t been a problem.
 
knarfeng said:
Most reviewers who do edge retention testing do not hold enough variables constant to make truly valid steel comparisons. The most they can say with validity is that one knife performed better than the other. They cannot assume blade steel as the sole factor making a difference.

Primary grind angle, overall blade profile, steel hardness, and how the blade was sharpened have more impact on edge retention and cutting performance than does the steel in and of itself. Cutting on a hard surface can also add variability to the results, because there is no way to control how each cut comes down on that surface.
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Same model different steels then?
 
Srtr said:
Before magnacut was out, s35vn was my favorite all around steel. Magnacut changed that. It's basically supercharged s35vn

I decided last year to try a "1 year challenge" with a sebenza 31 in magnacut.

Challenge is carry the sebenza for a full 365 days without ANY maintenance. No cleaning, no sharpening, no stropping, nothing. Just using it. I'll be coming up on one year March 1st.

It's still shaving sharp and shows no signs of corrosion. There's some glinting on the edge in a few spots but nothing to cause concern.


I can't wait to be able to take it apart, clean it and sharpen it to really see how it performs after I get the factory edge off.
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No disrespect to you but then you probably only used it for putting peanut butter on a sandwich 😉
IT's hard to believe.but then i have not actually used a magnacut knife
 
I have only used Magnacut in Kershaw. CPM 20CV (M390) steel cuts more aggressively, holds its cutting edge longer, does not rust even on the sea coast, and costs 20% less. CPM S35VN works almost the same as Magnacut.
 
I really enjoy Pete's (Cedric and Ada) version of "bro science" and while it's obviously not to be taken serious I do believe it's good enough to show at least a little bit what's hiding behind the curtain. And he got significantly better volume of cuts with the MagnaCut he's done than with S35VN. And I very much appreciate taking S35VN's mostly stainless feature to MagnaCut's darn near stainless property.
 
knarfeng said:
If they are both sharpened to the same angle using the same grit medium. For steels containing vanadium carbide, the medium needs to be diamond or cubic boron nitride.
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And if hardness is accounted for. not only because hardness increases wear resistance and slicing edge holding, but also because hardness increases resistance to deformation and decreases toughness. When humans cut complex media such as rope, cardboard, etc the blunting is a complex process, so depending on the blunting mechanism you could see different results. Bottom line you are absolutely correct that most reviewers if not all that test knives can't make sweeping conclusions about steels only about specific knives. In general MagnaCut should be superior to S35VN in any scenario. Might not matter to most, but if having a choice MagnaCut is the way to go from the performance perspective.
 
I'm trying to pick the right maker that fits within my budget.

I gifted my Tactile to my friend, but it didn't have the established Heat Treat apparently. She still uses it without complaint.

I have my eyes on a few makers.

Current budget is $750

Recommendations welcome.

(Magnacut)
 
Delgadonine said:
I'm trying to pick the right maker that fits within my budget.

I gifted my Tactile to my friend, but it didn't have the established Heat Treat apparently. She still uses it without complaint.

I have my eyes on a few makers.

Current budget is $750

Recommendations welcome.

(Magnacut)
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Anything from Chris Reeve.
 
zyhano said:
No disrespect to you but then you probably only used it for putting peanut butter on a sandwich 😉
IT's hard to believe.but then i have not actually used a magnacut knife
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When I lived in Hawaii a couple of years ago, I was working on the maintenance crew for a Submarine and two other surface vessels and was the Lead Diver. I did a lot of cutting underwater and around the ships. I cut a lot of stuff some days like Firehose (used for rope chaffing protection) ropes of all types (Poly, Nylon and Hemp), wire, monofilament line, nets, gaskets, leather, etc. etc.. I don't care what a knife is made of, it is not holding an edge for a year under those conditions. I sharpened my most used knives about every 3 or 4 weeks at least. Most of my frequently used knives were LC200N and H1 due to the saltwater environment.
 
zyhano said:
then you probably only used it for putting peanut butter on a sandwich
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I use my EDC knives for the pretty basic tasks of opening packages, cutting and scoring cardboard, as well as some shop tasks like scoring thermoplastic sheath material, and other miscellany that arises. There is not a steel I've used that did not require touching up in short order, including the over a dozen different Cold Steel and Spyderco steels I have used over the years, and the steels I currently make knives from (AEB-L, MagnaCut, 15N20, 3V). Some working edges last longer than others. None lasts forever, if used in earnest. And every fine edge is gone within the first few cuts of any real work. Just my experience.
 
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