My 615, S30V, and your advice

B

Belly

Gold Member
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May 21, 2000
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212
Well, I have read the many threads that discuss S30V and its tendency to chip. Because I am skeptical of many things, I was hoping that the various people who had chipping issues were either abusing their knives or sharpening them incorrectly.

I recently purchased my Mini-Ruckus, and I was extremely pleased with every aspect of the knife. It is the perfect knife for me. I haven't really used the blade much, so I was hoping to be spared from the chipping issues. I decided to start using it. I did some simple whittling on a dry, 3/8 inch thick, 7 inch long stick. After just being whittled down to kindling, I see 3 separate areas on the blade that are chipped. All I did was shave the thin bark off and whittle it down.

What a huge disappointment. I paid over $185 for this knife. It is a First Production run.

If S30V is supposed to be the latest, greatest steel, then I have been duped.

I guess I can send it back to Benchmade or try to sharpen it at a different angel, but it is really a disappointment. I have purchased over a dozen Benchmades in the past 10 years, and I love all of them. This newest one is superb, with the exception of the steel, and to me, that is the most important part of any knife.

Any advice?

Thanks,
 
Either your whittling technique is terribly flawed or something is wrong with the edge, it shouldn't chip that easily.
 
Try to sharpen it, no necessary at different angle. Remove some steel, in some cases this can help.
To the best of my understanding it can be for two main reasons (beside abuse) for chipping: poor heat treat (and nothing can be done about it, except to replace the blade) and improper final grinding, in this case removing some steel will help.
At least it helped me with my Native about a year and half ago. S30V is very good steel, I love it.
 
id send it in. it is possible that yours had a poor heat treatment. but nonetheless, i understand your disappointment.

i havent had any chipping issues with any s30 blades i have owned, but would be equally upset if i experienced what you did.

no knife should chip just whittling wood.
 
I had initial chipping in my S30V Native that went away after a few sharpenings. I was just sharpening a microbevel at the time with the Sharpmaker, if you sharpen the full bevel to get to some good steel you may be OK. If it still chips after a couple sharpenings send it back.

Mike
 
I have a rukus 610 and have made endless fuzz sticks with it and even battoning with it , in all honesty i have probably abused it a little and had ZERO problems with chipping. hope this might make you feel a bit better about s30v.
 
Gotta echo what gunmike1 says. Seems as that is a common remedy to reported chipping issues with that steel. I have numerous S30V blades and only one chipped, the problem went away after reprofiling and sharpening a Green Beret from CRK. Yeah, I know you shouldn't have to do that, but I didn't mind and I can't leave a factory edge from anyone alone for more than a week without screwing around with it. That GB has had much use after repairing the edge with no grief. Here's hoping you have good luck.
 
I had a brand new, unsharpened ( by me) S30V knife chip opening a blister pack. I've had, and still have about 10 knives made out of S30V steel since then that are great. It can be a really excellent steel. It seems like there has been a lot less complaints on the forums lately so perhaps whatever was causing it has been corrected by most manufacturers.

Send it back and get it corrected. It's a really decent steel when it's right. Joe
 
I've used my Mini-Rukus hard since I got it before last Christmas and have had no problems with chipping -- it's a first production run, too. I've used it extensively in yard work, cutting gritty roots, dirty wood, plastic, sisal, cardboard boxes, and if there were any chips (I didn't examine the edge with a loupe or magnifying glass) they disappeared with a few strokes of a DMT red diamond hone... then I put that scary sharp edge back on it with a few more on a DMT green ultra-fine hone. I wouldn't be concerned, just use your knife and sharpen when needed.
 
Thanks all.

Keep in mind that the chips are really small, but definitely noticeable to the naked eye (if you're a knifenut) or if you carefully run your fingernail along the edge. It certainly looks like the very edge was extremely thin (and really scary sharp when I first got it). I do have some hope that sharpening it will help. I'll most likely will try that before I send it back. I don't give up that easily.

Thanks,
 
i have a bm 740 with s30v and i wouldnt say i abuse it but it does get used. the other day I carved the bark of a huge walking stick plus cut a couple knots out and not only were there no chips in after that use it was only a few swipes on the strop before it was shaving again
 
I agree with what many have said. It takes a couple of sharpenings to get to the "good" steel. This is true with all steels, but especially with S30V. I believe the steel gets hot (in a few cases) during the factory sharpening and this causes the edge steel to become brittle and easy to break. I love S30V, I sharpen all of my knives from coarse back to fine when I get them and decide they are going to be users. I recommend you send it back, have them resharpen it, then you sharpen it yourself.
 
I've had 5 chip out on me in total. 3 different brands too. S30V and me are no longer friends. :( But when it works it's nice, but I've never had any other steel chip out on me other than S30V, so it seems a little shitty.
 
Could these knives be sharpened to a wire edge, and that's what's chipping? You'll definitely get better results if you resharpen them and eliminate the wire edge before you use it.
 
I don't think it is a wire edge, Esav. Cliff Stamp had an S30V blade that chipped also. And he would have recognized a wire edge.

A lot of people have reported initial chipping with S30V that disappeared upon several sharpenings. (But it was several sharpenings, not just a single edge adjustment. And some folks reported they couldn't get it to work period.) But a lot of people have used S30V blades with no problems at all.

And I believe all of them.

So we have the two camps. People who prefer S30V over all other steels and People who prefer other steels because they have had problems with S30V.

BTSOOM.
 
Too many reports, and not enough data. "S30V" tells us too little: we need to know when this happened and with which companies' knives. Anything else is not much more than rumor, because the retellings become data in their own illegitimate right. "I've heard a lot ..." could mean the same few stories repeated a lot, if we don't have specifics. Cliff Stamp ... right. Sorry, I have no use for his input. I've seen too much of it clearly tainted.
 
Well Esav,
Although I find him rude, arrogant, and unfit for genteel company, he seems technically competant.

I suppose I should start collecting data into a database. What knife, what company, etc. The best I can say is that from what I have read on the boards, most of the issues have occurred with production knives, although I do remember one member who claimed he had had a chipping issue with a CRK S30V blade. Just as in this thread, I have read of folks with the same model from the same company. One had a problem. Another did not. I know I have read the tales of members who have had problems with Spyderco and Benchmade. And lots of stories of folks who did not.

Call me crazy, but when I read the same tale by different folks I tend to believe it. One report could be because the guy doesn't know anything. But the same issue from several folks makes me believe that maybe there is an unknown that has not been nailed down in the process.

Try this thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=473523&highlight=native
 
OK, I read it. Not much definitive. We really need a better reading of what Spyderco found, if anything. It would be interesting to take an S30V knife, say a Native, that one owner can't sharpen, and send it to someone who sharpens his own S30V easily.

I mean, one poster said his problem was he got a difficult burr on his and another said he couldn't seem to raise a burr. And both sounded like they eventually got the steel to work.

It certainly could be that heat treating has been erratic, but we can't just suppose that, we need some real data, not anecdotes.
 
knarfeng said:
Well Esav,
Although I find him rude, arrogant, and unfit for genteel company, he seems technically competant.

I suppose I should start collecting data into a database. What knife, what company, etc. The best I can say is that from what I have read on the boards, most of the issues have occurred with production knives, although I do remember one member who claimed he had had a chipping issue with a CRK S30V blade. Just as in this thread, I have read of folks with the same model from the same company. One had a problem. Another did not. I know I have read the tales of members who have had problems with Spyderco and Benchmade. And lots of stories of folks who did not.

Call me crazy, but when I read the same tale by different folks I tend to believe it. One report could be because the guy doesn't know anything. But the same issue from several folks makes me believe that maybe there is an unknown that has not been nailed down in the process.

Try this thread:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=473523&highlight=native
Click to expand...
Knarfang did you read that thread you linked?

I only ask as it centers around some's inability to sharpen S30V. I skimmed but I didn't see any chipping issues in both pages.

I counted maybe three or four Posters that complained about sharpening problems...I also found this counter:
Sal Glesser said:
You might send it in and let us check it out. If there is something wrong with the blade, we'll replace the knife.

We sell many thousands of Natives and most seem pleased with the S30V edge holding. Please ask customer service to let me inspect it. thanx.

sal
Click to expand...
 
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