My opinion of S35VN improved as I got lazy.

kidcongo

kidcongo

Joined
Jan 12, 2013
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A quick thought: Like any newly-minted knife nut, I went through a phase of keeping all of my knife hair-popping razor sharp. Keeping that shaving-sharp edge on CRKs S35VN can be a chore as we all know. Anyways......as time wore on I got lazy, and worry less and less about having a razor edge on my knives; and it is only now I am starting to really appreciate S35VN. The working edge that develops on S35VN after you lose that initial hair-popping edge is very durable and seems to settle into a perfect level of working sharpness that lasts for a long time. I don't worry any more if I can see light reflecting off the edge, I worry more about whether the knife cuts the stuff I need it to cut in my daily tasks.

Anyways.....I am not a steel guru, and I don't have a lot of points of comparison other than my knives in S30V, CTS 204P, A2, and CPM M4, which I seldom carry, but I think the focus on S35VN's inability to keep the initial razor sharp edge, overshadows its great ability to hold a working edge without chipping out, etc.
 
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Precisely.

I think the reason so many people scoff S30V and S35Vn is that it is a royal PITA to maintain a VERY refined edge on it unlike something like CPM-M4 which will retain that super refined edge much better. But I think asking S##V to do that is like asking a long haul truck to corner like a sports car....it just was not made for the task, but it will deliver...over the long haul :foot:
 
Owning knives in a wide variety of steels, my favorite two steels are CPM154 and S35VN. I enjoy and find it therapeutic to take a ceramic rod and a leather strop to hone and get a pretty sharp edge on the knives I use. I only get the KME out when I have to, for me, it's more of a chore to use it in order to get the edge back that I want.
 
Based on comments maybe S35VN is the "turtle" in the race against the rabbit. Winning in the long term
 
Good point. This is basically why im not so crazy about the newer "super steels", and all the hype that comes with em. I just don't and (probably wont) ever learn how to sharpen them properly. I use a sharpmaker on my CRKs, and it works fine.
 
35 and 30 is a good steel, it wasn't developed to be a "super steel", Chris wanted a good steel that was easier to work with...that being said I have no issue sharpening either but S90 holds a much better working edge and M390 holds a real good edge and is easy to maintain.
 
I like s35 just fine, I have observed the same thing as you about the nice length of time it holds a working edge! I still would not be opposed to seeing something like m4 in my sebenza though.......
 
Ernie1980 said:
I like s35 just fine, I have observed the same thing as you about the nice length of time it holds a working edge! I still would not be opposed to seeing something like m4 in my sebenza though.......
Click to expand...

My "Grail", if you could call the impossible that, would be a plain jane 21 in CPM M4. Not so much for the amazing properties if that steel, I just would like a sebenza that gets a patina on the blade as well as the slabs. Guess I like rusty stuff.....will keep dreaming.
 
I understand completely! I prefer carbon blades as a general rule, but the closest we will get to a carbon steel bladed sebenza is a carbon Damascus blade:(
 
I'd rather sharpen a knife easily than have an edge that lasts for ever.

I love the S35Vn on my Mnandi. It's easy to sharpen to a razor sharp edge and that's the only thing that really matters about cutting
 
Well, not to be too disagreeable, but I would like CTS-XHP on my CRK's. (It's like D2 in stainless.) Easy to sharpen, but the difference (for me) is, it gets crazy sharp and holds that crazy sharp a very satisfactory length of time.

:D I'm a CRK owner, I'm spoiled.
 
I would vote for CTS-XHP too! Not hard to sharpen at all and holds hair popping edge for a long time. This would be such a great upgrade to an already great knife!
 
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