New Pacific Owner: What's the latest on S35vn? 55-57 vs 58-59?

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geohans

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Dec 24, 2013
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I've read a great deal of stuff on all sides of the steel issue, but almost all of it is 1-2 years old, not long after the intro of S35vn.

Have things been adjusted, like heat treatments and/or hardness?

Thanks.


ETA curious why the Pacific is 55-57 and current Sebenzas are 58-59. . . .
 
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The reason there haven't been any new threads on this is that there isn't an issue with S35VN - and never was.
 
Thank you Mr. Newell. I became aware that there were some who had concerns. I am not an expert on steel, but some of the questions appeared to have some merit-- even as some reputable folks rebuffed those questions. It would seem reasonable to ask whether there were definitive answers which led you to conclude those questions to be without merit. I would not have asked, if I had been successful in my search.
 
geohans said:
Have things been adjusted, like heat treatments and/or hardness?
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More like attitudes were adjusted. There's been no announcement of steel changes, it's still S35VN @ 58-59 HRC on the birthday cards. I've personally found the blend of edge retention & ease of touch-up sharpening suited well to my edc needs. I'd guess other people that use modern CRK knives also found the properties acceptable. They're certainly not having trouble selling them.

The people that want exotic steel properties or HRC60+ buy something else or send their blades for re-heat treat. By the amount of reporting here, it doesn't seem to be a large number of people doing aftermarket heat treats.

I'd say that the published concern over S35VN died down once people started relying on their own experience instead of a few early youtube videos of people with concerns over its performance.
 
Of all then CPM steels this is my favorite and I've EDC'd all of them .I'm keeping mine . S35VN is used often by the cutom makers .
 
It is an exceptional steel for virtually any use. I prefer it to s30v, vg-10, D2, 154CM, CPM-154, ATS-34, and ZDP-189. It sharpens extremely easily, it holds an edge for a LONG time, it is very rust resistant, very tough I've never rolled or chipped an edge, takes an extremely fine edge, and as you use it the edge becomes more and more toothy and aggressive so for me it cuts better with use
 
Please don't misunderstand me - your question is reasonable and was very reasonably written. In a funny way, the lack of posts on the topic is probably the best evidence that the consensus is that this is not a problem steel, whether from CRK or Spyderco or any other reputable maker. There was quite a controversy at Spyderco Forums as well, with the same result as here. :thumbup:

geohans said:
Thank you Mr. Newell. I became aware that there were some who had concerns. I am not an expert on steel, but some of the questions appeared to have some merit-- even as some reputable folks rebuffed those questions. It would seem reasonable to ask whether there were definitive answers which led you to conclude those questions to be without merit. I would not have asked, if I had been successful in my search.
Click to expand...
 
Dangerously said:
More like attitudes were adjusted. There's been no announcement of steel changes, it's still S35VN @ 58-59 HRC on the birthday cards. I've personally found the blend of edge retention & ease of touch-up sharpening suited well to my edc needs. I'd guess other people that use modern CRK knives also found the properties acceptable. They're certainly not having trouble selling them.

The people that want exotic steel properties or HRC60+ buy something else or send their blades for re-heat treat. By the amount of reporting here, it doesn't seem to be a large number of people doing aftermarket heat treats.

I'd say that the published concern over S35VN died down once people started relying on their own experience instead of a few early youtube videos of people with concerns over its performance.
Click to expand...


Or in the case of the Pacific, 55-57 HRC.... and it works just fine there too.

It's an amazing thing that nobody made a giant deal out of that as well.
 
Yes, my Pacific is 55-57. It would be interesting to know-- is the Pacific specifically singled out for a couple points softer, and if so, why? Or are all CRKs 55-57?

Mine is May 2013.

ETA I see in the other thread that a recent Sebenza says 58-59. Very curious why the Pacific is softer-- anyone?
 
Fixed blades are usually tempered softer on purpose. Probably so they can be used for chopping. The A2 that CRK used for the one piece knives was hardened to 55-57 also. You can be assured that the reason for the hardness is deliberate and that Chris does it because it makes a better knife.
 
Scott is correct.

General rule of thumb is the lower HRC tempers will give increased toughness.

Higher HRC will give greater wear resistance but decreased corrosion resistance.

Everything in steel is a give and take between properties of a given steel.

At the end, enjoy your knife!
 
As a point of comparison, I did some heavy duty bush-crafting with my Bark River Bravo 1 in S35VN @58HRC this weekend. Cutting, chopping, and batoning lots of sandy driftwood. The knife is still super sharp and no chips or rolls. Not really the same type of knife, but the same steel and same hardness as my Sebenza's. This gives me confidence in my CRKs at 58HRC in S35VN, and CRK's choice of that heat treat for that type of steel.
 
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