-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Newbie here !!
- Thread starter Brendan
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2003
- Messages
- 1,702
The difference is pretty simple: BG42 is the old way, S30V the new. The sebenza was originally made with ATS-34, then BG42 and when S30V was released a couple years ago CRK started using it exclusively. S30V was designed with the "perfect" steel for a knife in mind. The differences are very minimal, only that the BG42 tends to be 60+ hardness, while the S30V is 58-59. If you want a Mnandi or new Sebenza you'll get S30V, if you go with the older ones they will be BG42, unless you go all the way back to the ATS34 version. The blade style on the Sebenza has changed a bit since the use of S30V, so I suggest getting the newer ones.
- Joined
- Aug 11, 1999
- Messages
- 1,111
Brendan,
1700+ posts and you still haven't learned the answer to that question?
The short answer is: Among end users, there are many who favor S30V, others who favor BG42. But the differences tend to be minor (e.g., which polishes better, which is a little easier to sharpen, which can "I" put a better edge on), and just about everyone regards them both as the best all-round "stainless" steels. Objectively, CRK treats S30V to a slightly lower RC than it did with BG42. Why? I don't know, but it remains a "heated" topic.
Like nearly every other steel out there, BG42 is a steel originally designed for applications other than for use in cutlery; in this case, as bearings capable of achieving high wear and corrosion resistance, IIRC. While a few custom makers had used BG42 previously, CRK was the first manufacturer to adopt it; and at that time, it was considered a fairly significant upgrade from the original ATS-34 blades. But BG42 is apparently quite difficult to work at the production end, and consequently among production knives it was found almost exclusively on the Sebenza (big, small) and Umfaan. A few other companies have since started using BG42, but with mixed results. CRK, it is generally considered, got the heat treatment right, and better.
S30V is, I believe, the first American steel designed specifically as a cutlery steel. Chris Reeve had a hand in its development by Crucible, with the aim of creating a highly refined steel with an optimal balance of wear resistance and toughness in a "stainless" steel. It came to market a little less than 3 years ago, and has been widely adopted by custom makers and higher-end manufacturers since -- due to its high performance, but also because it is relatively affordable (relative to its performance) and presents no unusual challenges in production.
I doubt many would call S30V the "perfect steel," at least not outside a particular context; but most makers and users believe it is the most balanced, all-round stainless steel currently available.
1700+ posts and you still haven't learned the answer to that question?
The short answer is: Among end users, there are many who favor S30V, others who favor BG42. But the differences tend to be minor (e.g., which polishes better, which is a little easier to sharpen, which can "I" put a better edge on), and just about everyone regards them both as the best all-round "stainless" steels. Objectively, CRK treats S30V to a slightly lower RC than it did with BG42. Why? I don't know, but it remains a "heated" topic.
Like nearly every other steel out there, BG42 is a steel originally designed for applications other than for use in cutlery; in this case, as bearings capable of achieving high wear and corrosion resistance, IIRC. While a few custom makers had used BG42 previously, CRK was the first manufacturer to adopt it; and at that time, it was considered a fairly significant upgrade from the original ATS-34 blades. But BG42 is apparently quite difficult to work at the production end, and consequently among production knives it was found almost exclusively on the Sebenza (big, small) and Umfaan. A few other companies have since started using BG42, but with mixed results. CRK, it is generally considered, got the heat treatment right, and better.
S30V is, I believe, the first American steel designed specifically as a cutlery steel. Chris Reeve had a hand in its development by Crucible, with the aim of creating a highly refined steel with an optimal balance of wear resistance and toughness in a "stainless" steel. It came to market a little less than 3 years ago, and has been widely adopted by custom makers and higher-end manufacturers since -- due to its high performance, but also because it is relatively affordable (relative to its performance) and presents no unusual challenges in production.
I doubt many would call S30V the "perfect steel," at least not outside a particular context; but most makers and users believe it is the most balanced, all-round stainless steel currently available.
- Joined
- Dec 21, 2002
- Messages
- 2,972
I took this off another post I commented on a while back. Lots of discussion on the differences between BG and S30...
As far a corrorsion resistance. A carbon based steels are not considered stainless unless they have 13.00% Chromium(Cr). BG-42 might have a little advantage with 14.50% chromium compaired to S30v's 14.00%. But taking into consideration that Vanadium(V) also plays a part with chromium to help fight rust; S30 has a wopping 5.50% to BG's 1.20%. It's a hard comparison due to the way both steels are manufactured. Two completely different processes. I've still found BG-42 to be my favorite when it comes to my Sebenza's.
Hope some of this helps in your decision.
As far a corrorsion resistance. A carbon based steels are not considered stainless unless they have 13.00% Chromium(Cr). BG-42 might have a little advantage with 14.50% chromium compaired to S30v's 14.00%. But taking into consideration that Vanadium(V) also plays a part with chromium to help fight rust; S30 has a wopping 5.50% to BG's 1.20%. It's a hard comparison due to the way both steels are manufactured. Two completely different processes. I've still found BG-42 to be my favorite when it comes to my Sebenza's.
Hope some of this helps in your decision.