There is a lot of controversy on the RH of the S35VN. I know it was one of the things that held me up for a while. I took the plunge to decide for myself and still have not made up my mind (on the RH - how it's working out for me personally, etc. - this is the blade, not the overall knife) and I was just curious to know how many of you have had your CRK blades (particularly Sebenza's) re-heat treated and what your thoughts are on the results?
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Re-Heating Your CRK
- Thread starter gdw
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I have never had it done it and I don't see me ever doing it. I am interested in what you need from the knife that you feel you won't get from a standard blade though ?
It doesn't matter what CRK do to the blades at the end of the day it will always be wrong for someone. Try not to take too seriously the words of others and form your own ideas and opinions. You have the knife, does it work well for you or not ?
It doesn't matter what CRK do to the blades at the end of the day it will always be wrong for someone. Try not to take too seriously the words of others and form your own ideas and opinions. You have the knife, does it work well for you or not ?
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People always complain about CRK HT, however, when compared to some tests done recently CRK actually runs his harder then what others might believe (at least for the S30V blades). So who is to say he is not doing the same with the S35VN?
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...of-a-sampling-of-production-and-custom-knives
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...of-a-sampling-of-production-and-custom-knives
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I dont know much about RH but i reprofiled.my umnum a few days ago and it was fairly easy with some regular stones. The next day i tried a reprofile on my rift which is 154cm and it was much harder and took much more time for some reason. So much that i quit on the most coarse stone and plan to pick it up this evening. Yes, the stone is clean. Not hating, just stating my experience.
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I get all my seb blades re-heat treated by Paul Bos (Farner). Get them all hardened to 60 (S30 and S35). Everyone's experiences differ, but all my stock seb's HT have been far too soft. I experienced blunting, where the edge actually deforms inward. Like seen in the jdavis vid. Not only that, but it rolled and dulled quicker than my $50 blades. Half day's work and they wouldn't even cut anymore. To me that is a little ridiculous for the price tag, but maybe some aren't affected. After getting the blades hardened I no longer experience the blunting or rolling and haven't had a single chip. The knife holds an edge like all my other S3x blades now. I also find the harder blade sharpens easier because I'm not constantly battling the burr. I wish CRK would just offer it as an option. I'd pay a little extra for a harder blade, then I wouldn't have to loose the stock finish after the HT process. Just my take on the situation.
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Everyone's experiences are valid on this forum.........except mine. My experiences have to have some sort of motive behind them. Lol. Anyway, your edges do exactly what mine do. Inward blunting/lateral deformation. The blades don't have much strength at all, which is directly related to hardness, although I'm sure other factors affect it as well.
In the past 4 months, I have extensively tested CRK's S35VN, using different knives made at different times. The edge holding is disappointing to say the least. The composition is there to make a nice cutlery steel, but the softness is crippling in my opinion. Wear resistance doesn't matter much when the edge completely blunts after minimal cutting. Again, just my opinion - which is based on a LOT of practical experience. I started cutting, and cutting, and cutting a few months back when all of this hooplah started. My views haven't changed.
S35VN CAN be amazing, when done right. ThomasW sent me a ZT0550 that was rockwell tested in 3 diff spots, coming in at 59.5rc. That blade did very well. I tested a Microtech socom elite (hardness unkown, but I can only assume higher than the ZT) and it did even better than the ZT. Sure, geometry will have a lot to do with it also, but there's no denying that steel and heat treat plays a huge part as well.
I still buy CRKs though. Matter of fact I own about 10 of them now.
I have a small regular S30V that as far as I can tell works like S30V that I have from Buck, BM, and Spyderco. This is only anecdotal, since I have not done any side by side tests, and my typical use is light, but I have not seen anything that would flag the CRK blade as being different. (My brother, on the other hand, has a small S30V that definitely did not hold an edge as well, markedly different, in direct side by side testing. He had it reheat treated by Paul Bos.)
I recently got a small Sebbie with S35VN, and because of all the recent hoopla I wanted to know if it was at least in the same league as others I have. I cut a very thick (easily an inch), multi-ply cardboard box with the Sebenza, along with a Spyderco S30V and S35VN (both Para 2s). All three shaved my arm hair easily at the beginning. After 13 feet each, all still shaved arm hair, though not as cleanly as at the beginning. There was no obvious difference between them at the end.
Sure, differences may have shown up if I did a longer test, or a measured, scientific test, but for my typical usage it looks like they are pretty much the same.
I recently got a small Sebbie with S35VN, and because of all the recent hoopla I wanted to know if it was at least in the same league as others I have. I cut a very thick (easily an inch), multi-ply cardboard box with the Sebenza, along with a Spyderco S30V and S35VN (both Para 2s). All three shaved my arm hair easily at the beginning. After 13 feet each, all still shaved arm hair, though not as cleanly as at the beginning. There was no obvious difference between them at the end.
Sure, differences may have shown up if I did a longer test, or a measured, scientific test, but for my typical usage it looks like they are pretty much the same.
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I have your back, I have the exact same results as the video. Actually happened on both my S30 and S35 variants. Never had a knife do that before, a bit shocking. Your experiences are definitely legit and I don't know how people can scrutinize them.... well I take that back ha. I'm like you, I love CRK knives but just wish the steel was harder.
Seems like geometry only matters to a point. If the steel is too soft to cut without deformation, then obviously geometry means little. I do mirror your thoughts on S35. At 60 (so far), it is quite nice. I've been whittling wood, cutting cardboard, zip ties, rope and a few other things just to see if I got the same deformation. Nothing to speak of yet, it is quite nice at 60. No chips, rolls or deformation. You owe it to yourself to send at least one Seb blade to Farner and have him kick it to 60. Then maybe another test??
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To me CRK is butchering s35vn by heat treating it so soft :thumbdn:. The whole point of s35vn was so that the blade could be heat treated harder and not chip out like s30v did at higher rockwells
honestly, its very sad to see Mr. Reeve so stubborn and not offering other RC hardness options like other makers out there. That's part of the reason I stopped buying his knives. $350 for a knife that can be out cut by a $30 kershaw is just sad.
After all a knife is meant for cutting Right? I mean I could be wrong but that's the definition of what a knife does. If it can be out cut by a $30 knife, what justifies the price tag for the newer steel. They might as well have just kept s30v, and make the consumer pay less
honestly, its very sad to see Mr. Reeve so stubborn and not offering other RC hardness options like other makers out there. That's part of the reason I stopped buying his knives. $350 for a knife that can be out cut by a $30 kershaw is just sad.
After all a knife is meant for cutting Right? I mean I could be wrong but that's the definition of what a knife does. If it can be out cut by a $30 knife, what justifies the price tag for the newer steel. They might as well have just kept s30v, and make the consumer pay less
einsteinjon
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To me CRK is butchering s35vn by heat treating it so soft :thumbdn:. The whole point of s35vn was so that the blade could be heat treated harder and not chip out like s30v did at higher rockwells
honestly, its very sad to see Mr. Reeve so stubborn and not offering other RC hardness options like other makers out there. That's part of the reason I stopped buying his knives. $350 for a knife that can be out cut by a $30 kershaw is just sad.
After all a knife is meant for cutting Right? I mean I could be wrong but that's the definition of what a knife does. If it can be out cut by a $30 knife, what justifies the price tag for the newer steel. They might as well have just kept s30v, and make the consumer pay less
It would be cool if it was offered from the factory. Then those that didn't feel they need the harder blade could choose otherwise.
For me, the folders I have (only two now) are users (s30 ti and s35 cf). So getting them hardened was a necessity. I felt like I had to sharpen them almost daily, which gets pretty old. After carrying a bunch of different folders, I do really prefer the Seb. But If getting them re-hardened for some reason wasn't an option, I'd probably look for a different knife.
If you were still looking to carry a Seb. I'd say send it to Farner, harden it to 60 and use it. The only downside is that your warranty goes out the door, but I don't think you'll care much about that LOL.
These are the only and best photos I have. Little dark, but you get the idea. I'd say the color is maybe a tad darker than a bare Izula (1095), just a gray cast.
The cast doesn't look too bad on a full Ti version as is, but it doesn't on the CF. I ended up doing a hand rubbed finish on the CF. Turned out alright.
braillediver
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If the blade steel was soft- wouldn't there be lots of over sharpened knives out there with greatly reduced blades? I don't recall ever seeing a Sebenza with a reduced blade from continually sharpening the knife.
einsteinjon
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SMI...thanks for the pics! How did you get the lugs out for HT? Do it yourself or did Farner do it for you? Also, how does one get in contact with this HT guy?
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Why would there be a lot of over sharpened blades? Hell, the softer the steel the easier it is to hone. If anything the softer steel will be a benefit in that regard because you can hone the sharpness back with minimal stropping or steeling.
And for what it's worth, I've seen numerous knives on this forum that have lost more than 1/8 of an inch due to sharpening.
stabman
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What I don't get is people buying the knives and then complaining.
It isn't a secret that the steel is run at a lower hardness.
It's almost as silly as complaining about McDonald's coffee being hot...they even tell you it's hot right on the cup.
It isn't a secret that the steel is run at a lower hardness.
It's almost as silly as complaining about McDonald's coffee being hot...they even tell you it's hot right on the cup.
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Well, if you're ONLY buying a CRK for the steel then yes complaining is kind of silly.
If you're like me, then there are MANY reasons you buy a CRK - but the steel and HT isn't one of them. In that case wanting a change is perfectly logical. You can still buy something and thoroughly enjoy it but still want a few things changed.
stabman
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Change it, sure.
I modified my Benchmade Skirmish to suit me better, but I did not consider it a design flaw.
I just went ahead and made it better for me.
But I didn't complain about it.
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Change it, sure.
I modified my Benchmade Skirmish to suit me better, but I did not consider it a design flaw.
I just went ahead and made it better for me.
But I didn't complain about it.
Kind of a straw man there. Complaining about CRK's HT is actually a sport at the Olympics now, I'm pretty sure.
stabman
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