S110V vs S90V

S90v took a long time to reprofiled s110v took even longer. Benchmades m390 took a bit less time than s90v but not by much. Touching these up doesn't take long at all tho.
 
dkb45 said:
I recent branched out into a lot more knives in super steels. Learnes I'm absolutely in love with M390, and just last week got a knife in S110V (Paramilitary 3). Week before I got an S90V ZT 0095 but didn't get around to fixing the edge up until last week.

I cut up a lot of cardboard at work. S90V held a surprisingly good edge, even the razor edge stayed, very uncharacteristic of of S__V steels in my experience. My Paramilitary did not fare nearly as well. First off, the edge seemed to have tooth that I could not sharpen out. The razor edge was gone after very little cutting, more like what I expect from S35VN and S30V.

S90V and S110V are supposed to be extremely similar steels, so any idea why they both held edges so wildly different? They were both sharpened to around the same angle with the same methods, but S90V took a hair whittling edge, and S110V only got to "pretty sharp" and the tooth never refined out?
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Everyone wants the answer to be steel and heat treatment but it's always more likely edge geometry, edge finish, blade geometry, thickness behind the edge and abrasive selection.

I've had moment in the past when I found something unusual when comparing steels
Just to found out it was one of the variables I mentioned above.

To be honest maybe your just getting the s90v sharper then the s110v. I've found s110v is absolutely unforgiving to angle inconsistencies. Who knows, I'm not there to see.
 
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I have always like S90V more. I find it holds a high sharpness edge longer and is easier to touch up. Great steel! Not a huge fan of S110V, but have a few blades in it with a great HT and blade geometry. Of course HT and blade geometry play a huge role.
 
Great thread on personal experiences with S90V and S110V. I am so impatient that I couldn't imagine reprofiling S110V haha
 
OP... I dont know how you are sharpening, and in no way intend the following to assume you do not know what your are doing. Its just friendly advice.

Make sure you are raising a burr along the entire edge before switching to working the other side of the bevel. That burr needs to be raised on one side and then transferred to the other side. Once that occurs you can drop to your next lower grit transferring the burr back and forth. Never move to the next grit until you have gotten that burr along the entire edge on both sides. Once you have worked all the way up through your grits you need to strop to completely remove that burr. There are many techniques for stropping. This process is imperative for the high carbide, high wear resistant super steels. Also the more grit levels you use, the better.

The burr is much more difficult to see and even more difficult to feel on these high vanadium super steels, especially when compared to something like aus8 or 10-95, or 440a,b,c. I actually use a flashlight and shine the light at a flat angle from the spine towards the edge. If the burr is there you will see it. On the super steels it appears like a micro burr. The very edge of the edge will reflect the light. If this burr isnt totally removed, you will see the effects when you cut.

As for my own experience...

I have had great results with my S90V Military. I have used it a ton and it has held its working edge well. If hair whittling is = 100, shaving at the slightest touch = 98, shaving with effort = 95 then my definition of a working edge is 93-94. I have usually needed to touch up the edge on my spyderco fine stone. Only once I have needed to go to the medium stone and I always finish with a quick stropping and the edge is back to that 98 level sharpness. I have never let the edge get below a working edge and I have never reprofiled the entire bevel. That working edge seems to last FOREVER though.
 
I agree regarding the sharpening process! Raise a burr along the entire edge before switching to working the other side of the bevel. With time you will know when a burr is present along the entire edge.
 
I have zero first hand experience sharpening either s110v or s90v, but without getting all sciency, the presence of Niobium carbide in s110v (3% niobium) as well as the presence of cobalt (2.5%) would present itself as being more difficult to work with then s90v, which contains neither element, and all others being present (in lesser or equal quantities), has only a small amount of tungsten (<0.5%) present that is not in s110v...

They are certainly 2 completely different beasts based on their compositions.
 
Riz! said:
OP... I dont know how you are sharpening, and in no way intend the following to assume you do not know what your are doing. Its just friendly advice.

Make sure you are raising a burr along the entire edge before switching to working the other side of the bevel. That burr needs to be raised on one side and then transferred to the other side. Once that occurs you can drop to your next lower grit transferring the burr back and forth. Never move to the next grit until you have gotten that burr along the entire edge on both sides. Once you have worked all the way up through your grits you need to strop to completely remove that burr. There are many techniques for stropping. This process is imperative for the high carbide, high wear resistant super steels. Also the more grit levels you use, the better.

The burr is much more difficult to see and even more difficult to feel on these high vanadium super steels, especially when compared to something like aus8 or 10-95, or 440a,b,c. I actually use a flashlight and shine the light at a flat angle from the spine towards the edge. If the burr is there you will see it. On the super steels it appears like a micro burr. The very edge of the edge will reflect the light. If this burr isnt totally removed, you will see the effects when you cut.

As for my own experience...

I have had great results with my S90V Military. I have used it a ton and it has held its working edge well. If hair whittling is = 100, shaving at the slightest touch = 98, shaving with effort = 95 then my definition of a working edge is 93-94. I have usually needed to touch up the edge on my spyderco fine stone. Only once I have needed to go to the medium stone and I always finish with a quick stropping and the edge is back to that 98 level sharpness. I have never let the edge get below a working edge and I have never reprofiled the entire bevel. That working edge seems to last FOREVER though.
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The Burr is very misleading on S110V. It will raise very slightly, and raise before the edge is even close to done on the grit. Following the Burr would lead me to the toothy, not sharp edge I was getting. It's a very peculiar steel.
 
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dkb45 dkb45

That is good to know. Maybe then raising that burr 2 times on each side before going up in grit would help. Ive never sharpened S110V.
 
I have made and sharpened quite a few blades in S110V and have found it no more difficult to sharpen than other high carbide steels. I prefer a toothy edge and use a DMT flat to bring that edge out. Never an issue.
 
I have a G10 Manix 2 in S110V and a custom Bulgarian forum folder in S90V - both are not difficult to sharpen, I run them all the way up to a synthetic ruby 3000-4000 grit stone and they take an amazingly razor sharp edges (mirror polished as well). If it weren't for the markings on the blades I cannot tell them apart.
 
Interesting with the different experiences with S90V and S110V. Personally, I don't own a knife with either steel but curious to how prone they are to chipping.
 
Old thread but my experience is similiar. Brand new para 3 in s90v is outstanding. Razor sharp and has held its factory edge. Got the native 5 in s110v expecting the same or better and have been disappointed so far. I have not attempted to reprofile the s110v but did just order a manix 2 in s110v and will report on the results. FYI... the s90v para 3 is sharper factory edge than my para 3 maxamet factory edge also.
 
Prime Mover said:
Old thread but my experience is similiar. Brand new para 3 in s90v is outstanding. Razor sharp and has held its factory edge. Got the native 5 in s110v expecting the same or better and have been disappointed so far. I have not attempted to reprofile the s110v but did just order a manix 2 in s110v and will report on the results. FYI... the s90v para 3 is sharper factory edge than my para 3 maxamet factory edge also.
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That is interesting. In what ways were/are you disappointed?
 
After handling the para 3 in s90v and cutting a variety of household stuff (tape, cardboard, rope, ty wraps, marine caulk, etc) I was expecting the s110v to be similiar or better. I do have to say I have a more than a few knives (Im an amateur collector at best) and this para3 in s90v is by far the sharpest out of the box. I was pretty amazed by the s90v so maybe had unrealistic expectations of what s110v would do. Even still, it should have been on par with the s90v at a minimum.
 
Prime Mover said:
After handling the para 3 in s90v and cutting a variety of household stuff (tape, cardboard, rope, ty wraps, marine caulk, etc) I was expecting the s110v to be similiar or better. I do have to say I have a more than a few knives (Im an amateur collector at best) and this para3 in s90v is by far the sharpest out of the box. I was pretty amazed by the s90v so maybe had unrealistic expectations of what s110v would do. Even still, it should have been on par with the s90v at a minimum.
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Yea that's what I was thinking. Never used either S90V or S110V. How's the resharpening?
 
I love my Military in S100V; that long curved thin blade makes it a superb slicer. Sharpening is easy, starting with a DMT ultra-coarse (200 grit) -- a few light strokes raise a burr, then I finish on a DMT red to get a hair popping edge. A couple very light strokes on a smooth steel (RC 64) seems to help, too. That edge lasts a long time.
 
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