S30V, do you guys still like itl

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roncunningham

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Jan 28, 2009
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I was reading on another forum and a lot of people were complaining about S30V. Mostly talking about chipping, hard to sharpen and that it is not staying as sharp as it should. Do you think S30V has been a disapointment? Part of the reason I ask is that I have been considering a left hand Spyderco Miltitary. Should I look around for something with different steel? I definately dont want anything with harder steel then S30V.
 
sharpening it is fine with patience and right technique. I love my para 2 and hope to repurchase a Millie as soon as possible.

If your worried about being to tough to sharpen then I would step down to 154cm

154cm and S30v are my top stainless choices.
 
I really like S30V. I haven't really been disappointed at all. It's my go-to steel for EDC.

I take my knives down to a 30 degree inclusive edge, and really thin down the bevel. This way even with the working edge that S30V develops, and holds for a long time, it still cuts extremely well. Even thinned out I have yet to see chipping under normal-hard uses. I've never had problems with rust, corrosion, or tarnishing with S30V; I couldn't say the same about ZDP-189, D2, 154cm, VG-10, or CPM-154.

Hardness is going to depend on the manufacturer's heat-treatment. Some heat treat it a little harder, some a little softer. CRK is famous/infamous for their 58-59 HRC treatment of S30v. Personally, I like what CRK does--to prove a point to one of my friends about higher-end steels, I used my LH Umnumzaan to shave slivers of metal off of some kitchen tongs. The edge only rolled, it didn't chip.

As a lefty myself, I'd enthusiastically endorse picking up a LH Military. I got one earlier this year, and it has really made me appreciate well made linerlocks--probably because it's made for lefties!
 
s30v and 154cm are so common these days that only on rare and special occasions do I buy a knife with a steel that's 'lower' than those two. Right now I have an s30v HTM Gunhammer and an a2 pocket fixed blade.

I really like s30v and 154cm. The a2 I've not had much experience with, but so far so good.
 
I love it--I just don't love the price it often commands. :p
 
Its my favorite steel for modern folding knives. I can easily get it razor sharp using my sharpmaker and a strop. It holds its edge better than well enough for my uses and I have not had chipping problems. I will list the other folding knife steels I have experience with below for perspective.
154cm (my second favorite for modern folders)
d2 (too hard to sharpen on my BM 710 but I still like it)
SAK stainless
420HC
440(chinese, least favorite)
1095(favorite for traditionals)
VG10
AUS 8
 
S30v is a quality steel in my experience. There were some reports of chippiness in earlier blades due to possible incorrect heat treatment due to a lack of experience. It's rare to hear about any company improperly heat treating S30v now, especially Spyderco. I find that edge holding is reasonable and even though the initial sharpness is lost, it still cuts for a LONG time.

Hard to sharpen? I guess it really depends on your equipment, and any modern sharpening system will handle S30v easily. No fault of the user but I think some modern alloy steels really can challenge the traditional sharpening stones. I have more S30v blades than any other steel, possibly apart from VG-10 and it's never let me down.
 
Most chipping problems were older from when it first came out and companies didn't quite have the heat treat down yet, which has since been remedied. I actually have an old version Paramilitary 1 (philips screws and old style jimping) in S30V and never had chipping problems. Spyderco has a good heat treat for their S30V.
 
sharpening it is fine with patience and right technique. I love my para 2 and hope to repurchase a Millie as soon as possible.

If your worried about being to tough to sharpen then I would step down to 154cm

154cm and S30v are my top stainless choices.
 
I'm a big fan of it. It's an excellent all-around steel, especially with the Bos heat treat that Buck, Strider, and various custom makers use.
 
Probably some people like to complain. That helps them to feel more important.
Good steel. It did not get any worse.
 
I have CPM154, S35VN, and S30V . The last two are Sebenzas .They're all great steels .I tried convex sharpening but I've gone back to freehand with a 1200 grit diamond rod !!! Of the three I guess the S35VN would be the best choice but the others are close .
 
it can chip now. i own one of the last spyderco para 1's and mine has had a very small chip, come out of the edge. mine could be that one in a million, but it's not all that old, maybe a year or 2 max.

i think it's fair to say though that the heat treatments are much better than they were early on, and odds of chips are reduced greatly, but to say it won't chip anymore....my spyderco says different.

i am not a big fan of s30v. i own a bunch of knives cause i liked the design of the knife and that was the only steel choice. it's an okay/good steel to me. takes a long time to sharpen and the razor edge seems to go away very very quickly but it maintains a working edge for awhile. i don't think it's as good as it was supposed to be, at least not to me. i prefer many other steels to it. i won't not buy it, if i like the knife and it's the only choice, as it works and does pretty good. i just don't consider it a super steel, personally. maybe my opinion will change one day....for now i put it into my okay/good steel category. as usual, ymmv from my own.
 
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s30v is still a top notch steel in my book, right up there with Super gold powder steel, super blue steel and zdp. I will agree it takes a bit more time to sharpen but it will cut like a laser when done properly.
 
I got no problems with S30V. Unless you like having a razor sharp scalpel on you at all times, S30V will do the job and do it better for longer than the other steels I've used.

I also enthusiastically endorse getting a LH Millie. I've had one for about 3 months now, carried and used everyday, and I've only had to really sharpen the edge twice now, with the occasional weekly stropping on yellow compound.

Note, I have yet to try out D2. And my 0551 I'm still working on reprofileing the edge down, so I can't really compare those to S30V yet.
 
I would not hesitate to get the left handed Military. I've had one for a while and like it a lot. The other knives I have in s30v hold up pretty good. It is a bit hard to sharpen if you let it go dull but if you keep on top of it you'll never have an issue. Good luck with you choice.
 
If I buy any folder and it has s30v I won't complain ! Never had a problem with it ! The only steel I ever noticed to dull too fast for my use is 8cr13mov .
 
All my S30V is Spyderco stuff and I have never had a problem with it. I can keep it plenty sharp with just the Sharpmaker. I like it because it works for me:)
 
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