S30V, do you guys still like itl

I think it's a pretty good benchmark steel. It's being bested by newer and better steels, but s30v is still a good steel. I don't seek knives with it like I did when I was starting with knives; now if I'm hunting for steel I look for something more exotic.
 
I have a military and have had no problems in any regard with s30v. Buy it, you won't regret it.
 
S30V is one of my favorite steels. I have no problem getting it hair whittling sharp and though it loses that fine edge quickly, it holds that "working" edge long enough for my needs.
 
I have never been fond of S30V at all to the point where I no longer own any knives with S30V for blade steel.

I'll take VG10 or CMP154 any day over S30V.

That's my opinion.

Tostig
 
I still like S30V, but then again I like most decent steels. If I like the design of a knife then I'll buy it as long as it isn't made from some Chinese mystery stainless steel or a carbon steel that rusts setting in the dealers display case.

I use my knives fairly hard, I'm not abusive to them but I expect them to do anything that you could reasonably expect a folding knife to do, but I also maintain my knives like I do any other fairly expensive tool that I own. The knives in my EDC rotation usually get their edges touched up at least once every couple of weeks so I don't need a ultra super steel that will hold an edge for 7 years without sharpening. For my needs and requirement S30V is still just fine.
 
I don't know if the military comes in a xhp /lefty yet, but that would be great for you if they did,I would like to get one myself
 
roncunningham said:
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.
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S30V is not a disappointment. It is an excellent steel, well balanced, tough, stain resistant, and does about anything you need it to. It's only hard to sharpen if a person doesn't know how to. For that matter, any steel would be a disappointment unless it were pot metal, but even then somoene would complain. You make it seem as if you were in the midst of a discussion with people that have very little infomration, and what information they have is limited at best.

Any steel that "does not stay as sharp as it should" is about as subjective a statement as one can make. It boils down to a couple of things. Are you demanding too much from your current knife? Are you using the right tool for the job at hand? Are you using the tool correctly, or in the manner in which it was intended? See what I am getting at? Common sense must play a role in the process that preceeds a statement like those mentioned. Chipping can be attributed to a million things: bad heat treat, abuse, incorrect bevel angle, incorrect knife for the material being cut.
 
I like it ok, I think its good stuff, I don't think its the amazing steel everyone else seems to. I can get it super sharp on the edge pro but I feel it does not stay sharp all that long even with simple daily use that is pretty minor, different edge angles don't seem to make a huge difference either. It does chip in my experience and I have used s30v from all the major production knife makers. Overall I like s30v but is it that great of an improvement over say 154cm, ats-34, or even vg-10, not to me for the things I use a folder for.
 
Tostig said:
I have never been fond of S30V at all to the point where I no longer own any knives with S30V for blade steel.

I'll take VG10 or CMP154 any day over S30V.

That's my opinion.

Tostig
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+1. I never had any chipping problems with S30V, I've just never had a knife with that steel that would hold an edge worth a @#$%$. I've had such bad experience with it, I won't buy a knife in S30V unless I can choose another steel.

YMMV.
 
I did have a little chipping on a para 2 that I was forced to take to somewhat less than 30 degrees because of a very uneven grind. I have this knife now at 36/40. I also had rolling issues with a DLC-coated para 1that I was using to cut broccoli on a wooden cutting board. The rest of my s30v are fine.
 
singularity35 said:
I did have a little chipping on a para 2 that I was forced to take to somewhat less than 30 degrees because of a very uneven grind. I have this knife now at 36/40. I also had rolling issues with a DLC-coated para 1that I was using to cut broccoli on a wooden cutting board. The rest of my s30v are fine.
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maybe you had a wire edge/burr?
 
jimnolimit said:
maybe you had a wire edge/burr?
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Hmmm yep, possibly, whittled hair just fine though. I stopped using that knife when I got some other ones. I have to dig that out and give it another try. The steel seemed softer during sharpening though. So did the steel on my black millie.
 
roncunningham said:
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.
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Chipping - haven't seen any.
Hard to sharpen - Hope. Not when I use diamond hones or ceramic rods.
Edge retention - Well that's relative to what you compare it to. It's noticeably better than 154CM or VG10. It won't hold a candle to M390 or CPM M4.

I like the stuff. Makes a great EDC and I'd not hesitate to have it as a hunting knife blade if I still had need of such.
 
Top steel for folders (on par with s35vn which is a derivative anyway). Requires more effort to deal with than some others, but exhibits great toughness and edge retention. Even for larger blades is still my preferred choice.
 
Every now and then i find a micro chip or two on my Strider PT (S30V) cant say for sure if its not just from use and abuse or if its a fault of the steel in general as its the only blade i have in S30V. I like the knife well enough though and cant say anything bad about the steel otherwise. It sharpens just fine on the Sharpmaker too but right now the one steel thats really turning me on is H1. It shapens like no other and seems to be the soulmate steel to the Sharpmaker, my Pacific, ladybug and Tazman Salt (all plain edge) are the sharpest knives i have and i can just toss them into the dishwasher for a good cleaning.
 
S30V has never worked that well for me. While sharpening has never been a problem, chipping has. Running a polished edge seems to lessen the chipping a little, but frankly I like a relatively coarse edge. Anyway I'm not really one to dwell on things so I'll just admit S30V and I don't get along. It's not the end of the world as I have no problem paying extra for steels that better suit my needs.

Bo
 
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