S30V, do you guys still like itl

I'm no steel expert, but VG-10 and S30V appear most frequently in my collection so far...
 
Still trying to get along with S30V, as there is room for improvement. Will change up to FF grind and see how that works out in EDC.
 
I have a ZT 0350st with partial serrated blade and it's s30v steel. The only chipping mine has done is two of the serrated teeth chipped off cutting through a piece of Romex cable. (the black cable or satellite wire). I didn't think the soft copper inside would hurt it but it did. I am a maintenance guy and I use and abuse that knife and it has held up great other
then the serrated deal. Oh well. I like it.
 
S30V is a great steel with a good HT, I still use it a lot, it holds a working edge for a very long time and is still one of the best working steels around.
 
of the few knives i`ve kept yeah s30v is nice ,just a suggestion go with the paramilitary spyderco,if your going to use your knife hard,the military tip is a bit fragile,at least on the older one,then again i use em hard
 
Of COURSE it was a disappointment: Just like ATS-34 before it, every single knife magazine and the industry at large jumped on top of it as being the superest, awesomest, utlimate steel for everything and made all sorts of things out of it that it really is a poor choice for (large fixed blades, heavy utility knives, etc.) but that's the fault of our incredibly fad-happy industry, not the steel. When used for what it's supposed to be used for (folders, skinners, general utility) it's a perfectly solid choice. The claims made that it's "vastly" superior to 154CM (or ATS-34) are just silly, though, and indicative more of hype than experience. If I make two knives out of those steels at the same hardness and don't tell you which is which, you'd have a hell of a time figuring it out. It's not like that's bad, though, as 154CM is also a very solid choice, so far as stainless goes, though I still like BG-42 better than any of them.

So overall, yes it was a disappointment, but that's because of the unrealistic expectations laid on it at its release. I own a number of knives in it and have been happy enough.
 
t1mpani said:
Of COURSE it was a disappointment: Just like ATS-34 before it, every single knife magazine and the industry at large jumped on top of it as being the superest, awesomest, utlimate steel for everything and made all sorts of things out of it that it really is a poor choice for (large fixed blades, heavy utility knives, etc.) but that's the fault of our incredibly fad-happy industry, not the steel. When used for what it's supposed to be used for (folders, skinners, general utility) it's a perfectly solid choice. The claims made that it's "vastly" superior to 154CM (or ATS-34) are just silly, though, and indicative more of hype than experience. If I make two knives out of those steels at the same hardness and don't tell you which is which, you'd have a hell of a time figuring it out. It's not like that's bad, though, as 154CM is also a very solid choice, so far as stainless goes, though I still like BG-42 better than any of them.

So overall, yes it was a disappointment, but that's because of the unrealistic expectations laid on it at its release. I own a number of knives in it and have been happy enough.
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Yeah it really was hyped up too much, but in their defense S30V was changed slightly from that 1st production run that was tested. That 1st production run would take a higher hardness and really would cut for a VERY long time.

But they changed it so it took time to find the correct HT and tempering formula to get the best performance out of the steel, 59-60 HRC is the best range for it currently and it does very well as a user steel in that range if it's HTed and tempered correctly.
 
marthinus said:
Over hyping of steels has/will be the cause of many disappointments.
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Also the misunderstanding of what was said and really expecting more out of a steel than was hyped will cause even more.

Most of that comes from lack of knowledge though.
 
The heat treating & tempering, and to some extent the grind/thickness, is more important than the steel used.
Having said that - no complaints at all about the S30V in my two Striders.
 
All my blades are S30V so I have no choice but to like it. I do find it easier to sharpen then ATS-34 and that is a plus as well.
 
I've only recently started using S30V blades in a big way, but I'm very impressed so far. The only major downside I've noticed to it is that I've had a much more difficult time sharpening it than with other steels I've used in the past, but that's not a big deal.
 
Personally, my experiences with S30V seem to match the overall consensus that it's a great steel all around. On every steel poll I've seen, it wins if it's a choice on the board. I think it strikes a great balance between all the desirable attributes you could ask for in a knife steel.

I assume that if there's enough Niobium on this rock we float on, S35VN will render S30V obsolete.
 
Didn't think much of it at first. Though given my history of chipping S90V, CTS-20CP, S110V, CPM-154, ZDP-189, 154CM, and VG-10, I can really appreciate the toughness of the steel, which is really outstanding for a stainless. Though my recent experience with Elmax and M390 has put those two above S30V as far as edge retention is concerned. S30V is no longer a "premium" steel to me, though it's an excellent all-rounder for the price.
 
I have found that S30V is an excellent 'all around' steel, especially as treated by Paul Bos & Co. It has a really nice combination of holding a 'user' edge, yet being easy to sharpen and tough as well. I have only had it chip once and that was on a blade made during the early times of S30V. Overall, I give it:thumbup::thumbup:
 
S30V is still a great steel. It is fairly easy to sharpen and holds an edge for quite some time. It is overall a good choice.
 
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