S30v heat treat

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Knicked Digits

Joined
Dec 24, 2016
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So after this whole 3v debate/issue/thing, and hearing and reading about heat treatment, I was wondering how Benchmade does at holding their s30v hrc within the tolerances? Anyone that’s had their knives tested are most welcome to answer. I’ve got my eye set on a couple of their knives in s30v but With this issue circulating, it makes me hesitate to pull the trigger.

Thanks in advance!
 
Check out supersteelsteve YouTube channel, he does a lot of vs testing. He tested a few benchmade s30v vs spyderco’s and found them to be superior in terms of edge holding than spyderco
 
I haven't had any testing done, but anecdotally, I can say that Benchmade's S30V is great stuff. I've used my Crooked river to cut and pry stubborn pieces of carbon fiber out of molds. They were thin sheets, but doing that had chipped and dulled other blades I had used.
 
It varies in hrc but the ones done well do well and will perform better then there m390 and 20cv. Evidence by outpost 76, SuperSteel Steve and a few others. Note some of the s30v knives did not fair as well. It varies.

Stack metallurgy does all there heat treatment in large batches. They do a short cryo in -100 above a ln2 bath.

Its pretty sad they have these unique steels but don't provide a better ht than the s30v.

There M4 shows pretty good results most of the time too. Better than s30v iirc.

The brand is not for enthusiasts.
 
Try it. Come to your own conclusions. Instead of reading the opinions of a bunch of knife nerds on the internet, excuse me, ENTHUSIASTS.

I personally really like benchmade S30v. Which I can't say for a lot of companies.

Some people take this stuff way to seriously. I have never had a benchmade knife I thought had a bad ht or too soft and I've been through more than I can remember. D2, 1095, n690,n680, aus8,m4, 154cm, m390, 440c. Never been disappointed with ANY of them from benchmade.

Do I think it's kinda odd that they have their 3v knives at 55-58 hrc? Ya I dk, and am glad somebody brought it up cause honestly I probably wouldn't have checked cause I put entire trust in benchmade for ALWAYS having a good heat treatment. But, I think it's being blown out of proportion now. Don't like it, don't buy it. I'm actually tempted to try this low hrc 3v to see how it's edge retention actually is.

Anyways, Ya try their s30v, I doubt you'll absolutely hate it. Maybe prefer other steels. But every single knife I've had s30v from benchmade has lived up to expectations. Try it.

If you have the gear to test hrc I'd like to see your results.
 
insta9ves said:
Check out supersteelsteve YouTube channel, he does a lot of vs testing. He tested a few benchmade s30v vs spyderco’s and found them to be superior in terms of edge holding than spyderco
Click to expand...

I’ve heard him on the Sharp Talk podcast mostly, tried watching his pm2 vs Freek vid. I didn’t make it all the way through. His podcast ramble on the properties of heat treatment and the exponential growth of hardness from hrc point to point was interesting and made sense. He is my favorite rambler by far lol.

Mo2 said:
It varies in hrc but the ones done well do well and will perform better then there m390 and 20cv. Evidence by outpost 76, SuperSteel Steve and a few others. Note some of the s30v knives did not fair as well. It varies.

Stack metallurgy does all there heat treatment in large batches. They do a short cryo in -100 above a ln2 bath.

Its pretty sad they have these unique steels but don't provide a better ht than the s30v.

There M4 shows pretty good results most of the time too. Better than s30v iirc.

The brand is not for enthusiasts.
Click to expand...

It’s only for Benchmade enthusiasts lol. I’ve heard that this m390 and 20cv craze isn’t being done justice because of the low heat treat being done by some of these production manufacturers; another reason why I ask if Benchmade is consistent with and makes a point to heat treat s30v to its prescribed tolerances. Being in the manufacturing field I understand the amount of variance in tolerances in mass quantities of parts. The fact that they try to do it right is enough for me.
 
Ulf Krogstad said:
Try it. Come to your own conclusions. Instead of reading the opinions of a bunch of knife nerds on the internet, excuse me, ENTHUSIASTS.

I personally really like benchmade S30v. Which I can't say for a lot of companies.

Some people take this stuff way to seriously. I have never had a benchmade knife I thought had a bad ht or too soft and I've been through more than I can remember. D2, 1095, n690,n680, aus8,m4, 154cm, m390, 440c. Never been disappointed with ANY of them from benchmade.

Do I think it's kinda odd that they have their 3v knives at 55-58 hrc? Ya I dk, and am glad somebody brought it up cause honestly I probably wouldn't have checked cause I put entire trust in benchmade for ALWAYS having a good heat treatment. But, I think it's being blown out of proportion now. Don't like it, don't buy it. I'm actually tempted to try this low hrc 3v to see how it's edge retention actually is.

Anyways, Ya try their s30v, I doubt you'll absolutely hate it. Maybe prefer other steels. But every single knife I've had s30v from benchmade has lived up to expectations. Try it.

If you have the gear to test hrc I'd like to see your results.
Click to expand...

I, unfortunately, don’t have the equipment or knowledge to do my own hrc and my funds for knives is not very high atm so I feel it’s in my best interest to do my homework before making any purchases. I do own a 940-2 in s30v but that was before this whole steel issue hit the fan. Consciences but be assuaged now lol
 
Knicked Digits said:
So after this whole 3v debate/issue/thing, and hearing and reading about heat treatment, I was wondering how Benchmade does at holding their s30v hrc within the tolerances? Anyone that’s had their knives tested are most welcome to answer. I’ve got my eye set on a couple of their knives in s30v but With this issue circulating, it makes me hesitate to pull the trigger.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...


A Benchmade Bugout was just recently tested three times and came in at 57hrc... :(

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxvx3jpBOiu/?igshid=1rhmtozr2suys
 
Knicked Digits said:
I’ve heard him on the Sharp Talk podcast mostly, tried watching his pm2 vs Freek vid. I didn’t make it all the way through. His podcast ramble on the properties of heat treatment and the exponential growth of hardness from hrc point to point was interesting and made sense. He is my favorite rambler by far lol.
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On YouTube you can run his videos 25% faster and save some time. ;) Still really like his tests even though his productions isn't as slick as some of the other Youtubers.

ETA: I haven't tested my Bugouts, but at least my blue one seems to hold the edge just fine, my GRY haven't seen enough use for me to say either way.
 
I really don’t know anything about heat treats and the like but I can say that my s30v crooked river has been wonderful to me no matter what I throw at it. This is basically the only “expensive” knife that I use no matter what the task is. It has cut weeds and roots, pvc, wood (also used as a chisel some times), extremely tough cardboard, and drunkenly stabbed into trees and the like. Still sharp enough to push through paper. Maybe I just got a “good one” ;)
Sorry that this probably doesn’t contribute any real insight to the question
 
OP, Not sure if you saw this specific set of tests, but here are 4 benchmades which I discovered in a growing batch of 153 tests "(05/23/19) by watching bladebanter and lovethemknives on the tubes:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OepNr_D4lqbdTFqdqWl1rmAd4bOzPzJe6J0iEWrdJGU/edit#gid=0
ADVERT "AIMED" ACTUAL​
Benchmade Griptilian 154CM 58-61 58-62 59.0 ; Super Steel Steve
Benchmade 940 20CV 59-61 56-59 59.2 ; In The Pocket
Benchmade 940 S30V 58-60 58-61 57.7 ; In The Pocket
Benchmade Nakamura M390 60-62 60-62 59.5 ; In The Pocket

I learned more about Rockwell hardness and inferred engineering specification limits by studying the spreadsheet, and was reminded of the human condition through the various threads regarding Benchmade's product qualities, engineering, corporate and political culture. With over five decades of experience using and maintaining edged tools, I consider as outlier data points, the few voices that claim they do not get better service from Benchmade's m390 / 20cv / s30v then, for example Benchmades "old fashion" 154CM or n680, both of which we use to satisfaction. I chalk those opinions up to manufacturing tolerances, and personal proclivities. Go ahead and buy it if you like it, or not.
Experientially, as a family we have five Benchmades in S30V; two in M390; and one in 20CV. All of us are very satisfied with these 3 steels, even though perspectives are radically different. The gen-z kids are less impressed then the gen-x'ers and millennia's, for whom s30v was a revelation. I on the other hand, am blown away with the service we are getting from these three Benchmade super-steels. I'm shaking my head just thinking how little time I spend honing the m390 (my current fav) and 20cv, to have a very sharp knife always in pocket. Even Benchmade's D2, which was to die for when I was a pup, having previously helped conquer fascists bent on world domination through stamping and machining operations of the US war machine, is still great stuff if the heat treat is close.
 
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scottc3 said:
OP, Not sure if you saw this specific set of tests, but here are 4 benchmades which I discovered in a growing batch of 153 tests "(05/23/19) by watching bladebanter and lovethemknives on the tubes:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OepNr_D4lqbdTFqdqWl1rmAd4bOzPzJe6J0iEWrdJGU/edit#gid=0
ADVERT "AIMED" ACTUAL​
Benchmade Griptilian 154CM 58-61, 58-62, 59 ; Super Steel Steve
Benchmade 940 20CV 59-61, 56-59, 59.2 ; In The Pocket
Benchmade 940 S30V 58-60, 58-61, 57.7 ; In The Pocket
Benchmade Nakamura M390
60-62, 60-62, 59.5 ; In The Pocket​
I learned more about Rockwell hardness and inferred engineering specification limits by studying the spreadsheet, and was reminded of the human condition through the various threads regarding Benchmade's product qualities, engineering, corporate and political culture. With over five decades of experience using and maintaining edged tools, I consider as outlier data points, the few voices that claim they do not get better service from Benchmade's m390 / 20cv / s30v then, for example Benchmades "old fashion" 154CM or n680, both of which we use to satisfaction. I chalk those opinions up to manufacturing tolerances, and personal proclivities. Go ahead and buy it if you like it, or not.
Experientially, as a family we have five Benchmades in S30V; two in M390; and one in 20CV. All of us are very satisfied with these 3 steels, even though perspectives are radically different. The gen-z kids are less impressed then the gen-x'ers and millennia's, for whom s30v was a revelation. I on the other hand, am blown away with the service we are getting from these three Benchmade super-steels. I'm shaking my head just thinking how little time I spend honing the m390 (my current fav) and 20cv, to have a very sharp knife always in pocket. Even Benchmade's D2, which was to die for when I was a pup, having previously helped conquer fascists bent on world domination through stamping and machining operations of the US war machine, is still great stuff if the heat treat is close.
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I did read see that spreadsheet on a different post. My main concern for the post was whether the hrc was being achieved consistently or if the specs were stated but not being met. At .3 points lower than the lower limit of the hrc, I initially had the thought that that was the higher end of what Benchmade was running their heat treat; this just coming off of the 3v thing. After this post and doing some other research, I’m more positive it’s just one of the few that may have been run low in a large batch, as is the case in high column manufacturing.

All in all most of these comments have been helpful and enlightening. This may have been a post bred of the 3v drama and paranoia of buying more expensive knives when I have to save for them.
 
Knicked Digits, Yes, two more thing I learned about: "high column" heat treating and cryo specifics. Speed reading helps with any dose of forums drama and paranoia. ;) What's in your pocket now, and which Benchmades are you saving up for?
 
Knicked Digits said:
I’ve heard him on the Sharp Talk podcast mostly, tried watching his pm2 vs Freek vid. I didn’t make it all the way through. His podcast ramble on the properties of heat treatment and the exponential growth of hardness from hrc point to point was interesting and made sense. He is my favorite rambler by far lol.



It’s only for Benchmade enthusiasts lol. I’ve heard that this m390 and 20cv craze isn’t being done justice because of the low heat treat being done by some of these production manufacturers; another reason why I ask if Benchmade is consistent with and makes a point to heat treat s30v to its prescribed tolerances. Being in the manufacturing field I understand the amount of variance in tolerances in mass quantities of parts. The fact that they try to do it right is enough for me.
Click to expand...

Man, it's crazy to hear about you guys actually listening to the podcast and enjoying it. That just brought a smile to my face. :D
 
scottc3 said:
Knicked Digits, Yes, two more thing I learned about: "high column" heat treating and cryo specifics. Speed reading helps with any dose of forums drama and paranoia. ;) What's in your pocket now, and which Benchmades are you saving up for?
Click to expand...

Would you believe that I did a quick look through of my post and still managed to miss my error lol?

Anyway, I have the 940-2 in my pocket today. It’s constantly being swapped with an Adamas or mini grip. I want to get a 560 Freek.
 
tomhosang said:
Man, it's crazy to hear about you guys actually listening to the podcast and enjoying it. That just brought a smile to my face. :D
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I find it to be a good listen and it’s jice that everyone seems to have their on little niche that they bring to the table as well as general knife knowledge.

On a slightly off note, on the podcast app for apple, episode 4 and 5 play episode 5. I there a way to remedy that?
 
Knicked Digits said:
I find it to be a good listen and it’s jice that everyone seems to have their on little niche that they bring to the table as well as general knife knowledge.

On a slightly off note, on the podcast app for apple, episode 4 and 5 play episode 5. I there a way to remedy that?
Click to expand...

Dammit. Yes there is. I had that issue the other day with 2 and 6. I'll fix it when I get home from work this evening. Should be good to go tomorrow morning on Apple Podcasts. Thank you for the heads up!
 
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