S30V or D2 Griptillian?

C

Chewy1

Joined
Jun 5, 2006
Messages
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Subject line says it all.

If you read the forums a lot, you'll see mention of S30V chipping, but I love my Native in that steel. This might be my last knife for a very long time, so I want to get the most durable that I can.

I'll be looking at the mini series, not the full size. It would be used for EDC and that means anything and everything might be cut by it.

Thanks.
 
I love both steels.

Honestly for me the deciding factor would be blade shape. I like the Ritter drop point much better so I got CPM S30V.
 
Most of the complaints I've seen on S30V were from four or five years ago; I am not seeing them now, so apparently the problem has been solved.

Either way, you can't go wrong --- I've had blades in both and not noticed much difference altho the D2 seems to be a little harder to sharpen, IMHO.
 
Benchmade heat treats both their s30v and d2 very well IMO and I think you'll be quite pleased with either one. I do however prefer the Ritter, not because of its blade steel but because of the higher grind and most importantly (for me) the longer thumb ramp with a smoother transition to the blade spine. This makes it much more comfortable to use the knife hard in any number of grips.
 
Chewy1, this pic will give you an idea of the different blade profiles:



Here is a 556 in D2 next to a 558 Mini RSK:


I have a slight preference for the Ritter blade shape, but like S30V and D2 equally.
I don't think you can go wrong!
 
i think the only logical answer is to get one in each steel. only then could you tell which is better for your needs, and youd have two new knives instead of one. cant see the bad side of that!
 
Get both, you say? I might take you up on that :) ! In a couple weeks, I've got a waved Delica 4 coming my way in the form of a gift from my wife, but I've got an itch to sell my Canadian Special to finance a Grip. I think I really need to get a Grip. I've tried Spydied (love em) and Bucks (love em) and Barkies (love em), but have never done a BM.

So, right now then, I'm leaning toward the bright yellow Ritter mini-Grip. These two will probably be my last two knives for another year; so, I really want to make the right choice. In the end, I think you guys are right on about the blade shape being the defining feature. It's not FFG, but it's pretty close. If there are no chipping issues any longer, then I think I'm all over it.

(And my wife will probably steal it until I buy her the pink one! ha ha)
 
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I own several knives in S30V and none of them have ever chipped. That said my wife did manage to chip one of my Para-Militaries. She has no recollection of how it happened though. :rolleyes:
 
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