S30V or Elmax Blur?

J

John_0917

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Apr 15, 2014
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I wrote this past week about the S30V Blur I purchased and returned because it had been tampered with, I haven't yet ordered a replacement. Then I learned of the upcoming Blur with Elmax, that presents a tough decision. I know the Elmax isn't out yet, but it will be soon, the blackwash version with tan handles quite appeals to me. That said, I have never had an Elmax knife and am not sure it is worth the extra money possibly difficulty in obtaining (compared to the S30V). So what should I do? Spend the extra money to get the Elmax or go with the more known quantity in the S30V model?
 
I would say go get the Elmax. It is only gonna be out for a limited time and you should get it while you can because when they sell out the price will sky rocket
 
The S30V Blur is a great knife - I have one I've had customized with carbon fiber inlays in place of the Trac-tek inserts. That being said, ELMAX is a definite upgrade over S30V, so I personally would go with the ELMAX. I just checked, and it is on pre-order from BladeHQ now.
 
tchapman414 said:
The S30V Blur is a great knife - I have one I've had customized with carbon fiber inlays in place of the Trac-tek inserts. That being said, ELMAX is a definite upgrade over S30V, so I personally would go with the ELMAX. I just checked, and it is on pre-order from BladeHQ now.
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I know nothing about Elmax. Is it really a big improvement over S30V ?
 
I'd go with the Elmax. Don't let the "horror stories" scare you away from Elmax. I did some serious work with my 0770 this weekend during DIY projects and it had zero problems.
 
Nic S. said:
I'd go with the Elmax. Don't let the "horror stories" scare you away from Elmax. I did some serious work with my 0770 this weekend during DIY projects and it had zero problems.
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I'm just wondering. What horror stories are there about Elmax? Haven't heard any that i can recall.
 
Ulf Krogstad said:
I'm just wondering. What horror stories are there about Elmax? Haven't heard any that i can recall.
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Some people had problems with heat treat when ZT first started using it. It seems those problems have slowly deminished over time. I love the elmax on my ZT0566. I wouldn't hesitate to get more knives with it
 
The "horror stories" seem to be from the early days of the KAI ELMAX when they were still fine tuning their heat treat. In recent times, those issues no longer seem present. ELMAX seems to be an overall upgrade to S30V in every category - better edge holding, corrosion resistance, and especially toughness, all while being run at low to mid 60's RC. I have it on a ZT 0801 and 0566, and it is a great steel. It can handle a lower edge angle than some steels and hold it for a significant time. It also seems to come to a polished edge more easily in sharpening than S30V, also. Overall, I've quite enjoyed it.
 
Ive been edc'ing a 566 in Elmax and I have to say I'm impressed. Its edge holding ability is definitely superior to s30v.
 
SpringAssisted said:
I would say go get the Elmax. It is only gonna be out for a limited time and you should get it while you can because when they sell out the price will sky rocket
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It doesn't say anything on BHQ's site about it being a LE or only available for a limited time?

The Blur's a great knife and will be made even better with a Elmax blade.

Will definitely order 1 soon if it is a LE.
 
poolhustler said:
I believe the scales will be brown, not tan.....
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Brown is correct, according to BHQ's pics (below). Steel comes either in stonewash or blackwash.

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I'm still new don't quote me, but I've heard on some videos on YT that Elmax doesn't hold an edge as good as s30v, but it is exceptionally tough, while still holding a pretty good edge. So I guess, if you are going to pry with your knife (cringe) Elmax is the way to go.
Don't simply take my word for it though as Google is a pretty powerful tool. =]
 
ELMAX all the way, IMO. My own usage with it has found it to be a very tough steel with excellent edge retention and excellent corrosion resistance. I can't wait to play with one to compare to a CPM-154 and CPM-S30V Blur I have. Kershaw's S30V and ELMAX are both fantastic steels.

S30V had many of the same initial quirks when it was newer, and those issues slowly decreased, much like ELMAX. I think many of those issues are just part of companies adapting to a new steel and adjusting what they do to maximize performance.
 
tchapman414 said:
The "horror stories" seem to be from the early days of the KAI ELMAX when they were still fine tuning their heat treat. In recent times, those issues no longer seem present. ELMAX seems to be an overall upgrade to S30V in every category - better edge holding, corrosion resistance, and especially toughness, all while being run at low to mid 60's RC. I have it on a ZT 0801 and 0566, and it is a great steel. It can handle a lower edge angle than some steels and hold it for a significant time. It also seems to come to a polished edge more easily in sharpening than S30V, also. Overall, I've quite enjoyed it.
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wasn't that disproven? The issue was with burnt edges during edge grinding. Which is not a heat treat issue.
 
netidolweb said:
I hope Kershaw will release S30V in DLC and Blackwash.
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I am guessing they will. At least as of now, KAI is using the somewhat similar-performing ELMAX and S35VN in addition to S30V, rather than outright replacing S30V, and they seem to be making the blackwash finish on most of their knives.
 
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