ToyKnife
Gold Member
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2006
- Messages
- 855
- I’m not trying to direct this towards one individual maker/company. I just want to gather information about the steel itself; uses, experiences, facts, opinions, etc.-
So I have been reading the thread on the test of the Chris Reeve’s Green Beret and various other threads and have come to some questions about the steel. It seems that the steel itself is fairly good stuff or at least it is suppose to be. Maybe hype maybe not. I don’t know. I’m pretty new to the upper end steels and the use of various knife steel in general.
The only real experience of this steel is with the Sebenza. First time out I cut a large handful of networking cable and the edge rolled right off. This was a little surprising considering all the good information I read, received, etc. about this new super stainless steel. I didn’t think that thin, relatively soft wire would even make a mark but it did. Keep in mind that cutting some wire is just about the hardest job I put my folders through. I only cut the wire because I didn’t have any other tools to do the job and it needed to be done. I generally use a specific tool for the intended job.
I was coming from a Benchmade with ATS-34. I have being working on sharpening the rolled edge off but this is not easy with a little Sharpmaker.
On with the questions:
What is the ideal hardness for the S30V? I see that the Green Beret is 55-57 RC, Sebenza 58-59 RC, Benchmade 58-60 RC, Strider and Spyderco doesn’t state their RC. Is softer better? What range of RC is the best? Does the difference between Benchmade and the Sebenza make a big difference in use? It would be hard to believe that I would but I maybe wrong.
Does anyone else have an experience such as mine? Frankly, I love the quality and simplicity of the design and build of the Sebenza. So don’t take this the wrong way the knife is great. I’m more focused on the S30V blade, not just from one maker. It was quite a disappointment for my first time using the S30V steel.
I was under the impression that one could use their super deluxe steel knife for most any cutting tasks on a daily basis. I’m not talking about prying doors open or cutting bolt heads off but it should be able to take on some wire, remove a staple, food, bone, wood (hard or soft), etc. relatively easy tasks. Is this too much to ask? As a side note; it would be nice to know that your knife (folder or not) could take on some harder tasks.
There has to be some good about the S30V. It can’t be all hype and marketing. Why should I go with S30V over say a “lesser” steel such as ATS-34/154-CM? Or should I shoot for steel that I can only get from a custom make such as S90V (minus Spyderco and I’m a lefty) or if we go into the non-stainless ones such as M4, now M2 and 3V. Just for an example. Oh and INFI doesn’t count for the custom because I can’t get it in a folder.
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Dog of War stated that the S30V may have been "promoted for knife applications for which it isn't very well-suited." This brings up a question. Simple to ask but it may turn out to be hard to answer. What are the limitations of a knife when it comes to slicing? Folder? Fixed? Cutting or slicing is what a knife is used for, right? When do you search for a tool that has been designed for the job and not simply pull your knife from your pocket/belt? Do you cut the phone cord, v-belt off a motor, etc.? Yes, you can search the house/building for wire cutters to do those jobs. But then ask yourself why do you carry a knife if you can find a tool to do the job? Just about the only place you can’t find a tool to do the jobs is in remote locations, such as deep in the Amazon, frozen wilderness of the Artic, etc. Think of it has how does one define hard-use?
So I have been reading the thread on the test of the Chris Reeve’s Green Beret and various other threads and have come to some questions about the steel. It seems that the steel itself is fairly good stuff or at least it is suppose to be. Maybe hype maybe not. I don’t know. I’m pretty new to the upper end steels and the use of various knife steel in general.
The only real experience of this steel is with the Sebenza. First time out I cut a large handful of networking cable and the edge rolled right off. This was a little surprising considering all the good information I read, received, etc. about this new super stainless steel. I didn’t think that thin, relatively soft wire would even make a mark but it did. Keep in mind that cutting some wire is just about the hardest job I put my folders through. I only cut the wire because I didn’t have any other tools to do the job and it needed to be done. I generally use a specific tool for the intended job.
I was coming from a Benchmade with ATS-34. I have being working on sharpening the rolled edge off but this is not easy with a little Sharpmaker.
On with the questions:
What is the ideal hardness for the S30V? I see that the Green Beret is 55-57 RC, Sebenza 58-59 RC, Benchmade 58-60 RC, Strider and Spyderco doesn’t state their RC. Is softer better? What range of RC is the best? Does the difference between Benchmade and the Sebenza make a big difference in use? It would be hard to believe that I would but I maybe wrong.
Does anyone else have an experience such as mine? Frankly, I love the quality and simplicity of the design and build of the Sebenza. So don’t take this the wrong way the knife is great. I’m more focused on the S30V blade, not just from one maker. It was quite a disappointment for my first time using the S30V steel.
I was under the impression that one could use their super deluxe steel knife for most any cutting tasks on a daily basis. I’m not talking about prying doors open or cutting bolt heads off but it should be able to take on some wire, remove a staple, food, bone, wood (hard or soft), etc. relatively easy tasks. Is this too much to ask? As a side note; it would be nice to know that your knife (folder or not) could take on some harder tasks.There has to be some good about the S30V. It can’t be all hype and marketing. Why should I go with S30V over say a “lesser” steel such as ATS-34/154-CM? Or should I shoot for steel that I can only get from a custom make such as S90V (minus Spyderco and I’m a lefty) or if we go into the non-stainless ones such as M4, now M2 and 3V. Just for an example. Oh and INFI doesn’t count for the custom because I can’t get it in a folder.
_________________________________________
Dog of War stated that the S30V may have been "promoted for knife applications for which it isn't very well-suited." This brings up a question. Simple to ask but it may turn out to be hard to answer. What are the limitations of a knife when it comes to slicing? Folder? Fixed? Cutting or slicing is what a knife is used for, right? When do you search for a tool that has been designed for the job and not simply pull your knife from your pocket/belt? Do you cut the phone cord, v-belt off a motor, etc.? Yes, you can search the house/building for wire cutters to do those jobs. But then ask yourself why do you carry a knife if you can find a tool to do the job? Just about the only place you can’t find a tool to do the jobs is in remote locations, such as deep in the Amazon, frozen wilderness of the Artic, etc. Think of it has how does one define hard-use?
