S30V sharpening question

T

tlavas

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Dec 12, 2010
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I have two EDC's that get all my attention...A Kershaw Leek G-10 with S30V and a Mini Grip with 154 CM...I really like both but the S30V has kept it's edge longer than the 154-CM and it has moved me to buy a Doug Ritter Mini Grip in S30V...

I am considering sending them off to be professionally sharpened and have read here that S30V gets really sharp and performs better when it has a thinner edge...

What are your suggestions for angle and who does a good job of sharpening S30V?

Thanks for your thoughts...
 
30 degrees inclusive (15 on each side). Look up Solosknifereviews on youtube for some great freehand sharpening tips.
 
Buy yourself a Spyderco Sharpmaker and sharpen your knives yourself.
Easy to use, not that expensive, and produces a shaving sharp edge every time, without damaging your knife/knives.
Will work a treat on the knives you own and will put a great 40 degree cutting edge on them.
BTW S30V is a great choice in steal for a folder, holds a usable edge for a very long time.
 
Is the Spyderco Sharpmaker easy to use for a beginner?...Does it work well with the stock rods that come with the sharpener on S30V?...I see them on eBay for under $50....Comes with two sets of rods...
 
I prefer a fine microserrated edge over a polished one. I do most of my knives freehand with a 1200 grit diamond rod .An occassional light touchup is all you need.
 
I just sharpened my Leek G-10 S30V on my wicked edge system to a 3 micron polish. I reset the angle to 30 degress inclusive (15 a side). Scary sharp for sure. I used it all day breaking down boxes and chopped a 1" "V" from a small board. NO change in sharpness. It's the sharpest knife I own.

I think the key to sharpening S30V is to break the wire edge off manually. It does not break easily under normal sharpening action.
 
Who could I send my two S30V EDC's to and get a scary sharp 30* sharpening job from...What angle comes from the factory on a Leek G10 S30V and a Doug Ritter Mini Grip S30V?
 
IIRC, Ritter Grips come with a 30 deg incl edge already. The ones I've had have always touched up well on my Shaprmaker. I did buy the UF rods for mine and I also use a strop block from Knives Plus for the final polish. I've been able to get my Ritters as sharp as any of my Spydercos this way.

Like some others, I would also recommend that you start with a Sharpmaker and learn to sharpen for yourself. You can move from there to other systems or freehand, but it will get you started.
 
I guess I just am a little apprehensive to learn to sharpen on two pretty good knifes and I read that S30V isn't the easiest to sharpen...I did order a sharpmaker but I want to get the angle set correctly by a pro...

Maybe I'm making too big a deal out of it...
 
I use a Sharpmaker with my S30V Sebenza and get great results every time. It's pretty much idiot-proof...which is important for me. :)
 
tlavas said:
I guess I just am a little apprehensive to learn to sharpen on two pretty good knifes and I read that S30V isn't the easiest to sharpen...I did order a sharpmaker but I want to get the angle set correctly by a pro...

Maybe I'm making too big a deal out of it...
Click to expand...

The Sharpmaker is great--I use mine all the time. It excels in quick touch-ups. Use it frequently and your knives will always be sharp. A few light passes on the white stones usually does the trick.

On the other hand, the Sharpmaker is, IMO, not the right tool to reset the edge bevel. The best tool for that is the Edge Pro, but it's pricey--about $200. If you're a knife nut, it's well worth it. But a cheap course carborundum stone--maybe $8 at a hardware store--will work too, but it won't give you a beautiful polished edge. There's also the Harbor Freight belt sander--it does the job very quickly. I'm not sure how much these run now--I'd guess about $40. With any of these, you'd need to practice first on cheap knives.

Still, having a professional reset the bevels is not a bad idea. If you have them reset to 30 degrees inclusive, you'll be able to maintain the edge by touching up on the Sharpmaker using the 40 degree setting.
 
KeithAM said:
I think they're worth it but not necessary to start out. The UFs take you to another level of sharpness. But the regular white rods get an edge plenty sharp.
Click to expand...

Yep, I sharpen my SAK's on a Sharpmaker with the fine rods and can get them Hair Whittling sharp very easy.
 
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