S30V v. D2 steel

J

jwwelch

Joined
Feb 19, 2007
Messages
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Before we go any further...I have searched and read many posts on steel types!


I am looking for a steel that holds an incredible edge for a decent period of time. I am an avid hunter looking to get atleast 2 deer, (gutting, skinning, and quartering), out of a blade before it needs resharpening.

It seems that s30v and D2 come close to one another in these regards.

I have looked at the Cabelas alaskan guide series Buck 110 with the s30v and the Blades of Alaska alpha wolf and Bear Cub for the D2.

For you hunters out there...what should I rely upon, other than my cabelas CR 15 outfitters series knife that needs a sharpening every 5 min on one deer?

thank you in advance
 
A lot depends on how you're field dressing your critter. If you are cutting through a lot of dirty fur, that will take the edge off practically anything. Black bear and moose hides in particular are very abrasive due to the grit that sticks to the fur. If you cut from the inside-out, edge-up, as in opening the gut sack, rather than sawing through the hide, both S30V and D2 should hold up very well. Other steels which have performed well for me for field dressing include VG-10 (F1, H1), 52100 (Marble's Campcraft), 50100B/Carbon V (CS Master Hunter), 1095 (Colorado Cutlery), and W75 (Roselli). That is assuming a good heat treat and good edge geometry.
 
My Fallkniven F1 did two Caribou with no trouble. The blade is a VG-10 core with 420J outer layer for corrosion resistance. The drop point blade is just the right size and shape for field dressing whitetails, IMO.

It is one of my all-time favorite knives.

Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
jwwelch said:
Before we go any further...I have searched and read many posts on steel types!


I am looking for a steel that holds an incredible edge for a decent period of time. I am an avid hunter looking to get atleast 2 deer, (gutting, skinning, and quartering), out of a blade before it needs resharpening.

It seems that s30v and D2 come close to one another in these regards.

I have looked at the Cabelas alaskan guide series Buck 110 with the s30v and the Blades of Alaska alpha wolf and Bear Cub for the D2.

For you hunters out there...what should I rely upon, other than my cabelas CR 15 outfitters series knife that needs a sharpening every 5 min on one deer?

thank you in advance
Click to expand...

I have the Buck (Cabela's) Vanguard in S30V, and the now discontinued KOA
(but still available from Cabela's) Alaskan Hunter in D2.
Both are great knives for hunting; I love them both. But, all things considered,
I'd personally go with the KOA in D2....it out-edges the S30V by just a hair.
...just my personal preference.
Oh, yeah, one more thing....KOA has a lifetime warranty on their knives, as long as you use them on the animal, and not for batoning. So, in case you chip the edge on the bone of the beast, KOA will replace it for you. This comes from Candy, out of the Dennison, Texas, office.
 
It isn't your application, but I have found that the CPM D2 Military that Spyderco released recently holds its' edge better than S30V while doing demolition work - cutting/scraping on abrasive materials. I like S30V, but the D2 held up even better.
 
You will not go wrong with either one, both will serve you well. Pick the one you like the best. But I would sharpen it no higher than the 1200 DMT sharpener. 800 may even work better, leaving micro serrations that love to slice meat.:D
 
Add one more thing to the equation - corrosion. S30V will not corrode as quickly as D2. So if you are around salt water, or other corrosive elements,
S30V's edge should not deteriorate in the sheath as fast as D2, although in my experience D2 is almost stainless.
 
I wouldn't pick either S30V or D2 for holding an "incredible edge". They hold edges that work well for a long time, but they don't qualify as exceptionally sharp. My pick is BG42, but you don't find that on many production knives. If you are willing to use a folder you can get a Buck Custom Shoppe 110 with a BG42 blade.

Anyway, here is a good user's comparison:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=500447
 
Thumbs up on BG-42. I have used Sebenzas in both S30V and Bg-42. I still have my BG-42 version. My son bought my S30V. He likes it. I like mine. Both of us are happy.
 
Heat treat plays an important role here also. I've only gotten one S30V that holds an edge as advertised, and I had to have it re-heat treated to 60.5 from 57 to get good performance. D2 at 60 - 61 will hold it's edge well also. Either one should easily do 2 deer, although I've had much better luck with D2.

BG 42 might also be better as Jeff suggested, the Buck Custom Shop give awesome value for their knives. You might want to check them out.

I have other steels that I could recommend, but you might not want to spend that much money. If you want a lot of bang for the buck, check out Bob Dozier's forums and ask around there. Lot's of people with good experience with his knives.
 
I appreciate all the help, but why is it that the bg 42 steel is not used for production any longer if it's amazing steel. Also, on the buck web page they say s30v is the best steel on the market however if I wanted to custom make a bg 42 buck 110, it would cost $30 more than a alaskan guide buck 110 with s30v.


If cost was no issue, although it is, what blade holds an edge through continuous gutting, skinning quartering chores. If not s30v or D2? Is knives of Alaska a good compnay to buy D2 from? Are the D2 KOA's cabelas sells the same as you get from the KOA website?


Thank you so much
 
Yup. The ones from Cabela's are the same, only thing that the Alaskan Hunter series has been discontinued by KOA....but still protected by their warranty if you chip the edge on the beast. KOA has a new line to replace their old Hunter series line, called their Country Magnum series... slightly larger blades, and longer handles.
I have three KOA's; two in D2, and one in either 154CM or ATS-34, not sure which, but, I have never had a problem with the D2 from KOA. They cut like anything. :thumbup:
 
If you like the Buck 110 design, you won't go wrong with the S30V Alaskan Guide. Buck does a good job with the heat treating, and they also provide a good edge geometry (thin), which is at least as important as the steel or the heat treat.

As was already mentioned, the BG-42 custom 110 would also be a good choice. But most folks would not notice the difference between the S30V and BG-42 in actual use. The thing that the custom shop allows you to do is choose your combination of handle material, pins, etc.

If you have not used either of these steels (or D2 for that matter) from a reputable company (good heat treat and geometry) either of these would be a big step up.
 
jwwelch said:
If cost was no issue, although it is, what blade holds an edge through continuous gutting, skinning quartering chores. If not s30v or D2?

Thank you so much
Click to expand...

If cost is not an issue, then contact Phil Wilson at

http://www.seamountknifeworks.com/

I have one of his knives in CPM 10V at 64.5 HRC. I am currently testing it against both D2 and CPM D2, and it is leaving them both in the dust. I'm doing rope cutting tests, and this 10V knife is keeping it's edge a whole lot longer than anything I've ever tested. I'm not done doing my runs, but 3 to 5 times longer would be a conservative estimate. Probably closer to 10, but I'm still testing. Another plus is that he grinds the blade to take advantage of the extreme edge holding, meaning thin. I can completely reset the edge of this knife with 3 to 4 strokes on a DMT blue bench stone. So sharpening is literally a 2 minute affair. But since it's thin, you have to be careful how you cut with this knife.

Check them out!
 
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