S30v

440c anyone? Lol. The hot steels today will be junk tomorrow. Human nature. I have several. No issues here.
 
Say you have the same knife.

One in m390/20cv/204p at 58hrc
And one in s30v at 60hrc.

The one stamped m390 will be more popular, even though it performs the same as the other knife at 60hrc.

Just because it was stamped m390 it gets more attention, because knife community overall doesn't know what heat treatment is. Nor do they know that geometry is another key element in performance and edge retention.

So perceived value due to a brand vs actual performance. Is a huge thing. They/you/me will pay extra for the brand. As we perceive it to be more premium. We think it will have better edge retention. Though that may not be the case more often then not.

Also s30v has improved through the years and isn't what it once was. It's been improving through time from manufacturing it to heat treating it. It's not the steel it once was.

I rather people buy the heat treatment and geometry over the brand of steel. But because of how the community and mass production works, that ain't gonna happen.
 
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I think everyone agrees that its overall performance is pretty great, but I've had some problems with sharpening. Now, I'm not excellent at sharpening, but it was a pain when I did it.
 
Maybe part of it could be due to the fact that now you can find "super steels" m390 etc in knives that are the same price range as s30v. Similar to what has happened with d2, which has now become a good budget steel. Just a thought :)
 
the issue has been due s30v and the really high carbon content at almost 1.5% http://zknives.com/knives/steels/cpm_s30v.shtml

this puts it in the range of d2, and the same lack of toughness is easily run into without excellent heat treatment - you are really fighting a high carbide % because of all that carbon... it's no surprise that s35vn tweaked the carbon down a bit

crucible's own info show's that transverse charpy tests on s30v get 10 ft-lbs (which is better than many non-pm steels, but still not very good imho)
http://www.crucible.com/PDFs/DataSheets2010/dsS30Vv1 2010.pdf

... @Larrin wrote about the subject in detail - https://knifesteelnerds.com/2018/05/28/chipping-of-edges/
 
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WadeWilson said:
I agree completely. There are some valid arguments against it, but I have literally had zero issues with it. I find it easy to keep sharp, holds its edge relatively well and pretty corrosion free. I’m a big fan. To each their own though. I still like VG-10 and that seems to be considered low end these days.

Edit for spelling
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/\ All of this!

People loved it when it was new, now they want something with more fairy dust sprinkled on it so it'll cut cardboard better. ;)

Personally I really like S30V, am often fine with VG10, and even still like 1095. Not to say I wouldn't own a upper/latest "supersteel", but S30V is great.
 
Mo2 said:
Also s30v has improved through the years and isn't once it once was. It's been improving through time from manufacturing it to heat treating it. It's not the steel it once was.
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I was just going to post the exact same thing..

People doing cutting tests these days with S30V get some great results.
 
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S30V is an awesome steel when it's done right. Most of the complaints I've heard about S30V could be directed towards any high end steel, it all comes down to the perfection of the heat treatment.

There is a discernible difference between the attitudes of those who live in the theoretical world of hype and marketing, and those who put their knives to the test and use them. There's much more to it than steel alone.
 
It's an alright steel. To me it's just boring, a part of the fun of purchasing and owning a new knife is trying different steels. The most egregious in that regard has to be Spyderco, just about every knife they bring to the market has to have S30V, and yet the sprint runs in different steels are sold out within minutes of release. You'd figure they'd take a hint.
 
Alsharif said:
It's an alright steel. To me it's just boring, a part of the fun of purchasing and owning a new knife is trying different steels. The most egregious in that regard has to be Spyderco, just about every knife they bring to the market has to have S30V, and yet the sprint runs in different steels are sold out within minutes of release. You'd figure they'd take a hint.
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:) Seems as though its working fine.
 
I have several knives in S30V, and I like it. I probably like s35VN more, but that could be in my mind. I've had no problems with either in their performance or in resharpening them. S30V just isn't considered the latest-greatest among steel snobs. In ten years, the steels that they're raving about now will be called "boring" and "mediocre" in performance.

I still carry and use my SAKs, and I still love that steel. Changing attitudes won't erase the years of use I've gotten from those.

Back to S30V, I won't try to guess how "most people" use their knives, but aside from specific edge-holding tests, I'm betting that in general everyday use (which of course can vary person to person), many probably couldn't tell much difference between S30V and one of the flavor-of-the-month steels if it weren't stamped S30V, with the exception of, say, the extreme corrosion resistance of LC200N (another of my favorites).

New developments in steel does not automatically make older steels crap.

Jim
 
rogatsby said:
What really amuses me is that there are so many folks who rave about their Case and SAK knives, and these knives have "surgical" steel or anonymous stainless steels. And I also love these knives.

But when these same people start talking about modern folders, S30V is crap. LOL!
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those old knives could use 1095 carbon steel, or 'tru-sharp' which is a very tough stainless in comparison to s30v (aka bucks 420hc)
both of those steels would be more chip resistant compared to s30v

it is sold as a high wear resistance pm steel, which is very true, and it really does perform higher than 440c and even d2 in toughness (as crucible's pdf file shows), but it's not as tough as aeb-l or the sandvik used on mora's and opinel's (12c27), or buck's and case's 420hc

so while your statement pokes fun at a seeming contradiction, there is a real basis there ; )
 
Rykjeklut said:
I think everyone agrees that its overall performance is pretty great, but I've had some problems with sharpening. Now, I'm not excellent at sharpening, but it was a pain when I did it.
Click to expand...
The secret is use a diamond stone - then its a piece of cake to sharpen :)
 
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I’m not a huge fan of S30V, but not so much that wouldn’t buy a knife I like that uses it. The edge it requires/is suited towards isn’t one I prefer. I can get M390 almost as thin and polished as some carbon steels, and it’ll hold up nearly as well to a few bumps or staples here and there. That’s what I like for my edges. I’m waiting for M390 to be the new S30V. When that happens I’ll be a very happy man, haha. Until then I’ll deal with it when I have to, but I’ll avoid it if I can.
 
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