S30v

craytab said:
That is also true. The problem is those conditions assumed that the m390 blade is done poorly and the s30v blade is done correctly or even above the norm.

All things being equal, s30v is behind in most categories of even not so recently developed steels. S35VN is a prime example.
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Not sure I’d classify it as a problem with the premise, given that it’s happening frequently from sources like Spyderco. Again, though, we agree in spirit.
 
I've never gotten an impressive or long lasting edge in S30V. After reading a lot on this forum, I found Jason B.'s recipe- Coarse DMT, stropped with 1 micron diamond compound. This gave me the best edge I have ever gotten in this steel (Mostly Benchmade and Spyderco), but it still pales in comparison to the same edge treatment in M390. Plus I can go a week without stropping/touching up my M390 blades and still shave arm hair (my definition of sharp), while I have to maintain the S30V every night to keep same level of sharpness.

It's a business class steel that fits the majority (90% probably)of knife users/enthusiasts needs and is relatively cheap to manufacture/heat treat compared to other better performing steels. That is why the majority of the big manufacturers use it as main option for knives.

OP, how do you sharpen S30V? Do you maintain it daily?
 
Banter 247 said:
Not sure I’d classify it as a problem with the premise, given that it’s happening frequently from sources like Spyderco. Again, though, we agree in spirit.
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We do agree in spirit.

S30V is a good steel. But relative to what's available it's not great.

I enjoy my 204p military more than the s30v one I head years ago. Holds an edge better. Sharpens about the same. Used, it cost far less than an s30v new. Like I said earlier, if you know what you are doing, you can get the right knife, in the right steel, at an acceptable price, for the right use. Just takes a little experience and knowledge.
 
There's so much more to choosing a knife than the blade steel that it seems like a popularity thing to me. There are legitimate reasons to prefer one steel over another, but we live in a world where most modern steels will get any reasonable job done for most people.
 
craytab said:
We do agree in spirit.

S30V is a good steel. But relative to what's available it's not great.

I enjoy my 204p military more than the s30v one I head years ago. Holds an edge better. Sharpens about the same. Used, it cost far less than an s30v new. Like I said earlier, if you know what you are doing, you can get the right knife, in the right steel, at an acceptable price, for the right use. Just takes a little experience and knowledge.
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Unfortunately, experience and knowledge can’t predict relative ht. Part of it is still a crap shoot.

At the end of the day, we’re kind of in a space where we have to accept that we’ll pay a premium to, more likely than not, get a little improvement.
 
I've heard everyone complain about every steel out there. There isn't one with no drawbacks or that comes out better than all the rest in absolution. There are steels I prefer over others, some are "super steels" and some are old school that are still BA and can work right with the rest but are less "popular". Me telling you what steel is better or visa versa will just go round and round for days on end with no resolution. A lot of it to me seems like a popularity contest as well with new high falutin super steels. Like has been pointed out previously, in about three years most of the people that say, "so and so super steel is better" than S30V will think "so and so" sucks then. I mean if you look back on this very forum several years ago you can see proof of this very phenomenon. I don't think theres anything wrong with the higher grade supersteels if thats your thing, really theres not. But most people are talking about cutting cardboard zipties and string and shaving arm hair and paper or posting pictures. LOL. And I'll admit I'm right there with most of those uses although I have used them in construction and outdoors quite a bit and I'll be honest with you, if you're really using a blade hard, its its not going to matter how "super" it is, and in those cases ease of sharpening trumps everything. Maybe we should all be carrying 1095? Im just saying..... now I'm tired. :cool:
 
Banter 247 said:
Unfortunately, experience and knowledge can’t predict relative ht. Part of it is still a crap shoot.

At the end of the day, we’re kind of in a space where we have to accept that we’ll pay a premium to, more likely than not, get a little improvement.
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Through experience and knowledge I generally know what makers or companies to trust. I also know through use and sharpening if something isn't right. Yes, there is always a bit of a crap shoot, but most of that can be eliminated with experience.
 
craytab said:
Through experience and knowledge I generally know what makers or companies to trust. I also know through use and sharpening if something isn't right. Yes, there is always a bit of a crap shoot, but most of that can be eliminated with experience.
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Which makers do you trust?
 
I still enjoy properly treated 440c. And I haven’t had the need to “upgrade” my buck open season knives from s30v to s35vn. And I like D2 as well.
 
As a amateur Spyderco collector. I just realised I have more s30v then anything else. I haven't ran into the problems of sharpening that other people have, but I do use a lansky with diamond stones. For me the toughest to sharpen knife I own is my Arizona Doizer in D2. I can't help but think its not just the metal but how well it's heat treated that determines sharpening difficulty. But I could be wrong
 
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cbrstar said:
As a amateur Spyderco collector. I just realised I have more s30v then anything else. I haven't ran into the problems of sharpening that other people have, but I do use a lansky with diamond stones. For me the toughest to sharpen knife I own is my Arizona Doizer in D2. I can't help but think its not just the metal but how well it's heat treated that determines sharpening difficulty. But I could be wrong
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Good d2 is hard to sharpen. And doizer do the ht right in comparison to the import stuff.

But ht definitely can be a factor. But not always. Generally the higher the hrc the harder it is. But that can vary. I have stuff in the 64-70 range that's not as bad to sharpen.

D2 is difficult to sharpen because of the chromium carbides iirc.
 
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