S35VN, do we still like it?

badmatt said:
Heh.. people already hedging bets for "value retention" these are not rare knives..
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Actually I'm not. I think it will be less desirable option after S45VN->Magnacut. But to be honest, I'm considering to buy the NIB S31 with S35VN since there are no other options in stock.
 
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Terrakot said:
Actually I'm not. I think it will be less desirable option after S45VN->Magnacut. But to be honest, I'm considering to buy the NIB S31 with S35VN since there are no other options in stock.
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There are other options, in fact I would bet that monkeyedge has some on their website (large 31s)
 
Slice O Life said:
There are other options, in fact I would bet that monkeyedge has some on their website (large 31s)
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Thanks, but I'm chasing a small PJ 31 and being in Russia, it's a bit challenging. I have Umnumzaan with S35VN since 2014 and pretty happy with it. For the urban EDC the edge retention of S35VN is more than enough.
 
EngrSorenson said:
Yup- like my S35VN so much that I don’t know what I’m missing otherwise.
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You aren’t really missing much of anything outside of a minor increase to edge retention, and substantial increases to toughness and rust proofitiude. Ive never seen anyone break a sebenza or rust one though.
 
Slice O Life said:
You aren’t really missing much of anything outside of a minor increase to edge retention, and substantial increases to toughness and rust proofitiude. Ive never seen anyone break a sebenza or rust one though.
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That’s how I see it- my daily carry stuff is 1095 and SAK steel, so the improvement there is huge. I imagine there’s diminishing returns.
 
I expect the biggest advantage of improved toughness Ins folding knife is edge chipping. I have chipped the edge of S35VN, it sharpens right out, but improved toughness probably resists chipping
 
rishma said:
I expect the biggest advantage of improved toughness Ins folding knife is edge chipping. I have chipped the edge of S35VN, it sharpens right out, but improved toughness probably resists chipping
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That might be true, it’s hard to tell with the steel being relatively new. Ive had issues with S30V chipping, so far nothing with Magnacut. CRK does run their Magnacut at a higher HRC so it could be weaker. Time and testing will tell.
 
For what it is worth I love S35v. It holds an edge reasonably well and is easy to sharpen! A little time on my Spyderco Sharpmaker and it is ready to go. I don’t see how it can get much better.
 
Like it......yes........pay $500 for a folding knife built out of it in 2023........nope, not even $250. For me when I'm knife shopping if you're using S30/S35 the price better be under $150, because for $200+ you can get better options. Much better options for those that both abuse their folders and want max toughness or something that holds an edge longer. That said it depends on your use. I've never broken or seriously damaged a folder in my pocket knife use, and I'm not field use abusing a CRK folder. So I'm not really interested in super tough steels that don't hold edges unless they are hard use fixed blades. I also don't see a huge advantage in easy sharpening softer steels in 2023 when there are so many easy amazing sharpeners. I can easily put an edge on most of the super steels with a wicked edge etc. and maintain it with a sharpmaker (or smaller similar sharpeners) and strop, so that's field serviceable enough for me. Now increasing toughness and edge holding, that's a win because you can put a thinner edge on that still stands up.

I've never understood the allure of "easy sharpening" for a couple decades or more we've had sharpeners that will sharpen any of the super steels fairly easily that are small and field portable. You can get DMK diamond pocket flat plates or rods that will easily sharpen/maintain the super steels and it doesn't get much more field portable. It's not like you can keep S30/35 sharp long just stropping it on your pants. So I just don't see where a soft steel that's easier to sharpen provides any benefit, unless you are trying to find something for the apocalypse that you can sharpen on the back of a notebook. To me it's simply trying to convince people why they want cheaper materials on a really expensive knife.
 
ToddM said:
Like it......yes........pay $500 for a folding knife built out of it in 2023........nope, not even $250. For me when I'm knife shopping if you're using S30/S35 the price better be under $150, because for $200+ you can get better options. Much better options for those that both abuse their folders and want max toughness or something that holds an edge longer. That said it depends on your use. I've never broken or seriously damaged a folder in my pocket knife use, and I'm not field use abusing a CRK folder. So I'm not really interested in super tough steels that don't hold edges unless they are hard use fixed blades. I also don't see a huge advantage in easy sharpening softer steels in 2023 when there are so many easy amazing sharpeners. I can easily put an edge on most of the super steels with a wicked edge etc. and maintain it with a sharpmaker (or smaller similar sharpeners) and strop, so that's field serviceable enough for me. Now increasing toughness and edge holding, that's a win because you can put a thinner edge on that still stands up.

I've never understood the allure of "easy sharpening" for a couple decades or more we've had sharpeners that will sharpen any of the super steels fairly easily that are small and field portable. You can get DMK diamond pocket flat plates or rods that will easily sharpen/maintain the super steels and it doesn't get much more field portable. It's not like you can keep S30/35 sharp long just stropping it on your pants. So I just don't see where a soft steel that's easier to sharpen provides any benefit, unless you are trying to find something for the apocalypse that you can sharpen on the back of a notebook. To me it's simply trying to convince people why they want cheaper materials on a really expensive knife.
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I can understand your perspective to a point.

The value of a CRK is much more to me than the blade steel. And while I believe you that systems exists to sharpen all the current steels, I currently use a sharpmaker and strop. Being easy to sharpen on that system is important to me. I’m sure someday I will upgrade my system but until then I really do favor ease of sharpening over edge retention, within reason. I’m not saying the trade off between S35VN and newer steels isn’t worth it, I’m pretty sure it is, but if MagnaCut is harder to sharpen than S35VN it is a consideration for me. (Note-sounds like most people are finding MagnaCut pretty easy to sharpen, which is great!)
 
Agreed, CRK is one of the few knives at the price point that I really feel offers something other mass produced knives don't. I personally feel some of the other similar priced big name custom/mid-tech's don't live up to the hype/price point at all. I don't feel like I need to "get rid of" my CRK's because they are S30/35 steel, it's good steel, but I can say I wouldn't buy one now unless it's MagnaCut knowing that is/will be an option.

I do value being able to touch up an edge, but I think there's a lot of edge retention steels better than s30/35 that can still be maintained easily with a sharpmaker/strop setup. The trick with the sharpmaker is as long as you don't have to change the factory bevel angles it works great, but if you have remove a lot of metal, even s30 takes forever. I'm lazy, I won't take an hour with a wicked edge every time my blade gets dull, I'd go insane. I mostly use it to set the bevel/angles I want and rely on the sharpmaker to maintain. I'm able to do that with M390, 20CV, 204, s90, M4, etc. Maybe it takes a bit longer, but only a couple minutes if that. So at least for me I don't see a big difference in "ease" of maintaining an edge between say S30/35 and those above. If you have to change angles, or sharpen out blade chips, that's a different story.
 
ToddM said:
Agreed, CRK is one of the few knives at the price point that I really feel offers something other mass produced knives don't. I personally feel some of the other similar priced big name custom/mid-tech's don't live up to the hype/price point at all. I don't feel like I need to "get rid of" my CRK's because they are S30/35 steel, it's good steel, but I can say I wouldn't buy one now unless it's MagnaCut knowing that is/will be an option.

I do value being able to touch up an edge, but I think there's a lot of edge retention steels better than s30/35 that can still be maintained easily with a sharpmaker/strop setup. The trick with the sharpmaker is as long as you don't have to change the factory bevel angles it works great, but if you have remove a lot of metal, even s30 takes forever. I'm lazy, I won't take an hour with a wicked edge every time my blade gets dull, I'd go insane. I mostly use it to set the bevel/angles I want and rely on the sharpmaker to maintain. I'm able to do that with M390, 20CV, 204, s90, M4, etc. Maybe it takes a bit longer, but only a couple minutes if that. So at least for me I don't see a big difference in "ease" of maintaining an edge between say S30/35 and those above. If you have to change angles, or sharpen out blade chips, that's a different story.
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I think you are much better at sharpening than me!
 
rishma said:
I think you are much better at sharpening than me!
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Nothing wrong with the sharpmaker and a strop. Many knives have been maintained that way for a long time. I think the point the other guys are making is that most any steel can be maintained with your tools, provided that the factory geometry is compatible (i.e. 20 degrees per side or more acute) and that the edge is not significantly damaged. Sure, magnacut at 63 hrc might take a few more passes than the s35vn at 59, but it would only be an investment of a few extra minutes. The same could be said of other steels from other knife makers.
 
Modernflame said:
Nothing wrong with the sharpmaker and a strop. Many knives have been maintained that way for a long time. I think the point the other guys are making is that most any steel can be maintained with your tools, provided that the factory geometry is compatible (i.e. 20 degrees per side or more acute) and that the edge is not significantly damaged. Sure, magnacut at 63 hrc might take a few more passes than the s35vn at 59, but it would only be an investment of a few extra minutes. The same could be said of other steels from other knife makers.
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As soon as I get to jump on a small insingo in MagnaCut I’ll find out!
 
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