S35VN RC ratings

Aquaholicc

Aquaholicc

Joined
Oct 17, 2016
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When ordering a new Large Sebenza 21 is there anyway I can contact the manufacturer and have them heat treat my steel to 60-61RC instead of the standard 58-59?
I understand they run their steel soft for ease of sharpening but that does not appeal to me seeing as I have plenty of experience sharpening anything from VG-10 all the way to "super steel" like M390.

I'd much rather my 400 dollar knife hold a Edge longer rather than me being able to sharpen it quicker but more frequent ...I hope I'm not the only one with this issue ?..
 
one more point -

Anne Reeve, one of the owners of CRK, stated in 2015 that they made this change from 58-59 to 59-60 around 2013, but some products were shipped with documentation/birth cards mis-marked as having the old, lower HT standard....
 
I would guess a +1 on what boffin said. From my little experience with CRK customer service and reading all I could find about this topic (covered from time to time here), CRK current standards for HT are absolute and without exception until further notice. Your only options are to have your current CRK blades heat-treated by another person/knife modder or buy higher HT knives from other knife makers who do that.
 
Are there other production manufacturers that will heat treat according to customer requests? Remember that ultimately that is what CRK is.
 
Never heard of any production company that will HT to customer specs.
Only way would be a full custom, I would think.
Joe
 
You can have your blade heat treated by someone else after you buy the knife. There's someone on this forum who did that a couple of years ago.
 
Hmm I had no idea I could heat treat a blade after it's already been heat treated once..that doesn't sound sketchy to anyone? Or am I just a newbie when it comes to this topic..?

On a lighter not I guess 59-60RC isn't too too bad ..
 
Heat treat is generally done before the final grind and finish of the blade. Good luck with someone doing it to a blade from an actual knife...
 
TC said:
Heat treat is generally done before the final grind and finish of the blade. Good luck with someone doing it to a blade from an actual knife...
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That's exactly what I thought lol..seems I'm SOL ..
 
Well, maybe not SOL...

Be aware that Chris Reeve was directly involved with Crucible (CPM) during the 'design' of the particle metallurgy formulation of S35VN. You can be certain that he used this particular HT level for very good reasons, based on the specific characteristics of the new blade material.

CRK had every opportunity to specify a more extreme HT level at that time, but chose instead on a reasonable compromise between edge retention, toughness and sharpenability. Knowing how the (very similar) predecessor S30v performed using their existing in-house heat treat processes, they may have ended up with a brittle blade that could chip easily if they HT'ed S35VN for a higher RC.

Also remember that the RC scale is not really linear, so the difference between 58-59 is less than 60-61 . . .

That still may not make a CRK a logical purchase for you, but maybe it will alleviate some anxiety about edge retention.
 
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FWIW, I've found that my Damascus CRK's seem to keep a good edge on them for a while. I don't know the HT of them (probably 59-60 also) compared to S35vn, but I favor the Damascus myself. That said, both are excellent for me.
 
EvilBoffin said:
Well, maybe not SOL...

Be aware that Chris Reeve was directly involved with Crucible (CPM) during the 'design' of the particle metallurgy formula of S35VN. You can be certain that he used this particular HT level for very good reasons, based on the specific characteristics of the new blade material.

CRK had every opportunity to specify a more extreme HT level at that time, but chose instead on a reasonable compromise between edge retention, toughness and sharpenability. Knowing how the (very similar) predecessor S30v performed using their existing in-house heat treat processes, they may have ended up with a brittle blade that could chip easily if they HT'ed S35VN for a higher RC.

Also remember that the RC scale is not really linear, so the difference between 58-59 is less than 60-61 . . .

That still may not make a CRK a logical purchase for you, but maybe it will alleviate some anxiety about edge retention.
Click to expand...
I mean the way I look at is..I'm going to buy a CRK regardless I guess I was just voicing my option on their RC rating a bit because I've heard they run their steel soft..which to me means more rolls and whatnot.
Furthermore I'm not a super hardcore user of my knives but they do see more action than opening a box or cutting a sandwich lol.
So even though I'm sure I'm going to LOVE my Sebenza when it shows up at my doorstep, but a little piece of me will be dissapointed if after 3 works days of stripping insulation off of some 2/0 copper I have to sit down at the bench yet again and refine the Edge ..
 
In real life applications I doubt you will be able to tell the difference between a couple of hardness points! The new HT on the CRK blades leaves the knife with nice edge holding and sharpening characteristics that will not be a PITA when that time comes.
 
Ernie1980 said:
In real life applications I doubt you will be able to tell the difference between a couple of hardness points! The new HT on the CRK blades leaves the knife with nice edge holding and sharpening characteristics that will not be a PITA when that time comes.
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Yeah I'm sure I won't be able to see a difference..at least I hope not ..o_O
 
Apparently Chris Reeves claimed his steel can do 300 cuts through an extension cord and still push cut afterwards? This video was simply to disprove that..funny I guess you have to walk the walk to take the talk
This worries me? You guys don't need to watch the whole thing..skip to about the 12 minute mark..the edge literally flattens and he did the same test with Aus8 and the steel held up better than the "CRK S35VN" maybe it's just how he's cutting it ? Idk what do y'all think?
 
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As someone who uses a Sebenza everyday as electrician, i can really appreciate the hc level chosen by Chris.

My edges come in contact with hard plastics, soft metals, hard metal and regretably sometimes concrete. My edges always remain working sharp for months, albeit not hair popping or laser precision sharp but who out there needs to pop hairs off their arms on an every day basis?

Ive used other steels and even harder steel and always ended up with chips, even bg42 at 62 chipped for me in real world use.

Just my opinion, but s30-s35vn at 58 hc is about as good as you can get for everyday use.
 
Steel_Addiction said:
As someone who uses a Sebenza everyday as electrician, i can really appreciate the hc level chosen by Chris.

My edges come in contact with hard plastics, soft metals, hard metal and regretably sometimes concrete. My edges always remain working sharp for months, albeit not hair popping or laser precision sharp but who out there needs to pop hairs off their arms on an every day basis?

Ive used other steels and even harder steel and always ended up with chips, even bg42 at 62 chipped for me in real world use.

Just my opinion, but s30-s35vn at 58 hc is about as good as you can get for everyday use.
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Glad to meet a fellow electrician who enjoys nice knives!
Also good to know your experience with the Sebenza has been a joy, I can't wait to see how it handles with my tasks throughout the day. I'll keep you posted !
 
Another Electrician here. Love my Sebenzas as work knives and am very happy with how CRK S35VN forms a long lasting, working edge. In my opinion, I'll gladly take a little edge flattening, over edge chipping. Chipping requires much more material to be removed during a sharpening, so I prefer flattening.

Also, a crazy razor-sharp knife is not really all that good stripping wire anyways as it grabs the copper during a pull cut, and if you slip, you might lose a finger. The long-lasting working edge of S35VN is perfect for tradesman tasks.
 
Aquaholicc said:
Hmm I had no idea I could heat treat a blade after it's already been heat treated once..that doesn't sound sketchy to anyone? Or am I just a newbie when it comes to this topic..?

On a lighter not I guess 59-60RC isn't too too bad ..
Click to expand...

TC said:
Heat treat is generally done before the final grind and finish of the blade. Good luck with someone doing it to a blade from an actual knife...
Click to expand...

You can absolutely have a blade re-hardened. I sent off three sebenza blades to Paul Farner (Paul Bos HT) and had them re-hardened to 60 after he personally tested them at 57.5, 58 and 58.5. This was a few years prior to CRK bumping the hardness. Personally I think the new hardness is great and don't feel the need to modify my newer blades. But the blades I had before were very soft, edge would dent inward. My VG10 delicas would hold a better edge and not take that kinda damage. Keep in mind Bos/Farner can only take S35/S30 to 60 with his current equipment. However if you picked up a seb post 2014ish, you really don't need to even bother. Sharpen it a few times and get past the factory edge, should see an improvement.
 
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