San Mai VS 3V - Tai Pan?

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precisionshootist

Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
268
Ok so I have decided I must break down and get a Tai Pan which I have been ogleing for many years but just never pulled the trigger. The question is which to get, either the 3V or the San Mai? This knife will be a user, not exactly sure what it will be used for but I will carry this knife at times. I live in a country area of Texas and I'm outdoors quite a lot. My main concern for any knife I carry is never edge holding but rather resistance to catastrophic failure (ie broken blade). This is why I prefer softer steels/heat treat. I want the knife to bend not break or the edge to dent slightly rather than lose a huge chip. If it gets dull softer is much easier to resharpen (for me anyway). The main use of the knife might be defensive or unplanned camping etc. and of course just the fun of carrying a cool fixed blade. So with all that in mind which would you choose and why? My thinking is that the San Mai would be better as far as catastrophic failure but 3v may be better for edge holding and edge toughness which for me the former is the most important. What say you?
 
I've had some san mai chip along the edge from hard use (trail master). Could have been a burnt edge as it was the factory edge, but I don't see too many chipped edges, even from my hard use knives.

I have a san mai tai pan and they're super cool, but not the stoutest dagger. It's a hollow ground blade so it slices well but I don't expect it to hold up like my Kabar EK dagger (very thick, more like a double scandi grind).

On paper, I would expect the 3V to be tougher and have better edge retention, but it's going to take more work to sharpen when the time comes.

If you wouldn't be against a used one, I would sell mine to you if you're unsure which to get. It would at least be cheaper than a new of either steel.
 
bikerector said:
I've had some san mai chip along the edge from hard use (trail master). Could have been a burnt edge as it was the factory edge, but I don't see too many chipped edges, even from my hard use knives.

I have a san mai tai pan and they're super cool, but not the stoutest dagger. It's a hollow ground blade so it slices well but I don't expect it to hold up like my Kabar EK dagger (very thick, more like a double scandi grind).

On paper, I would expect the 3V to be tougher and have better edge retention, but it's going to take more work to sharpen when the time comes.

If you wouldn't be against a used one, I would sell mine to you if you're unsure which to get. It would at least be cheaper than a new of either steel.
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I will take that as one vote for the San Mai. Thank you for the offer on the used but I will likely pick it up from that place that puts Cold Steel on sale frequently (plus I have many points built up there). Now if you had a vintage Japan model I would be on that. My San Mai Master Tanto is a vintage Japan with leather sheath. Those were the days! Would you agree that the San Mai blades are less likely to break or am I out in left field ? In theory if the outside slabes of steel were very soft or of the spring variety a blade made in that fashion should be nearly impossible to break.
 
precisionshootist said:
I will take that as one vote for the San Mai. Thank you for the offer on the used but I will likely pick it up from that place that puts Cold Steel on sale frequently (plus I have many points built up there). Now if you had a vintage Japan model I would be on that. My San Mai Master Tanto is a vintage Japan with leather sheath. Those were the days! Would you agree that the San Mai blades are less likely to break or am I out in left field ? In theory if the outside slabes of steel were very soft or of the spring variety a blade made in that fashion should be nearly impossible to break.
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The outside slabs are soft but the center layer isn't tough. I would fear a chip-out failure more than a fully broken blade, from the san mai or 3V. I think 3V is going to be the more durable of the 2, but in practical use, it may be a wash. The double hollow will likely have more impact on toughness, or lack thereof, than the steel choice.

Much of the softer steel is removed from the blade because of the hollow grinds, so the core steel will have a lot of influence on the overall toughness.
 
3V would be tougher and have better edge retention.

I went with the San Mai version because it isn’t a user for me.
 
precisionshootist said:
resistance to catastrophic failure
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3V should be far superior , assuming good HT .

But , the blade geometry of a Tai Pan is not best for any type of hard use / utility work / survival .

Something like an old 3V Warcraft would be much sturdier .

Just in general , double edged fighting knives are not intended ,or well suited , for anything else .
 
precisionshootist said:
The main use of the knife might be defensive or unplanned camping etc.
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Here are two older Cold Steel Tanto models , both with CPM 3-V steel and DLC coating .


The Warcraft would be the one better able to do some camping , utility / survival duties , as well as fighting . IMO .

The Magnum Tanto , would still be far better than the Tai Pan . But mainly a fighting knife .

Any double edged dagger is prone to legal and social problems , most places .

I have a nice San Mai Tai Pan .

Love it ... but it never leaves my property . Lives on my bed stand . :cool:
 
DocJD said:
3V should be far superior , assuming good HT .

But , the blade geometry of a Tai Pan is not best for any type of hard use / utility work / survival .

Something like an old 3V Warcraft would be much sturdier .

Just in general , double edged fighting knives are not intended ,or well suited , for anything else .
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I did not mean to imply I was choosing the Tai Pan as a serious outdoor/survival knife, I have plenty of much better choices in that department. The reality is I just have always wanted a Tai Pan and just never pulled the trigger to get one mainly for the very reason you cite and that is they are really single purpose knives. That being said I do frequently carry a fixed blade while mountain biking and just being outdoors in general. Most often these days is a recently acquired Kobun. I totally agree with the Tai Pan dagger not being any kind of hard use or survival knife and the chances of it being pressed into that role are remote. I do find it interesting that it seems the majority of the knife community feels the San Mai versions are the less capable blades. I do like that Warcraft! After the Tai Pan comes a Trailmaster for me but I want a vintage Carbon V made in USA.
 
Floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee.

CS13PBN_CS13P_LSR39.jpg
 
I've sold off most of my 3V Cold Steel fighting style knives because I really don't think it's worth paying extra for the toughness of the 3V, it is not warranted in these types of knives because they are not made for hard use. The San Mai is plenty tuff enough for a fighting style blade. Plus you give up some corrosion resistance in the 3V versions versus San Mai. The beauty of the San Mai blade is also a nice bonus.

It's worth noting that the Taiwanese factory that Cold Steel uses to grind their 3V blades can't grind 3V worth a salt. The internet is full of pictures and stories of very bad grinds. Every single one of mine had some defect, from small to bad.
 
DayofReckoning said:
I've sold off most of my 3V Cold Steel fighting style knives because I really don't think it's worth paying extra for the toughness of the 3V, it is not warranted in these types of knives because they are not made for hard use. The San Mai is plenty tuff enough for a fighting style blade. Plus you give up some corrosion resistance in the 3V versions versus San Mai. The beauty of the San Mai blade is also a nice bonus.

It's worth noting that the Taiwanese factory that Cold Steel uses to grind their 3V blades can't grind 3V worth a salt. The internet is full of pictures and stories of very bad grinds. Every single one of mine had some defect, from small to bad.
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The replies to this thread have definitely helped make up my mind and I will be going with the San Mai. Like you said 3V may be a little better in some areas but not so much in others. Now I just have to wait for that place that runs really good deals on knives like this to get them back in stock. I waited and did not pull the trigger a week ago when they had the San Mai version in the $120 range.
 
precisionshootist said:
The replies to this thread have definitely helped make up my mind and I will be going with the San Mai. Like you said 3V may be a little better in some areas but not so much in others. Now I just have to wait for that place that runs really good deals on knives like this to get them back in stock. I waited and did not pull the trigger a week ago when they had the San Mai version in the $120 range.
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It's plenty good enough ! ☺️
 
3V is a superior steel to San Mai.

I'm not sure if a weapon like the Tai Pan really needs it however, since it is for cutting, slashing, and stabbing, not chopping.

I've read of chips in San Mai and suspect it is due to the use of VG-10 (or VG-1) rather than AUS-8, which would be a better steel to use in larger fixed blades.

I have used my Peacekeeper (whichever one is larger) to chop saplings and branches and build a shelter, but that has a wider blade, is in Carbon V, and does not have a hollow grind. They probably cost too much now, but the Peacekeeper is probably the best dagger for outdoor use for those who actually want to use a dagger as an outdoors tool.
 
What is making you pick San Mai over 3V?

I bought a Master Hunter in 3V which is another mostly skinny full flat grind blade. I chose the 3V strictly because if I ever do get to use it where I want to take it there should be nearly zero risk of the blade breaking, the edge chipping, or the tip cracking.

The only reason at the time I could come up with in favor of the VG-10 was the minimal worry of rusting. I dislike seeing the phrase "semi-stainless" since it always makes me thing of a women being sorta pregnant or your doc saying you only have a little cancer, but I have to admit that 3V while it's not stainless it's not 1095 or M4 where it will rust from an angry glare. An occasional wipe with an oily rag has kept mine from rusting for years now.

Either way I bet you are going to love that knife!
 
Maximumbob54 said:
What is making you pick San Mai over 3V?

I bought a Master Hunter in 3V which is another mostly skinny full flat grind blade. I chose the 3V strictly because if I ever do get to use it where I want to take it there should be nearly zero risk of the blade breaking, the edge chipping, or the tip cracking.

The only reason at the time I could come up with in favor of the VG-10 was the minimal worry of rusting. I dislike seeing the phrase "semi-stainless" since it always makes me thing of a women being sorta pregnant or your doc saying you only have a little cancer, but I have to admit that 3V while it's not stainless it's not 1095 or M4 where it will rust from an angry glare. An occasional wipe with an oily rag has kept mine from rusting for years now.

Either way I bet you are going to love that knife
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I will go with San Mai for several reasons. First, it's quite a bit cheaper than 3v and since the design of the blade and my intended use does not really take advantage of the toughness qualities of 3v why spend the extra cash. Secondary reasons would be corrosion resistance and San Mai looks cool.
 
I know this is a little older thread now so the OP has likely made his decision and moved on but for others I thought I should chime in. I recently bought two 3v cold steel fixed blades, the tai pan and the master tanto.

The grinds on both were really bad and the tanto had a stain on the blade. Both were returned. They were from Amazon and midway usa so maybe they had known factory defects so were discounted.
 
That's disappointing.... I see Knifecenter has the 3V Tai-Pan at a very good price, might be the reason why.
 
After having owned cpm3v blades since when it first came out and having seen so much really bad 3v in many old customs I have had, I know that HT is critical. Having said that, you have to trust that CS 3V has a good HT. Anyone know where it is being done, certainly not in house. Regardless, SanMai would be my pick. So you chose right in my opinion. I would prefer the older japanese sanmai, but Taiwan makes excellent products.

precisionshootist said:
I will go with San Mai for several reasons. First, it's quite a bit cheaper than 3v and since the design of the blade and my intended use does not really take advantage of the toughness qualities of 3v why spend the extra cash. Secondary reasons would be corrosion resistance and San Mai looks cool.
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Cobalt said:
Having said that, you have to trust that CS 3V has a good HT. Anyone know where it is being done, certainly not in house.
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Last I read on here, their CPM3V is HT’d by Peters then shipped to the manufacturer.
 
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