Sandvik 13C26 or the S30v

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ajdddyoung

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Jan 5, 2007
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A question for some of you steel junkies. Could someone please explain to me the differences between the Sandvik 13C26 and the S30v. Pros and cons. This is in reference to a Kershaw Bump series knife. You can get the knife with a g-10 handle for $70 with the Sandvik or for around $105 same handle with the S30v blade. Do the quality of the steel justify the difference in price. The knife will be used for camping, everyday work, etc. Thanks for any help.
 
That's more of a question for you to decide. I've used some Kershaw Storm and Storm II folders with that Sandvik steel and it was a joy for breaking down boxes and whittling in hardwood. I've used S30V in knives not made by Kershaw (mostly Spyderco) and while it's always been at least good, the edge-holding and edge-taking varied a little from knife to knife.

Both will do what you ask. If you're a sharpening junky, Sandvik will probably be the choice; if you're a steel junky, pay the extra bucks and be psyched. Even if you're not a steel junky, S30V will hold the factory edge longer than Sandvik for most everything a knifeknut will do with a folder. Being as Mr. Onion designs those knives with wicked curves, that's worth the extra money and then some.
 
Hard to say, a lot depends on the heat treat of the steels .... and I agree with Thom, S30V in production knives can be a crap shoot (with emphasis being on the "crap" sometimes, in my experience.)

For all the jawboning recently about 13C26 and Kershaw's use of that steel, I still haven't seen anyone perform any independent, quantified testing of how it performs against other steels. Thomas W of Kershaw has stated that their customer feedback on their 13C26 knives has been positive, FWIW.

If both steels are heat treated optimally - and that's a big if - their performance characteristics will be very different. S30V is a high alloy stainless with high wear resistance but low edge stability, not suiting it to thin, fine edges. 13C26 is a razor blade steel, literally, with low wear resistance but very high edge stability. So with ideal heat treats, I might choose S30V if my job were cutting a lot of cardboard and used carpet, 13C26 for a knife to be used for fine, precise work.
 
I also know they make the knife in a 154 steel, but once again I am clueless what that mean comparativily.
 
Normally CPM S30V should hold an edge much longer and 13C26 will be tougher (harder to break the blade, less chance of chipping the edge) and easier to sharpen.
 
They both suck. The only knives worth anything are made out of unobtainium. :) Think I'll make some popcorn. :)
 
I kinda doubt that 13C27 will be much tougher...maybe a little bit, but the specs have S30V as fairly tough stainless steel which is to say that it is not very tough in comparison with a tool or simple HC steel. Arguing about toughness in stainless steels seems to me more and more like a contest of which midget is the tallest.

The edge stability argument of DoW remains a very valid on though.
 
So if two of the exact same model EDC were in front of you, one with 13c26 and one with S30V and you could only take one, which one would you choose? Say a sub 3" blade.
 
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I am very happy with Sandvik. My first S30V knive is literally in the mail so I cannot comment on that yet. Sandvik is a very good steel in my opinion. It is fun to talk about interesting "super steels", but at the end of the day, it is not going to matter.

In my view, I seriously doubt you will get $35 more knife for the steel choice. I cannot imagine that you'd be unhappy with the Sandvik model. My S30V knive was chosen, at some cost premium, because that's what they make it with. In other words I chose the knife not the steel. I'd have been tickled to death to pay less for a Sandvik version or a VG-10 version. I would be absolutely giddy to have had a 1095 option. Most of my knives today are 1095, Sandvik, and some VG-10.
 
I can't really comment on 13c because I bought a Needs Work when they started replacing it with 14c28n, but from what I've heard that was mostly an upgrade to improve corrosion resistance. Either way I think it's fair enough for a comparison between the two steels we're discussing here.

Anyway, S30V is more reputed for its wear resistance than most anything else--it's also pretty tough and a good round about steel in general though. The thing most people contribute its wear resistance to is "Vanandium" carbides which form in the metal that are way harder than steel and most materials being cut, so you wind up with a very wear resistant blade, but a blade that gets "coarser" as it wears because of the carbides. A lot of people will say that S30V is too "toothy" or doesn't polish well because of this. It does make it take a little longer to sharpen though, which is what I think actually contributes to peoples' issues with putting a nice edge on S30V.

14C28N is probably pretty different than 13c, but from what I've been able to tell it's a perfectly good steel for EDC and I don't really think that the advantages of S30V over it would be worth $35. It may be a little less wear resistant ( I've yet to see that though ), but it is considerably easier to sharpen, and in my opinion its edge holding against impact is way better than S30V--I smacked my S30V blade against one of the hardware pieces of the knife while disassembling and it put a highly visible dent in the edge. On the other hand, on my 14C knife, I dropped it on to the edge of a honing stone and there is no visible dent--though I can feel it with my fingernail or an EdgeTester.

So anyway, since I can't comment specifically on 13c, I would say that your main advantage in choosing S30V is wear resistance; but it comes at a price of $35 and extra time needed sharpening. If 14c28n is any judge of 13c, then I would say it would be perfectly capable steel for camping and EDC. I might bring a field sharpener camping though, just beacuse I haven't really tested its wear resistance.
 
So.... after MUCH discussion, the favorite seems to be S30V, however not by a huge margin. That is what I think this thread is ultimately trying to figure out. Thanks.
 
Another interesting tidbit. The Buck Vantage Sandvic 13c26 is something like $35 vs S30V at roughtly $50, so there's like a $15 or $20 max in the difference. I know the 13C26 has a wood handle and the S30V is G10. Assuming they are roughly equal, then $15 to $20 is their difference. I would think some would argue G10 is better, making the knife steel price difference even less.

You can also look up the price differences on Buck Custom and see the difference in their 420HC (should be inferior in cost to 13C26) and S30V. I don't think you'll see S30V is $35 better in either case. Then again, Benchmade thinks it's a whole lot better than 154CM in many cases.

Interesting thread. Either way, Kershaw will make you a darn fine knife.
 
13c26 is my vote. it really does get scare sharp.:thumbup:

i have the for-mentioned buck vantage pro(s30v) and avid(13c26).

i prefer the avid over the pro, i have ABUSED that knife on a few camping trips. no problems.
 
all hood allen said:
13c26 is my vote. it really does get scare sharp.:thumbup:

i have the for-mentioned buck vantage pro(s30v) and avid(13c26).

i prefer the avid over the pro, i have ABUSED that knife on a few camping trips. no problems.
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I'm with Allen. I have both the S30V/G10 Vantage Pro as well as the 13C26/Dymondwood Avid. The Pro will hold an sharp users edge longer but you can get the Avid sharper. If steel is not important to you go with the cheaper, easer to sharpen Avid. It is a fine knife. If your a steel nut then by all means spend another $20 on the S30V. Which is one of the best priced S30V/G10 knife out there.

Either way you'll likely be pleased.
 
Flatlander1963 said:
I'm with Allen. I have both the S30V/G10 Vantage Pro as well as the 13C26/Dymondwood Avid. The Pro will hold an sharp users edge longer but you can get the Avid sharper. If steel is not important to you go with the cheaper, easier to sharpen Avid. It is a fine knife. If your a steel nut then by all means spend another $20 on the S30V. Which is one of the best priced S30V/G10 knife out there.

Either way you'll likely be pleased.
Click to expand...

both are great. my though is that the 13c26 is easier to sharpen, and holds a finer edge. (it has a specific sound when you sharpen it:thumbup:.) where the s30v has a history of chipping, and is MUCH harder to sharpen. so if you get a chip, you work your ass off to fix it. s30v is a hyped up steel, somewhat over rated.

of course my favorite production steel is 12c27, which is a step up from 13c26. 12c27 gets just retarded sharp.

but either way, you'll be happy...or just buy them both.
 
13C26 for sure. I don't think 12c27 is a step up from it, but a choice between these 2 would be much more difficult.
 
13C26 Sandvik seemed to work well, from my experience, but I like S30V better. As to S30V's chipping issues, maybe so, but I haven't experienced any (With other steels, but not S30V).

I imagine one can get 13C26 sharper & easier, but I've found S30V to hold its edge longer. YMMV, of course.
 
Sandvik seems to be really fine-grained stuff, and it's easy to put a shaving-sharp edge on the stuff. I literally shaved with my Kershaw Cyclone (edge reprofiled to around 25 degrees) for a while, just for kicks, and it was one damn smooth shave. I then cut the top off a steel apple juice can with that knife and the edge didn't chip one bit, even with an acute edge like that. Suffice to say I'm a big fan of the stuff.

I haven't used S30V enough to really weigh in on it, but it seems like everybody and his brother uses the stuff and loves how it performs. I will say that it was much harder to sharpen, from what I saw, but took quite a fine edge in the end.
 
Flatlander1963 said:
all hood allen said:
13c26 is my vote. it really does get scare sharp.:thumbup:
i have the for-mentioned buck vantage pro(s30v) and avid(13c26).
i prefer the avid over the pro, i have ABUSED that knife on a few camping trips. no problems.
Click to expand...

I'm with Allen. I have both the S30V/G10 Vantage Pro as well as the 13C26/Dymondwood Avid. The Pro will hold an sharp users edge longer but you can get the Avid sharper. If steel is not important to you go with the cheaper, easer to sharpen Avid. It is a fine knife. If your a steel nut then by all means spend another $20 on the S30V. Which is one of the best priced S30V/G10 knife out there.

Either way you'll likely be pleased.
Click to expand...

Bingo. Either will fill the bill for most users. I'm not sure I have a preference. The 13C26 gets razor sharp (there's a reason they use it for razor blades), but will hold an edge considerably less well than S30V, which for most folks (including me) gets user sharp, but maybe not razor sharp.
 
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