Spartan blades- worth the cost?

XtianAus

XtianAus

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Anyone had experience with spartan blades and are they worth their hefty pricetag?
Also how does S35VN compare to SR101?
Trying to decide between a busse/swamprat or spartan next. Thanks!
 
I have a Raindrop Damascus Enyo, and a velos. Fit and finish are great. They are great guys personally and are former GB. Bill Harsey is there as well doing amazing work. They have always been amiable for years on end and are great people. Basically think S30v for S35VN since most people cant tell them apart in daily application unless trying hard. Got a Spartan Harsey Folder coming my way soon even
 
SR101 is basically 52100 if you keep that in mind by the way. Try looking for comparisons of 52100 and S35vn on the forums
 
XtianAus said:
Anyone had experience with spartan blades and are they worth their hefty pricetag?
Also how does S35VN compare to SR101?
Trying to decide between a busse/swamprat or spartan next. Thanks!
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I'm on mobile right now so can provide more info later but only you can decide if they are worth the cost. I own 4 Spartans and for busse kin. I love them all. To me sr101 is quite different than 35vn mostly due to the later being stainless. I haven't hard used my spartans or my other s35vn blades (folders) but I have smashed my rmd through a bunch of wood. Very good steel. To offset the cost of the spartans buy used. I've saved more than a third on a couple.
 
I have read so much on sr101 and it seems almost as tough as it gets...almost but i personally love the design of spartans > busse knives. However if s35vn isnt as tough as sr101, racking up a $600 (exchange rate in Aus) knife is simply not worth it.

I know sr101 and particularly infi can take a beating and are close to unbreakable
 
XtianAus said:
I have read so much on sr101 and it seems almost as tough as it gets...almost but i personally love the design of spartans > busse knives. However if s35vn isnt as tough as sr101, racking up a $600 (exchange rate in Aus) knife is simply not worth it.

I know sr101 and particularly infi can take a beating and are close to unbreakable
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So you areally aren't asking about Spartan, you are asking about sr101 vs s35vn, correct?
 
Spartan has a specific heat treat on their S35vn. Like I said, I haven't beat it up yet like I have sr101 or infi, but based on the stainless fact I would bet it is not as tough. Tough to get as tough as a busse.
 
Comparing those two steels is interesting, as they're so very different from one another. But maybe the best way that you can answer your own question is this - how important is corrosion resistance to you? CPM-S35VN is plenty tough enough to stand up to any knife task that a Spartan knife would endure...so while SR101 is tougher, that additional toughness will not come in to play in use, & therefore it's really negated from the discussion. They both hold an edge very well, both can be kept keen, so the big variance, that you'll actually see in use, is corrosion resistance. Personally, I'd go with the S35VN for that reason, but they are both great knife steels. Now, there are certainly other differences between the two companies you mention, so I just kept it to my opinion of the two steels. Best of luck!
 
Beyond the intrinsic value Spartan knives, which is very high IMO considering the material, workmanship and design, I have a preference for supporting companies owned by vets and operating in the U.S. On that basis I consider the cost fair.

It's fixey Friday so an FDE Enyo is in my pocket.
 
I'll try to get some pics up of mine tomorrow afternoon. I also have an FDE Enyo. Great little blade.
 
Only Spartan I have is the enyo and a lot of swamp rats sr101. Both are great!! I can't say one is better other than the Spartan is better at rust resistance.
 
The only Spartan I currently own is the Difensa, and I absolutely love it. I don't abuse my knives, though I have batoned with the Difensa for purposes of review, and contrast with other heavy duty knives. I find it a good all around big knife. I carry it when I'm in the bush. It is actually a better chopper than I had expected, though it is not a machete.

I also bought a Spartan Harsey Model II for friend before his last deployment. He likes his knife a lot as well.

I have an review of the Difensa on my blog if you want to read it, but it is just a first impressions review http://centergnome.blogspot.com/search/label/Difensa

If you want a very good, ongoing, use review thread, Mistwalker has a very good thread here on Blade Forums devoted to reviewing Spartan knives http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ter-amp-Difensa-and-the-Phrike-(VERY-Pic-Hvy)
 
abbydaddy said:
The only Spartan I currently own is the Difensa, and I absolutely love it. I don't abuse my knives, though I have batoned with the Difensa for purposes of review, and contrast with other heavy duty knives. I find it a good all around big knife. I carry it when I'm in the bush. It is actually a better chopper than I had expected, though it is not a machete.

I also bought a Spartan Harsey Model II for friend before his last deployment. He likes his knife a lot as well.

I have an review of the Difensa on my blog if you want to read it, but it is just a first impressions review http://centergnome.blogspot.com/search/label/Difensa

If you want a very good, ongoing, use review thread, Mistwalker has a very good thread here on Blade Forums devoted to reviewing Spartan knives http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ter-amp-Difensa-and-the-Phrike-(VERY-Pic-Hvy)
Click to expand...

Thanks! Ill check them both out
 
XtianAus said:
Ps when people say "heavy abuse" what exactly does that include?
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They mean this
photo1-2.jpg


You might also be interested in the thread that image came from http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1174426-Busse-vs-Spartan-Blades-vs-Esee

I'm personally partial to Spartan, but a lot of that is based on looks and the way that the Harsey collaboration handles feel. People feel strongly about other brands too though.
 
But you might also want to check out this video of Nate The Machinist demonstrating the durability he has been getting with the heat treat he uses on CPM 3V compared against a Busse (because Busse's INFI is very much the gold standard).
[video]https://youtu.be/6imZ4Vo8iwA[/video]
Or this video that includes chopping through concrete blocks as well as nails
[video=youtube;Fl8Zdc-lfUM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl8Zdc-lfUM[/video]
 
Awesome cheers guys.
So in saying that, although that busse is a tank and can do the above^ most people wouldnt need to do such a thing with a knife. Ive seen reviews where a difensa was used to open a oil drum which is not quite as hard use but still impressive.
Can s35vn steel be used/handle survival tasks? It seems like it would take a lot to break s35vn steel? Less than sr101 and infi obviously but still reasonably a lot?

Ps appreciate the knowledge/responses and taking the time to respond to a newbie as myself :)
 
I read alot that S35vn is a tactical steel not survival and that hard use will break or chip it.
Jamming a infi tglb into concrete seems more like hard abuse than hard use and unnecessary

So what exactly does hard use mean/what would it take to break spartan s35vn steel. Would repeatly using it to baton and prying break the steel or is there more to it than that?
 
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