Spyderco Military S30V VS S110V

[Yonose]

I ordered a spyderco MP2 Limited Edition with s35vn blade steel, i really like it and after reading others who own both the PM2 and the Manix2 i just had to also order it.

If you have read some of my posts you already know, i must have a bad habit maybe of buying a lot of knives.

before too long you’ll end up getting a Military, then another...

 

[Tommy-Chi]

I ordered a spyderco MP2 Limited Edition with s35vn blade steel.... If you have read some of my posts you already know, i must have a bad habit maybe of buying a lot of knives.

Awe shucks. Another knife addict!

We've all tried and failed the 12 Step Program for Recovery but it too failed.

 

[tiguy7]

S-110-V is almost as good as S-125-V, and that is almost as good as S-150-V.

 

[vector12]

I use a Manix2 in s110v, man this is good steel.

Lots of internet lore about you have to use diamonds to sharpen , not true although diamonds ROCK!!

I use Shapton Kurumako stones, the 1000 grit will sharpen 3v or a dull S110v FAST!!!!!!!!!!! I follow up with 5000 grit, it polishes really fast. If I have a damaged blade, yes a diamond works FAST as does a 220 or 500 grit Kurumako stone. Chosera works too, ya they might need 10% more time.

I haven't chipped my s110v blade yet, but I won't cut zip ties, lol.

I've had great luck with S35vn, S110v, 205p, and 3v, good stones sharpen them fast, and they hold an edge. I did just roll a Garberg's SS edge, but I bounced it off concrete, lol.

2 thumbs up for S110v in Spyderco, Spyderco's S30v is great too, but I'll just buy S110v or 205p moving forward. The manix spreads peanut butter well too, thanks Spyderco!!

 

[sharp_edge]

Money-wise I would not buy the plain Jane s30v Military new from any dealers ($170-$190) when there are sprint runs / deal exclusives in better steels (M4, 204p, Rex 45, etc.) and sometimes with better handle materials (cf, ti, more g10 colors) that sell for about the same prices or just slightly more.

Between s110v Mllie and s30v Millie, since the prices are about the same, I'd pick s110v any day of the week simply because of its greater retention.

As for sharpening, I can use my basic Lansky sharpener to make both screaming sharp. Yes - it does take some time and patience. Diamonds would be great though.

 

[Yonose]

Money-wise I would not buy the plain Jane s30v Military new from any dealers ($170-$190) when there are sprint runs / deal exclusives in better steels (M4, 204p, Rex 45, etc.) and sometimes with better handle materials (cf, ti, more g10 colors) that sell for about the same prices or just slightly more.

Between s110v Mllie and s30v Millie, since the prices are about the same, I'd pick s110v any day of the week simply because of its greater retention.

As for sharpening, I can use my basic Lansky sharpener to make both screaming sharp. Yes - it does take some time and patience. Diamonds would be great though.

I don’t even own a plain Jane military, unless you count the Ti ones which are disco’d. I once did, but I gifted it. I’ve got s110v, plain and fancy milled Ti w/s30v, cruwear, s90v and 204p. Diamonds make any hard stainless steel easy to sharpen—even 440c. The only knives I use stones for are carbon, low alloy steels.

 

[GatorFlash1]

Is an s110v blade 3.67 times better than s30v? If not, what is the percentage that s110v is better than s30v? I'm confused!

 

[Yonose]

Is an s110v blade 3.67 times better than s30v? If not, what is the percentage that s110v is better than s30v? I'm confused!

Sounds about right. Also will take 3.67 times longer to sharpen. However there are other alloys in s110v not present in s30v, so it’s maybe a little bit more complicated than just the percentage of vanadium. At least I think it is. It’s very cool that Spyderco doesn’t charge 3 times more for the s110v though. It’s a great gift steel for someone you don’t see as often as you like, as long as you don’t forget to bring your diamond hones with you when you do see them.

 

[Jocephus1]

First of all, I am a MASSIVE fan of the Military series. I spent 22 years in the Army, through several deployments, and the Military became one of my absolute workhorses. I currently own 34 in my collection. Most are retired for sentimental reasons, which is why I have so many. I am by no means a steel expert, like many wonderful folks on the forum. I'm just an old soldier turned retired guy that keeps horses and camps/hunts/fishes with his family and uses knives.

regarding the S30V vs S110V steels...

yes, the S110V steel will hold an edge far longer, but is a pain to sharpen. In fact, I eliminate S110v steel when gifting knives to soldiers specifically because of how difficult it is to sharpen in the field. I had one S110v I carried in Afghanistan and ended up sending it back home because of this difficulty. Time I was spending sharpening was better spent doing other things, which is why I changed steels.

Now that I'm retired and a civilian, I'm carrying S110V steels and am happy. I have time to sharpen it correctly and I'm enjoying spending time on my family land with the horses, camping, and "learning" the steel if that makes sense.

Regarding S30v. That's a steel that from the soldiers perspective, I tended to carry more than S110v. Its what I do carry the most around here. Its proven and finds a great balance between Sharpness and edge retention, which I like. Its my "go to" steel in most of my EDC knives and have zero issues recommending it as an EDC knife.

I'm very glad Spyderco gives us the choice of steels.

 

[Lipripper]

Wow, 34 Millies! Nice! Thanks for your service J Jocephus1 . I would understand why s110v would probably not be the best choice for a soldier. Something tougher/easier to sharpen would probably be more desirable in that situation. (I personally think s35vn sharpens easier than both, or maybe it's just the s35vn example I own)

Adding some comments considering OP's original question regarding these two steels from only Spyderco... I haven't had any of the chipping issues with s110v on my manix that I've heard s110v in general to sometimes have. As a matter of fact, I have noticed more microchipping on my s30v from Spyderco. Nothing that alarms me though. They are definitely different. s30v will get a more polished edge easier, but no more time with coarser stones is required to get an edge in general on either steel IMO. s110v is very stainless and s30v is definitely stainless enough. As I mentioned before, longer usable edge = s110v, easier to get to hair-whittling/pushcutting edge = s30v

 

[James Y]

I own three Militaries...an older 440V, an S30V, and a S110V. My personal favorite of the three is the S30V one. For myself, I find it easier to maintain.

Jim

 

[Yonose]

I guess the question has pretty much been answered. Anyway you look at it, the military is probably the best knife spyderco makes. It can be almost addictive; you will want to buy sprint runs, as they are usually about the same price as regular models—unlike the pm2.