Spyderco s110v question

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augostos

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I see a lot of Paramilitary in s110v. How good that steel compared to the Spyderco's s30v?

What I want is an EDC with a nice durable steel. I had Military in s30v and it kept cutting and cutting.

So any other steel type with strong edge if you recommend as well.
 
Night and day difference. The S110V PM2 just keeps going, and going, and going... However, it's also much more difficult to sharpen properly, so keep that in mind too. ;) The BBS M390 is also a good alternative, albeit a bit more expensive being an exclusive.
 
I have little experience with S110V (only got the Millie a couple of weeks back), but I can vouch for S90V. I've been using it over the course of the last 10 years on various platforms (Millie, Para, Mule, Native) and in terms of edge retention & stability the damn thing is at least 3 times better (as the math suggests :)) than S30V. If S110V would only be incrementally better than that, it still would be a glorious thing... but considering the ample sources around, I suspect it's waaay better.
 
While we're on the subject , is there much difference in edge retention (and corosion resistance) between S90V , S110V and M390 ?
 
i've got a millie in M390. I can attest that it stays sharp way way longer than any of the other steels I've dealt with. I have a Cruwear millie that hasn't seen much use as my M390/CF millie is just too good. I'll be adding the S110V & 204P millies to the collection soon.
 
I'm a pretty good free hand sharpener. I have decent equipment. Not great but decent. Even with DMT equipment I can get S110v to slice paper, but can really only ever achieve a toothy edge.

It will stay the same way that D2 will for quite a long time.

S35v and Elmax are my favorite powdered steels and s30v will substitute with no problems.

That said I would only ever actively choose s110v for a work knife that wouldn't need a fine edge. Maybe s110v can achieve that, I just can't manage to get it there. Still enjoy having a knife clad in it though.

Oh one strange behavior of S110v, if you check out the photo, I may have been a little rough when stropping but there are a few spots where I believe I basically tore out a giant carbide.

8478bfc7630ee1ebe0edd560dc7c54d4.jpg
 
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I have a Mannix 2 in S110V & it sharpens up with no problems using ceramics (Spyderco Fine/Ultra Fine) & strop..light strokes.
But I also don't let it get too dull before the touching up.
 
The carbides are not nearly that large. May have been a large grit inclusion in the sharpener or some other effect.

I finish on DMT EF free hand. I can get S110V to easily shave hair. It takes more patience than say S30V, S35VN, 204P, but it gets there. It's not like the latter are minutes and S110V is hours - it is just a few minutes longer.
 
Cchu is correct IMO. S110v does not take as aggressive an edge as many other steels. Yes, s110v will easily shave hair off the DMT EF stones but the edge will not be nearly as toothy as that of Cruwear or s30v or m4 at the same grit. Those steels will finish at 1200 with a highly aggressive edge that will feel "sticky" sharp on the thumb or 3 fingers but will instantly grab hair or beard hair on contact. S110v won't take the same level of bite but will still get quite sharp and stick to the hair of my head (though not quite as firmly as other steels).
Regarding refinement, s110v will take a high level of refinement but is a bit more fussy to work with. It's not a difficult matter to get it to whittle free hanging hair but it requires a higher level of refinement than most other steels. I can get most steels to whittle or cut free hanging hair off of the Spyderco medium rods. Not the case with s110v. I have only achieved a hair whittling edge with s110v by taking it all the way through the UF rods. In my experience s110v will not get quite as sharp at any given grit as s30v.

I don't dislike the steel but it (and s90v) respond differently to sharpening than many other steels...especially when chasing high levels of sharpness.
 
S110V takes a superb mirror, quite durable at 13 dps, cardboards and light duty is great but if you are going to whittle/carve wood or heavier use, I would put a 17 micro with 1000 grid. She seems to hold the edge and keeps on going.




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Surfingringo said:
Cchu is correct IMO. S110v does not take as aggressive an edge as many other steels. Yes, s110v will easily shave hair off the DMT EF stones but the edge will not be nearly as toothy as that of Cruwear or s30v or m4 at the same grit. Those steels will finish at 1200 with a highly aggressive edge that will feel "sticky" sharp on the thumb or 3 fingers but will instantly grab hair or beard hair on contact. S110v won't take the same level of bite but will still get quite sharp and stick to the hair of my head (though not quite as firmly as other steels).
Regarding refinement, s110v will take a high level of refinement but is a bit more fussy to work with. It's not a difficult matter to get it to whittle free hanging hair but it requires a higher level of refinement than most other steels. I can get most steels to whittle or cut free hanging hair off of the Spyderco medium rods. Not the case with s110v. I have only achieved a hair whittling edge with s110v by taking it all the way through the UF rods. In my experience s110v will not get quite as sharp at any given grit as s30v.

I don't dislike the steel but it (and s90v) respond differently to sharpening than many other steels...especially when chasing high levels of sharpness.
Click to expand...

yep. ^
 
Surfingringo said:
Cchu is correct IMO. S110v does not take as aggressive an edge as many other steels. Yes, s110v will easily shave hair

...

I don't dislike the steel but it (and s90v) respond differently to sharpening than many other steels...especially when chasing high levels of sharpness.
Click to expand...

Agreed

I have wicked edge setup and with diamond I can sharpen any steel. It's much easier to get my s35, s30, m4, to splitting free standing hair than s110. I'm hoping a switch from balsa strops to glass/diamond film helps with this

The s110 just takes a few more strokes at each level to get the same sharpness

Here's to hoping there is a PM2 in maxamet coming soon

Edit: I will say I have an early manix LW in s110 and it's just not the same as my PM2 the edge will roll in the manix (though I have it cut to a tighter angel) I think spyderco has got much better with heat treat

My manix is my beater knife so it gets the worst of it
 
I can get my S110V PM2 just as sharp, with just as refined an edge as any other steel or "super steel" I have (S35VN, Elmax, 10V, M390, CPM M4, Maxamet), but S110V definitely takes more care to get there. Previously, I couldn't get it there without using diamond either, FWIW.

kvanpacker said:
Agreed

I have wicked edge setup and with diamond I can sharpen any steel. It's much easier to get my s35, s30, m4, to splitting free standing hair than s110. I'm hoping a switch from balsa strops to glass/diamond film helps with this

The s110 just takes a few more strokes at each level to get the same sharpness

Here's to hoping there is a PM2 in maxamet coming soon

Edit: I will say I have an early manix LW in s110 and it's just not the same as my PM2 the edge will roll in the manix (though I have it cut to a tighter angel) I think spyderco has got much better with heat treat

My manix is my beater knife so it gets the worst of it
Click to expand...

A Maxamet PM2 would be an absolute beast!!! :eek: :cool: I think I'd have to buy 9 or 10!!! :D :D :D The Maxamet Mule is my favorite! :thumbup: Love, love, LOVE that alloy for edge retention!!! :cool:
 
A11 tool steels like S110V or 10v should be sharpened maximum with 600 grit according to Phil Wilson, who was one of the inventors of this steel composites. So, it will not shave hairs easily, because these steels perform best in micro saw mode on cutting tasks performances.
 
ramasipsc said:
A11 tool steels like S110V or 10v should be sharpened maximum with 600 grit according to Phil Wilson, who was one of the inventors of this steel composites. So, it will not shave hairs easily, because these steels perform best in micro saw mode on cutting tasks performances.
Click to expand...
Are you saying that S110v was optimized for toothiness?
 
ramasipsc said:
A11 tool steels like S110V or 10v should be sharpened maximum with 600 grit according to Phil Wilson, who was one of the inventors of this steel composites. So, it will not shave hairs easily, because these steels perform best in micro saw mode on cutting tasks performances.
Click to expand...

cchu518 said:
Are you saying that S110v was optimized for toothiness?
Click to expand...

ramasipsc said:
From what I read yes
Click to expand...

I would love to see a link to these claims you quote by Phil Wilson, please. While what you are saying makes some sense, I also do not see why there is any reason it can't also be processed to be more refined, and to push-cut with ease. Wiredbeans' image, below, shows that it very much can. If you use the proper abrasives that can cut the carbides instead of displacing them from the steel matrix, you can get a highly refined edge with plenty of shaped carbides at the edge, that CUT instead of SAW. ;)

wiredbeans said:
S110V takes a superb mirror, quite durable at 13 dps, cardboards and light duty is great but if you are going to whittle/carve wood or heavier use, I would put a 17 micro with 1000 grid. She seems to hold the edge and keeps on going.




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Click to expand...

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cchu518 said:
So what's the secret for a refined edge in S100v?
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Personally, for S110V, I establish my bevel with a 240-grit 3M Trizact Gator belt. From there, I move to a 30-micron (appx. 600-grit) 3M diamond film belt, followed by a 9-micron (appx. 1,800-grit) 3M diamond film belt. Finally, I polish with a leather belt loaded with green chrome compound. This gives a nicely refined edge that easily shaves and push-cuts, and which also lasts for a LONG time. I much prefer this over a "toothy" 600-grit type of finish, but then again, I am not a believer of a "toothy" edge in general.

FWIW, the above procedure gives an edge equivalent to approximately a 2-3 micron diamond finish. S110V has shown to easily take a sub-micron finish when using diamond sprays or pastes. HTH.
 
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