You say your only experience is with AUS8 and S30V? M390 will more than double the performance of S30V.
On the one hand, you have jumped to a conclusion based on little experience.
On the other hand, unless you have a cutting job which calls for the extra performance, you not only don't need super steel, you likely wouldn't notice the difference even if you did have a super steel. (In other words, if all you do with a knife is open a few envelopes, you'll do fine with 420J.)
And on the third hand, generations of hunters and users have managed to get by just fine with very basic steel, no matter what they were cutting. (It's a little known fact that moderators have three hands. It's in the job description under "requirements".)
Dead on! Thanks for the wise words, and the new fact about mods. That does explain why you guys tend to have so many knives. You've got to have more so you can flip with
both of your spare hands at all times
I think you have a similar understanding of s30v as me. I particularly think it is annoyed ng to get to a nice razors edge, and.loses that but then holds for a LONG time. Thus, I don't take it down to as fine a grit. I like the edge I can put on 14cr28mov better as it gets a razor edge easily and holds it well considering that ease, but won't hold a.working edge as long. Thus, I'd use s30v for heavier use and sandvik for more delicate, precise cutting.
So far d2 is my favorite all around steel, and s110v or zdp for hard steels. I like sandvik the most for the money.
I have seen this a lot honestly. As much as I love shiny polished edges, I have had to come to the realization as I work more and more with high-carbide steels that they are not the way to go if you are trying to get the most out of your steel in terms of edge retention.
The toothy edges that can be put on higher-carbide steels will hold for a
very long time, but you will be rather unhappy if you want to have a shiny, polished, and perfectly smooth edge bevel. There are some steels that can handle it better than others, like S110V, M390, and ZDP-189, but that also depends more on the hardness that you take them to as well.
ZDP-189 taken to extreme levels of hardness (like Rockstead knives) will hold an edge better with a perfectly polished edge than anything else, but that is also mostly because the edge itself will start to form micro-chips at that hardness with a toothy edge, and the polished bevel prevents that when done well.
High-carbide steels at lower overall hardness, like S90V, will hold an edge with a fine toothy edge forever, but S30V is definitely not in the same league as those steels, and never really will be.
Other high-carbide steels aren't only made for edge retention either, and that is something to keep in mind honestly. Elmax, for example, is an insanely tough stainless steel, and CPM-3V is pretty much as tough as you can get in any steel, though it is a tool steel by definition. You have to take into consideration the other atributes of steel besides just the edge retention, especially when considering "super steels".
S30V does not take an edge all that easily, and does not like to finished to a finer grit, so if you do want to use it, I would definitely recommend going to a fine, but still toothy, edge, and like you said, just use it for rougher tasks. Just be careful to take care of it, because I have seen some chipping in S30V as well.
If you want something that borders the "perfect steel" then look into Vanax 35. It is much easier to sharpen than most any steel that compares to it in terms of edge retention, has insanely high corrosion resistance by virtue of being a nitrogen steel, and will hold an edge for a period of time comparable to M390, while being able to take a finer edge and function better on it than most other "super steels". Good luck finding someone who makes knives in it besides Shirogrov though. The steel is very expensive to buy in stock, and is extremely difficult and time-consuming to treat, so that costs associated with produciton on it are rather high.
