Tell me all about S90V.

Turbo man

Turbo man

Joined
Apr 11, 2002
Messages
317
One of the Carson Model 4's I have been looking at uses S90V. I know the new Sebenza's use S30V, but I have never heard of S90V. How does it compare to S30V or S60V in terms of durability, staining, and sharpness? Thanx.
 
CPM S90V is tough, tough, tough. Tough to work with, tough to sharpen, tough to rust, tough to dull the blade. S30V (what CRK has switched to) is supposed to be easier to work with for both the maker and end user.
 
This is one of those times where a search of the forums will give you more information than you can possibly imagine. S90V was originally known as CPM 420V, so search for both.

In quick summary, S90V is an extremely wear resistant steel; far better in this respect that S60V. Personally, I had difficulty getting a really good edge on my Apogee until I switched to using a fine diamond hone, instead of my Sharpmaker. IIRC, S90V also has decent stain resistance, but that's never been a problem for me with any steel; I believe that this may be the one category where S60V will outperform S90V.

I can tell you, from hard learned experience, that S90V will chip if you do something stupid like let your edge hit a glass bottle. :o
 
dsvirsky is pretty much on the mark. S90V (yes, new name for our CPM 420V) offers higher wear resistance than S30V. S90V is a much higher alloy (higher vanadium) steel. Higher vanadium means it will hold an edge longer (when under abrasion, anyway) but will be harder to sharpen. S30V on the other hand will be more forgiving than S90V for chipping, and will be easier to sharpen than S90V. Wear life of S30V will be longer than D2 or 154 CM, but not as long as S90V. The S60V (new name for the 440V) falls between the other 2 for wear (30/60/90;)) All 3 are CPM (powder metallurgy) grades.
 
So your knives have been heat tempered and cryo treated all in the same week, just like mine this past week! Ain't upstate NY wonderful?
 
S90V has more vanadium than S30V, making it more wear resistant. But it's less tough than S30V, and might chip in cases where S30V wouldn't.

If you're looking for an EDC (4" or less blade) that won't be used to cut hard materials or metal, then S90V is a very good choice. S30V will give you a more "universal" blade, that can be used in pinch for prying, opening cans, etc. But the cost is that it won't slice quite as well, and won't hold an edge quite as long. S30V is a great balanced steel, while S90V is more fine-tuned for slicing jobs.
 
Well I will be using my Carson Model 4 for food prep, cutting cardboard, rope, string, envelopes, and other everyday things. I will save prying, and scraping for my leatherman....:eek:
 
Originally posted by Turbo man
Well I will be using my Carson Model 4 for food prep, cutting cardboard, rope, string, envelopes, and other everyday things. I will save prying, and scraping for my leatherman....:eek:
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Hard to beat 420V for light work like that. It's difficult to reprofile, but touches up pretty easily. I never let it get below shaving sharp. Just give it a few strokes on the SharpMaker rods every week or so. If you're just doing little stuff with it, you may go months without needing to touch it up. My DDR EDC holds an edge exceptionally well. One time I let it go almost month with daily-and pretty heavy-use, and it was still scrape shaving hair.
Carson takes his 420V a point or two higher, and it may hold an edge a little longer.
Great steel. I've chipped it a couple of times, but those were on impacts with metal objects. Haven't had the slightest hint of corrosion problems with it, even with frequent carry in a corrosive environment, and being sweat all over many many times.
Saw your other thread, and have to say that I really like Darrel's D2M, too. Holds an edge great, and is pretty easy to sharpen. Should be tougher than the 420V...
 
Originally posted by Turbo man
Well I will be using my Carson Model 4 for food prep, cutting cardboard, rope, string, envelopes, and other everyday things. I will save prying, and scraping for my leatherman....:eek:
Click to expand...
That pretty much describes the areas S90V excels at, without exposing its weaknesses. I think you'll find S90V to be a better everyday knife for you than S30V would be, assuming your needs don't change.

Also, make sure not to smooth your edge *too* much, as it will reduce the aggressive cutting power of the vanadium carbides in S90V. Stop at a 600 grit edge, and use a diamond stone if you can every once in a while. This will expose fresh carbides which, when combined with the very fine grain of S90V, will give you a wicked, very long-lasting edge for tearing into exactly the types of materials you mentioned above.

As a side note, if you don't need the stainless properties of S90V, and want an even <em>better</em> blade in this exact category, think about 10V. It requires more maintainence, but has similar properties to S90V and then some.
 
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