The wrong steel for the job?

noob93 said:
That is impressive if it is indeed d2 as you say although iv always known d2 was tougher then s30v even if ht properly. It's strength makes it a good choice for the cutting of soft metal need be. Who was the maker? Btw weren't you the one complaining about the s30v knives you got in another thread I had and posted pics of edge damage after chopping soft wood?
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Nah, that just has to do with great heat treat

Technically s30v is tougher.

That why ya can't go off steel chemistry alone.
 
Iv enjoyed S30V for an edc folder, it holds a razor edge for quite some time and is really easy to touch up as compared to S35VN or 154cm. But I have had micro chipping problems with it under normal edc use. Not a huge problem but its kind of a turn off. Would definitely not choose it for anything over 3.5"-4" inches and certainly not for "hard use".

Someone said something about D2 being brittle? My only D2 blade is the fixed BM Adamas, its a prybar as far as I'm concerned. Incredible utility knife. Takes more abuse than any knife Iv owned(so far). Even though its far from ideal in size, I would baton with it over my fullsize kabar in 1095, can tell it will take a lot more abuse. Pain in the a** to sharpen.
 
I used a Hinderer on an old welcome mat with similar results. Used carpet and such is rough.
 
S30V may be the worst steel I have ever used. S35Vn is what S30V should have been. The toughness claims of this steel do not stack up. Not against, ATS34, not against 440C and not against D2, all of which have held up better for me, and I own many S30V blades. Microchipping is common with this steel. Hell, my old 440V held up much better.
 
Cobalt said:
S30V may be the worst steel I have ever used. S35Vn is what S30V should have been. The toughness claims of this steel do not stack up. Not against, ATS34, not against 440C and not against D2, all of which have held up better for me, and I own many S30V blades. Microchipping is common with this steel. Hell, my old 440V held up much better.
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It sucks you say that I was looking into maybe getting a spyderco yojimbo and the only steel it's made in is s30v to my knowledge :(
 
Cobalt said:
S30V may be the worst steel I have ever used. S35Vn is what S30V should have been. The toughness claims of this steel do not stack up. Not against, ATS34, not against 440C and not against D2, all of which have held up better for me, and I own many S30V blades. Microchipping is common with this steel. Hell, my old 440V held up much better.
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You may have bad luck on the steel. I have had own and have been used over 20 knives in these steel and there are only one knife has micro chipping issue. Most of them work great especially most US made Spyderco and Jose Diaz S30V at 62HRC which has almost invincible edge.

I much prefer S30V to most stainless except may be some PM like XHP, Elmax or S90V.

I believe S30V got bad reps in the past due to HT issue just like 1095 and many steel that get hyped up in that time but without properly knowledge to deal with it.

If a honorable guy like Sal Glesser choose this steel as main steel for majority of his product that would tell we something.
 
shqxk said:
You may have bad luck on the steel. I have had own and have been used over 20 knives in these steel and there are only one knife has micro chipping issue. Most of them work great especially most US made Spyderco and Jose Diaz S30V at 62HRC which has almost invincible edge.

I much prefer S30V to most stainless except may be some PM like XHP, Elmax or S90V.

I believe S30V got bad reps in the past due to HT issue just like 1095 and many steel that get hyped up in that time but without properly knowledge to deal with it.

If a honorable guy like Sal Glesser choose this steel as main steel for majority of his product that would tell we something.
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S30V is at about the bottom of the list for stainless steels for me too. The only reason I have any knives with S30V anymore is because I really like the designs of the knives.

Honestly I'd rather have something like 3Cr or 440 steel as long as the geometry was good. At the very least the steel is easy to sharpen to make up for an edge that degrades easily. S30V is a pain all the way around with no benefits that other steels can't bring.

As far as why spyderco uses it, maybe they got a bargain basement deal on a HUGE shipment some time ago and are just running out the supply. Think about how many knives a ton of steel can make. The fact that Sal had a hand in creating the steel may have something to do with it.
 
bodog said:
S30V is at about the bottom of the list for stainless steels for me too. The only reason I have any knives with S30V anymore is because I really like the designs of the knives.

Honestly I'd rather have something like 3Cr or 440 steel as long as the geometry was good. At the very least the steel is easy to sharpen to make up for an edge that degrades easily. S30V is a pain all the way around with no benefits that other steels can't bring.

As far as why spyderco uses it, maybe they got a bargain basement deal on a HUGE shipment some time ago and are just running out the supply. Think about how many knives a ton of steel can make. The fact that Sal had a hand in creating the steel may have something to do with it.
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Haha 3cr? Yikes
 
Cobalt said:
S30V may be the worst steel I have ever used. S35Vn is what S30V should have been. The toughness claims of this steel do not stack up. Not against, ATS34, not against 440C and not against D2, all of which have held up better for me, and I own many S30V blades. Microchipping is common with this steel. Hell, my old 440V held up much better.
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What brand/model was the knife?
 
Apparently the knife gods smile upon me...I have never had any chipping issues with S30V. :)

I have had some chipping of Cold Steel blades in AUS-8 though, and it has a reputation for not chipping.

My Rodent Waki in SR101 steel got some nasty chips and dings, but that's from hitting those small stones in the ground when chopping roots out.

I don't worry overly about steel, and tend not to put much stock in internet rumours about steel properties.
 
Bodog, Cobalt, Me2

What abrasives, angles and edge finishes are you guys using?
 
DeadboxHero said:
Bodog, Cobalt, Me2

What abrasives, angles and edge finishes are you guys using?
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I've tried AlOx, SiC, and diamond hones. AlOx and diamond strop paste. 15 to 20 dps. Tried coarse, tried fine. I just haven't seen anything about the steel I care for, not like M390 or Elmax or a number of other stainless steels. I still like tool steels for most knives though especially because good coatings and corrosion inhibitors exist, but if I was going to look for a stainless it'd be M390 (including elmax) class or CTS-XHP class. If I needed anything more wear resistant or tougher I'd look for a tool steel.

But I understand that the 5 or so knives I've had with S30V may not have been great examples. I can only go by what I've seen because of the many variables involved. So I can only speak for me and my uses and my experiences. I won't argue with any knowledgeable person if they say it works well for them. It probably does and I won't try to convince them that what they saw was BS or anything because I haven't stood in their shoes.
 
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bodog said:
I've tried AlOx, SiC, and diamond hones. AlOx and diamond strop paste. 15 to 20 dps. Tried coarse, tried fine. I just haven't seen anything about the steel I care for, not like M390 or Elmax or a number of other stainless steels. I still like tool steels for most knives though especially because good coatings and corrosion inhibitors exist, but if I was going to look for a stainless it'd be M390 (including elmax) class or CTS-XHP class. If I needed anything more wear resistant or tougher I'd look for a tool steel.

But I understand that the 5 or so knives I've had with S30V may not have been great examples. I can only go by what I've seen because of the many variables involved. So I can only speak for me and my uses and my experiences. I won't argue with any knowledgeable person if they say it works well for them. It probably does and I won't try to convince them that what they saw was BS or anything because I haven't stood in their shoes.
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How hard is it to sharpen CTS xhp I'm quite curious with that steel?
 
noob93 said:
Why do so many knife makers use steels like 440c or s30v for hard use knives or vice versa use a tough steel like 1095 for a neck knife? There are even company's and makers whom claim they have a special ht to say give s30v good toughness or make it easy to sharpen. Why not use the right steel and save some money on ht advertisement and possible embarrasement.
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That's because the majority of knife users as well as collectors and many knife designers/makers don't have a deeper understanding of metallurgy nor the tasks for which a knife will be used and how geometry affects the performance. Costs (and/or being lazy) are certainly a factor, too (why use something 'new' which would be better suited if 440c was OK enough for decades and you don't really care). Reality is that most knife buyers don't appreciate such high performance knives and are satisfied as long as they can pry and baton the hell out of it.

That's why you see sharpened prybars made from steels which would take a thin grind as well as an acute angle easily without chipping or rolling and vice versa. In my opinion knife making is an art as well as a science but many don't care much about the science part.
 
noob93 said:
How hard is it to sharpen CTS xhp I'm quite curious with that steel?
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What do you have experience with? We could try to pin it close to something you've tried before. In my limited experience and taking away a lot of variables like hardness and thickness of the compared blades and so forth it's easier than S30V and D2. About like CPM154, maybe just a touch harder. Edge lasts longer than CPM154, similar to to S35VN, but easier to sharpen than S35VN. At least in my experience. Others will probably differ.
 
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