vg-10 over cpm s30v.

gine

gine

Joined
Sep 2, 2007
Messages
1,169
I 've heard some people say they like vg-10 over cpm s30v.
What would be the advandages?All I can thing of is vg-10 is easier
to sharpen what other reason would there be?
 
I have a personal theory (which I have no way of proving) that a lot of the S30V microchipping stories I have read have been the result of people sharpening that steel on abrasives which were too soft to shape the vanadium carbides, leaving an edge studded with large, hard, poorly supported carbides just waiting to be broken out when they hit resistence. I sharpen on diamond hones, and the only chipping I have seen on my S30V knives was the result of encounters with hard objects such as concrete walls and floors, which really isn't the fault of the steel. VG-10 has much less vanadium so it poses less of a problem in sharpening. I find in using the two steels (and several others) side by side that S30V sharpened on diamond hones suits my uses better than VG-10. The difference in sharpening effort is minimal, and the S30V holds its edge better.
 
I have no problems with S30V, I've never experienced any of the chipping issues that have been reported. However, in my experience I prefer VG-10 because of the slightly easier sharpening and I've been able to get it noticeably sharper. The slightly longer edge retention on the S30V doesn't matter as much to me.
 
Thanks I'll stick to vg-10 for my everyday lite users/And keep my other exotics for show and tell.:D
 
I can't seem to get S30v any sharper than VG10, and I would probably have to say VG10 is easier to sharpen in general for me. Currently, the sharpest knife I own uses VG10 steel.

I do think VG10 is probably a better choice for a heavy work steel, strictly from the point of view that it appears to be more forgiving of impacts with other hardened surfaces.

I guess in the end, if the difference in edge performance is not relatively startling, I would just as soon go with the more durable blade steel.
 
To me the VG-10 just feels sharper. Even on factory edges the VG 10 seems to feel sharper than the S30V blades which I have and I have several of each. The one exception is knife I just recently bought (non SPyderco so I won't name it here) with S30V which is scary sharp from the box. I was shocked at how sharp this little blade came from the factory.
 
yablanowitz said:
I have a personal theory (which I have no way of proving) that a lot of the S30V microchipping stories I have read have been the result of people sharpening that steel on abrasives which were too soft to shape the vanadium carbides, leaving an edge studded with large, hard, poorly supported carbides just waiting to be broken out when they hit resistence. I sharpen on diamond hones, and the only chipping I have seen on my S30V knives was the result of encounters with hard objects such as concrete walls and floors, which really isn't the fault of the steel. VG-10 has much less vanadium so it poses less of a problem in sharpening. I find in using the two steels (and several others) side by side that S30V sharpened on diamond hones suits my uses better than VG-10. The difference in sharpening effort is minimal, and the S30V holds its edge better.
Click to expand...
I think you're right about diamonds. It's been hit or miss on the Sharpmaker with my S30v blades. There's a noticeable difference in edge retention between VG10 and S30v IMO. But sometimes that uber-sharpness fades quicker than usual on my Native. After switching to diamonds for my secondary bevel, shaving sharpness is better and last longer. We've got to get Sal to get us some Boron rods for the SM.
 
The sharpests knife I own right now is my spyderco police.I put a high polished fine edge on it with my ultra fine ceramic stone on the sharpmaker.It
is nasty sharp.If I let the weight of the knife sit on a stack of news papers and pull it across it will cut through 3 sheets of paper.It's hair popping indeed.:DAnd another good example of vg-10:thumbup:
 
i was referring to larger fixed blades like falkniven with my comment on brittleness. sharpest blades i own are retouched moras. factory edges in general don't compare to a hand finished edge, if you know what you're doing.

how do we feel about stropping s30v?
 
VG-10 and other mid grade stainless are easier to get a nice polish on than S30V which also means they are easier to get a really good edge. I don't see one as better than another it is more that VG-10 has strengths in some areas and S30V has strengths in others.
I prefer VG-10 for my kitchen knives and EDC while S30V is great for knives where edge retention and toughness are the most important things.
 
My sharpest knives are in S30V, but I do like VG-10. Since we're throwing numbers and letters all over the place, I guess I'll add one or two more :D. My favorite steels before spyderco were 154CM, then D-2, and S30V. All of those were from Benchmade, relatively the same as spyderco's steel (just not as sharp as spyderco of course ;)). After my first Native (CPM S30V) from wally world, I really learned how sharp steel could be. I'd have to say that CPM S30V can become ultra fine and hold it's edge long due to the cutting edge "thinness" even after the initial edge has worn off. VG-10 however, doesn't seem to take on that ultra fine edge, but has more of a tough feel to it. It just seems like a "hard" steel while S30V is more of a "sharp" steel. Just my opinion, blade grind makes all the difference too. Full flat grind, saber grind, and all of that other stuff that makes spydercos great.
 
Magnum22 said:
i was referring to larger fixed blades like falkniven with my comment on brittleness. sharpest blades i own are retouched moras. factory edges in general don't compare to a hand finished edge, if you know what you're doing.

how do we feel about stropping s30v?
Click to expand...

I strop my S30V the same way as any other steel, I just tend to use more strokes.

My sharpest knife is my UKPK that's been thinned out at the edge a lot. I actually bought the first gilette razor I've owned in over 5 years recently and was disapointed to find it wasn't as sharp as the knife in my pocket. I compared them side by side and the UKPK gave a smoother shave, though the gilette works better because it's built for the job. I still think a straight razor is the way to go for me.

I don't know if it's just because I never use a traditional benchstone setup to apply microbevels or the materials themselves, but I get a better edge on my heavily worn fine ceramic rod than I do my DMT fine hone on S30V.

I EDC a spin and UKPK. The S30V of the UKPK will lose it's hair popping edge very quick, but then hold on to a working edge forever. That ability coupled with a very thin edge means it will cut a lot of cardboard before it absolutely must be sharpened. I use the spin on less abrasive materials and things in general that don't need any bigger of a blade, like cutting the tape of a package, opening mail or slicing open plastic wrap. Clipless in the 5th pocket, it's so flat it's difficult to notice at times. What I like about the Spins VG10 is I rarely use the rod or stone to get the edge back. If I cut some cardboard with it, the strop is generally enough to bring a decent edge back, enough to at least catch hairs about the skin. With S30V and other more wear resistant steels this doesn't work as good, some sort of stone or rod is generally needed to bring it back to that level of sharpness in my experience.
 
I've had extensive chipping issues on my Native. Both micro and rather large. It seems excessively light cutting and excessively heavy cutting cause it; I can't figure it out. Went as far as sending the knife to spyderco, but they simply recharpened it an sent it back.

I sharpen this knife on DMT diamond hones up to their 1200grit. Over the past year it has steadily but slowly improved slightly. That said, even with the micro chipping I've found the edge holds up much better than other knives I own to cutting cardboard and the like. Once it looses its initial razor edge it holds a good working edge VERY WELL. Truely a knife for the masses, in my book. But I think a finer grain steel would suit my tastes better :thumbup:


:confused:
yablanowitz said:
I have a personal theory (which I have no way of proving) that a lot of the S30V microchipping stories I have read have been the result of people sharpening that steel on abrasives which were too soft to shape the vanadium carbides, leaving an edge studded with large, hard, poorly supported carbides just waiting to be broken out when they hit resistence. I sharpen on diamond hones, and the only chipping I have seen on my S30V knives was the result of encounters with hard objects such as concrete walls and floors, which really isn't the fault of the steel. VG-10 has much less vanadium so it poses less of a problem in sharpening. I find in using the two steels (and several others) side by side that S30V sharpened on diamond hones suits my uses better than VG-10. The difference in sharpening effort is minimal, and the S30V holds its edge better.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top