We are bored with S30V

P2P

P2P

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There is no doubt in my mind that bladeforums is the best knife community out there. From what I can gather, there seems to be a consensus that we are bored to death with S30V. Disagree? If not, then what is the next standard? S35VN? I would imagine it has to be something cost effective.

I would love the new Spyderco Brower, but S30V? Just ruined it for me. Maybe we’re just along for the ride, here’s to 10 more years of S30V!
 
I think Benchmade does S30V pretty damn well all things considered. I do prefer my CRK S35VN to BM's S30V, but that's two different manufacturers. I think S30VN is more consistent across the board, but I think S35VN can be done a little better potentially I guess. S30V seems pretty decent across the board from everyone. I have very limited experience with ZT, but I've seen a good bit of people talk about ZT's S35VN being really poor in edge retention and very prone to roles.
S30V isn't my favorite, but I guess I'd rather have a good ole BM S30V blade than a reportedly bad S35VN. But like I said, very limited personal experience with ZT. I have used CRK's S35VN as much as any other pocket knife steel and really enjoy their heat treat/geometry in general.
 
I definately agree that S30V is kind of an anti-selling point for me in terms of whether or not I'm attracted to buying a new Spyderco model or any model that's pretty pricey. I definitely can't disagree with BM using it on the Bugout or companies using it on less expensive offerings. S30V is good stuff honestly.
 
What Sergeua said. I know I've stated it plenty of times before, if Spyderco released some of their S30V models in XHP I'd have a whole lot less money and whole lot more knives. I'm really hoping that'll become the new baseline for production knives.
 
I ain't bored of it at all.
It works.

None of my knives in S30V had the supposed chipping issues, no matter how abusively I used them.
They don't rust easily, or burst into flames when they come into contact with Holy Water...who knows how a new steel will react to that! :D
 
Yep, agree. S30V is a turnoff, especially once you're past 120$, and if companies offered more 20CV, M4, K390 etc I'd have a lot less money :D Heck I think I'd even take LC200N over S30V
But all that said, there still are way worse steels for just as much or even more(all these 300+$ knives in 14C28N... Why...)
 
I agree with OP especially the 10-more-year-cheer part: It's not industry standards or companies honing in on a steel or 'works good enough for me', it's overstocked warehouses full of s30v. I could be completely wrong.

If a knife is s30v, I pass. Just me though each has their preference of course.
 
Mo2 said:
I think some of you need to get over the s30v hate. best mass produced steel for the average knife. if you want special then buy sprint runs.
Click to expand...

This. S30V becoming a base standard in production knives is a good thing. It’s becoming more widespread in knives that are $75-$200 pushes higher end knives toward better materials.

And if you want a popular model in something more exotic, sprint runs and dealer exclusives are there, you just have to put a modicum of effort into looking for what you want.

That people complain and bitch about this really blows my mind. Right now the state of knifemaking and steel diversity is higher than at any other point in history. And yet people still find a way to sulk and whine about it.
 
I don't care. Like... At all. I tend to avoid "super steels" just because I don't want to take the plunge and have to buy sharpening equipment for the extremely wear resistant steels. I also just plain prefer a steel I can sharpen easily. VG-10 and 154cm are about as wild as I could ever really need for my uses.
I do have a couple of S30v knives, and I do like it. It's totally overkill for me, and if I could have gotten the knife in a "lower end" steel, I likely would have opted to do so. That said, my C&C exclusive Buck 722 in s30v is pretty sweet, so figure. Nothing consistent at all with my opinion.
 
I like S30V just fine. Holds a great edge. Inexpensive. I've had zero chipping incidents. Great corrosion resistance.

Are there better steels out there? Sure. But there are plenty of worse ones too.

IMO , S30V is a tried and true classic that still holds it's own.
 
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When I first got into knives, steel choice was one of my main concerns buying a knife. It's really not that big of a deal to me anymore. I tend to prefer some steels, but product design, edge geometry, blade thickness, and the company that I'm buying from are so much more important to me. If I broke down cardboard all day, steel choice would make a much bigger difference to me.
S30V has certainly prevented me from buying some knives, but I think some people get a little too hung up on steel. I'd rather have an S30V blade that cuts than a monstrously thick 20CV wedge for slicing. But yeah, there a definitely things I prefer to S30V. It is one of the least excited steels IMO but it does work pretty damn well.
 
To some it's a classic, to others it's just some old junk...(clearly exaggerating, but you get the point)
What bothers me is when great designs are hurt by steel choice. For example White River Knives: absolutely superb as far as manufacturing goes, but if you take the edge down to get the most performance out of it and it starts chipping, it's just unfortunate. Sure you could just take a wider angle, but then it feels like a sportscar with a gas pedal that goes only half the way
 
Also, I think we have to realize that such a small portion of the general knife buying community is active on knife forums and such. Sure, you can research steels and get a good understanding of them pretty quick and easily, but S30V has kind of been marketed and widely used by so many companies as THE knife steel. People without a ton of knowledge can probably register S30V as a major bonus without needed to research a steel.
 
Meh, I don't typically buy knives in the price range of most s30v blades anymore. My tastes are more costly :rolleyes: and I rarely see it on blades above 300. That said I'm good with it and 154cm as long as they aren't left super soft. My current knfe has BECUT steel and I quite like it. Both sharpening and use.

I think mid range knives need a decent steel and s30v fits the bill just fine.
 
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