What's Your Experience with Spyderco's S90V

Riz!

Riz!

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May 5, 2014
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So I picked up the KW S90V/Ti/CF exclusive. This is my first S90V blade. I have no experience with it and was curious what everyone has found with real world use/performance of Spyderco's S90V?

My knife came with a shaving, but toothy edge that grabbed hairs but felt a little rough. It refined very easily on a stroppe and is still toothy but is EXTREMELY sharp. It whittles hairs. Ive used it for basic EDC stuff and some food prep and it seems to be quite good. The feel of the cut is different when compared to my 204P Millie which is extremely smooth and refined. Cutting grapes for my daughter I noticed that the 204P resists the intitial cut of the skin (just pushing, no slicing) but then flies through with no resistance. The S90V cuts the grape with just the push and then zips through with no resistance. I picture a microscopic serrated edge.
 
I've got the same one and its the best buy of 2017! honestly if anyone is on the fence with this one, jump on it! well worth it, you won't be disappointed (if you don't mind larger knifes (it carries like a small knife tbo)).

I've cut lots of cardboard already without issues. just slices through like butta. the edge is still sharp as balls and still have factory edge which is a little bit of a course grind... and that's fine by me until it needs sharpening.

its my first s90v from spyderco. and I've only used it for about a week sofar.

i know a lot of folks will be collect these but I say use it, its a great user knife.
 
Mo2,

I agree with your remarks about the S90V Military.

Does anyone know what rockwell hardness Spyderco runs their S90V?


For those that read this thread, my intent is to discuss the performance of S90V itself and not just the new Millie.

I would love to hear about people's experiences, positive or negative, any and all models welcome as long as they are S90V blades.
 
it seems to just slide over the fine stones on my sharpmaker with little to no sharpening effect. no science here just my feel on it.
 
Good timing on this thread for this steel.
I too have been drawn to this steel alloy of late; I am curious but have no knife with S90V yet.
I would probably get a 940? or what ever with it for my first.

PS: I supose most of what we need to know is over in Ankerson's tests but perhaps not the whole story. For instance I'm not prepared to walk away from ZDP-189 but if I were to just look at those tests I probably would have . Curious.
 
Not saying anything negative about the Military.
Agree it is a great knife that carries small in the pocket. It is just that I have to be very discreet about carrying such a long blade here.
 
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I think it is a psychological thing. How can a big knife carry small in the pocket? A big folder will carry big in the pocket, and that is exactly why I like the millie - It looks big, feels big, and indeed is big no matter what.
 
It's still a relatively slim knife being on the lighter side despite the fact that it is a long and a very stout folder, so it doesn't feel like a pocket anchor unlike some other big and bulky folders.
 
sharp_edge said:
I think it is a psychological thing. How can a big knife carry small in the pocket? A big folder will carry big in the pocket, and that is exactly why I like the millie - It looks big, feels big, and indeed is big no matter what.
Click to expand...

How ? Oh that's easy . . . carry a Griptillian and then carry the Miliie. Even though the Grip is smaller shorter (probably lighter) it will seem larger/in the way.

Want a real eye opener ? Carry a Buck 110 in your pocket, clip mod or no clip mod. You will be looking for a hand truck and a guy to wheel it for you.

Another example in the opposite extreme is the Cold Steel Holdout 1 freekin' close to six inch blade but I don't even notice it in my pocket walking around all day at work. How many other knives with a blade that long and an even longer handle that is generously long in comparison to the blade length can you say that about?

Part of how both companies pulls this off is the handle is not only thin but does not have full liners so they are very light.

Generally I am am a fat handle kind of guy (in more ways than one hahaha) so I love the Griptillian and other folding knives with over the top full handles but I carry them in a pouch.

Example given my custom Urban Trapper. This thing would be a pocket hog so I didn't even consider putting a pocket clip on it.

Super performer though.
(and we rest our case)


 
Some long knives carry slim? Sure (like zt 0452cf). Do they carry small? Not according to my feeling. Try to sit down with a ZT 0452 in my right front pocket, it sure does not carry small. Full size griptulian might feel fattier than Military, but in the pocket it still feels smaller than the latter.
 
And another thing.
He said like a man who has had another thought twenty minutes after everyone has gone home from the party.

Just in case you don’t think there is a significant difference in size. The two on right (modded Trapper and the 110) are pocket hogs . . . the white elephant in the room as it were . . . and the one on the left (Holdout 1) is the epitome of walking softly and carrying a big stick.

. . .'sides it cuts up my cinnamon roll, the hard way.


Yah it's a little burnt; I'm not happy unless there are some smoldering embers.
 
sharp_edge said:
Some long knives carry slim? Sure (like zt 0452cf). Do they carry small? Not according to my feeling. Try to sit down with a ZT 0452 in my right front pocket, it sure does not carry small. Full size griptulian might feel fattier than Military, but in the pocket it still feels smaller than the latter.
Click to expand...

I've sat around all day , on and off the couch with a Millie M4 in my pocket (non strong side) and the UK PK in my strong side, talking to you lunk heads and don't even notice they are there or a difference until I put my hands in my pockets when I stand up and even then I can get to stuff in my pockets fine.
Maybe your pants are too tight ?
:) :D :) :) :D
 
I've been carrying one Military or another in my right back pocket for about a decade now, and I never even notice it. But back to the intended topic, I carried and used the H___ out of a CF/S90V Military for a few years. It was my main work knife, my beater, the one that got used for every nasty job that came along. Cardboard? Pfft, try drywall, particle board, OSB, old dirty carpet...that thing took it all. Yes, I sharpened it a lot, and eventually retired the blade after the second time I had to thin it out (I have an M4 blade in that handle now) but I love S90V. I didn't have any major chipping issues, and the edge would last about twice as long as anything else I'd tried up to that time. Now I'm toting the S110V Military and saving change for when they put Maxamet in it.
 
drywall, particle board, OSB, old dirty carpet...that thing took it all. Yes, I sharpened it a lot

As far as sharpening S90V
What seemed best to use ? Is diamond a must or what ?
 
Wowbagger said:
drywall, particle board, OSB, old dirty carpet...that thing took it all. Yes, I sharpened it a lot

As far as sharpening S90V
What seemed best to use ? Is diamond a must or what ?
Click to expand...
I've used ceramic in the past with good results for touch ups. a $3 smiths ceramic stone is decent for a touch up, then strop. diamonds (expensive) or Norton crystolon (affordable) for reprofiling. you can use other stones but it may take longer.
 
I have carried a pair of two-sided DMT Diafolds in my back pocket beside the Military for years. Other types of stones should work, but the diamond hones always work on any steel, and these go anywhere I do, so I can repair whatever damage I've done any time.
 
Riz! said:
The feel of the cut is different when compared to my 204P Millie which is extremely smooth and refined. [...]The S90V cuts the grape with just the push and then zips through with no resistance. I picture a microscopic serrated edge.
Click to expand...
Same experience here. My M390 Millie seems to enjoy a highly polished mirror edge, while S90V performs at it's best with a 'microscopic serrated' type of edge.

Spyderco's S90V has been the ultimate steel for me so far (as in a 'best buy' kind of thing), might still remain - depending on further experience with S110V (got my blurple Millie only a couple of months back so I have yet to develop an exhaustive opinion), and pending the launch (fingers crossed) of a Maxamet Millie.

* playing with these while anxiously waiting for my KW exclusive Millie to arrive *

20170212_131128_crop_zpsnfmnhkfc.jpg
 
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S90V in my experience hasn't been super hard to keep sharp with frequent touchups on ceramic and diamond stones. The steel tends to like a toothy edge to cut well due to its large carbide structures. I personally keep mine about 600 grit with a light polish from strops/ultra fine stone which tends to last for a few months before needing a touchup. It's hard to get razor sharp and reprofile in a short sharpening session but it works excellently for a working blade.
 
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