Which steel for production hunter

On a production hunter, which steel would you rather have?

  • AEBL

    Votes: 6 42.9%

  • S35VN

    Votes: 8 57.1%
  • Total voters
    14
J

Jason Fry

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jun 5, 2008
Messages
3,171
I'm about to contract a production hunter. Retail price point will be 200 with AEBL and kydex, or 225 with S35VN and leather. It'll be an either/or depending on which quote I go with.

Help me decide.
 
Both great steels but for a hunter, I'd vote S35VN + kydex.

I admit to not being a fan of leather sheaths. You would need to make sure you waterproof it inside and out and sometimes a poorly made sheath can get cut up while drawing and inserting the knife. I don't mind some kydex scratches on a blade which tends to be the biggest complaint on kydex.
 
S35Vn andleather. You can waterproof the sheath (I use SnowSeal) to prevent it from absorbing moisture.
 
jbmonkey said:
like both options about equally. think id lean toward aebl steel and kydex as a hunter and actual user.
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LOL that’s why I’m asking you guys. Indestructible Washable sheath and easy to sharpen but quality steel, or some thing a little nicer? It’s an impossible choice LOL.
 
What length "hunter" . What main actual uses ? What environment ? What is your personal toleration for maintenance ?

Without knowing any of the above , for hardest use I'd want 3V and Kydex . :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
Leather sheath, oil tanned, not vegetable tanned like most leather, with kydex insert.......
 
AEB-L if you prioritize toughness and ease of sharpening. S35vn if you want better edge retention and more stain resistance. I love both steels, but if I thought I might be hitting bone or anything that might chip the blade in use I would go with Aeb.
 
8 inch overall, Northerners might consider it a small knife, but it’s everything I’ve ever needed for whitetails down here. Honestly nothing special about the design, just a quality hunting knife. That’s the trick, what kind of customer am I looking for and what do they want. I’m trying to shoot the gap to meet the most peoples needs, not just make it how I want.
 
Jason Fry said:
LOL that’s why I’m asking you guys. Indestructible Washable sheath and easy to sharpen but quality steel, or some thing a little nicer? It’s an impossible choice LOL.
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I misread your post. I thought you were buying one..I realized afterwards you are making one to sell and looking to see what people want. im following now better.
 
If you're a knife maker and want to appeal to the "latest/greatest" trend, from what I've read recently, you should consider 3V for the toughest blade w/excellent edge retention and corrosion resistance but for "good" overall blade performance you really can't go wrong w/S30V from a cost standpoint and if you have a little more $ in your budget, you can improve on toughness, edge retention and corrosion resistance by considering S35VN or S45VN.

For normal use, S30V checks all of the boxes, especially in terms of ease of sharpening. S35/45VN aren't all that difficult to sharpen either but 3V does take it to the "next" level.

Spyderco utilizes all kinds of steels (from old school VG10 to the latest like 20CV) but they also still make alot of knives w/S30V (as does ZT) and I really don't think you can go wrong w/S30V if you are looking to make an "affordable" but long lasting and durable product for a "reasonable" price that will appeal to a broader "user" market.

S35VN or S45VN are "better" and currently sexier but the differences are marginal and there's nothing wrong w/S30V which you probably can buy in bulk plates at huge discounts from the cost of the others.
 
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Who is your customer base that you're targeting?

Middle-class occasional hunters, who can afford nicer things and like bragging rights, would go for S35VN / leather.

Older rural / small town / farmers who are occasional (but life-long) hunters might go for AEB-L / leather. But they are likely to already have a simple carbon steel knife that they like and have been using for 30 years, so won't cough up a lot of money for a fancy new knife. But someone might gift them one.

Regular hunters who process a lot of game and want to be able to keep the knife razor sharp and touch it up in the field, AEB-L / kydex.
 
S35VN at 60-61 HRC, full flat grind, not too thick nor thin. I’d want it thin behind the edge (longer cutting/skinning time), easier to get a good sharp edge in the field. Don’t have a preference on the sheath.
 
yep, entry level higher quality targeted at the Remington or Savage type Hunter. I want the customs to go to the Kimber and Cooper shooters LOL. Also affordable enough for gifting.
 
Honest truth, I have no problem making and selling custom hunters under $300. But as a hobby maker with a family and a day job, I only have so many knife making hours to give, and I would rather make more interesting pieces, so I’m trying to replace the bottom of my line up with a production model so that I can keep serving my customer base while also spending my labor on more rewarding projects.
 
So these are almost finished. Should have the samples this week and the full shipment in a few weeks.

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