why do companies love using s35vn ?

S35vn is a great steel, and still relevant even after the release of magna cut. In my opinion 440c should hang up its hat if there's a steel that must "go away"
 
Jake Dawson said:
im asking because there are other steel in that price range, that we don't see as often.
you could spend 100$ on vg10 (albeit not wise) 20cv or 9Cr18M0V
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It's just the standard for midrange nice knives. It's got a great blend of characteristics and cost (mainly the result of its high production volume) that allows it to perform well as a steel for knives that are a little pricier than the baseline without introducing any peculiar quirks that interfere with its use as a daily driver steel.

It makes a knife like the Pintail a fantastic value on top of being a great knife in its own right, and it still makes sense in a great $200 framelock, even if most of us would happily pay a bit more for something more 'interesting' like 20CV or M4 or whatever.

Basically the reason it is so ubiquitous is because it's got no major shortcomings and it's generally well behaved for the machinist and the user. It's a nicer steel than the cheaper steels while also being very competitive on the cost front. I think it's fair to say that the only reasonable choice for a company is to standardize most of their knives to a steel that happens to be S35VN at the moment. A steel that's better than adequate in almost every category and has no fatal flaws, plus is the most competitively priced and easily sourced of the steels in its quality range. Kizer is making a ton of knives in various steels now, they're obviously enjoying the chance to try new things, but S35VN is still their mainstay for their standard framelock or carbon fiber liner lock, because they do good with it and it's the standard.
 
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Bob Denman said:
That depends... is she still available for late night aerobics?
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The ex-wife is a psycho with histrionic personality disorder, and the ex-girlfriend I haven't seen in ten years, but I've heard she is still married and has two kids. So basically, one is S30V with a microchipped edge and the other VG-10 with a broken tip.
 
strategy9 said:
Agree with others 2-fold.

A) it a very good well rounded knife steel that does a bit of everything well. Sure 3v is tougher, but not stainless. Sure m390 will hold an edge longer. But at peak hardness not as tough, and much harder (for avg. Joe with avg. equip) to sharpen... Sure vg10 might take a finer edge, and even be more stain resistant, (idk if it is), but again, at peak hardness also tends to be more chippy... So yeah,it's just a good all around steel for knives.

B) popularity/familiarity... developed in part by & for Chris Reeves, it has gained notoriety, and while the true 1% may be steel snobs and want badder newer alloys, or better for task specifics, or whatever, the VAST majority of consumers don't know what the letters and numbers on a knife mean, don't care, and and probably think Stellite is just some foreign word for "stainless" or "rostfrei". We knife knuts are the vast minority, most people don't know who Carpenter or Crucible or Svandik, or Bohler-Uddeholm are, don't care, and still equate Hitachi with power tools or electronics, not a steel company.
That recognizable association that has become synonymous with many "high end" knives now, (coupled with it being a decent steel, not some run of the muck pot metal), I imagine plays at least a part in it's continued use in many brands today. Supply and demand 101. To maximize profit, you sell what sells, more then you try to sell something else. (That would be sales and marketing).
I personally still like ELMAX better then S35VN,as an all around, well rounded steel, and imagine that notoriety is large in part why S35VN managed to remain popular, while ELMAX kind of became a very niche market in comparison.

So yeah, in summary, it is a very adequate, decent, well rounded steel, that has gained some noteriety and has become regularly associated with some well recognized quality brands. And while catering to us, the 1%, has some upside for producers, (think sprint runs), the 90% majority simply don't know and/or care, and the 9% in between, who aren't obsessive like we are, but do care and at least have some recognition, see S35VN and think association w/ CRK, ZT, Spartan, Medford, Hoback, or even WE and Kizer or high end Buck's, some more recognizable "high end" knives, (high end to the common folk), so it might help sell to them, whereas cts-20cv, or m390, mean about as much to a common person as say 420hc or 8cr13mov...
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great answer, thank you
 
Jake Dawson said:
im asking because there are other steel in that price range, that we don't see as often.
you could spend 100$ on vg10 (albeit not wise) 20cv or 9Cr18M0V
Click to expand...
I am wondering if you have some more details to your question.

Where are you seeing S35VN being utilized more?

The alloy is relatively balanced and when done right makes for a well-rounded knife steel.
 
I have always been more interested in the ergonomics of a knife and its handle than I am with the blade's steel. I don't care how super the blade's supersteel is if I hate the knife's handle shape or material! If I hate the knife's handle then it won't get used and at that point who cares about how tough or long the edge will last?

There have been several really good steels used in knives, BG42 is just one that comes to mind. For me I want a good all around stainless steel (I do own and used some simple carbon steels) that is easy to sharpen and holds an edge reasonably well.

I guess sometimes "good enough" is just that. Good enough.
To each their own.
 
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