Why I'm starting to really love s30v

[Surfingringo]

I wasn't completely sold on this steel to begin with. I had trouble getting it to what I thought was "maximum sharpness". Well, along the way and thanks to the advice of some on here I've discovered just how sharp s30v will get with a somewhat coarse, toothy edge. I can get my spydercos in s30v to whittle hairs off the brown stones on the sharpmaker.

So here's why I am starting to appreciate the steel. Umm...I doubt anyone on here can relate, but I can get a tiny bit obsessive about sharpening. Seriously, I have started to look like a crazy man, sharpening and resharpening, cutting paper, toilet paper, napkins and coffee filters...that's all after I ran out of hair! So yeah, I can get a little OCD. What I am learning to appreciate about s30v is that it likes a good ole fashioned working edge. 1-2 minutes on the brown stones and BAM, I've got a toothy hair popping edge. And the best part is, I have found that if I keep running it through the grits and trying to refine it then it actually starts to lose some of its bite. Knowing that kind of keeps me from going nutty trying to get the perfect edge! Anyone else have similar experience?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I wasn't completely sold on this steel to begin with. I had trouble getting it to what I thought was "maximum sharpness". Well, along the way and thanks to the advice of some on here I've discovered just how sharp s30v will get with a somewhat coarse, toothy edge. I can get my spydercos in s30v to whittle hairs off the brown stones on the sharpmaker.

So here's why I am starting to appreciate the steel. Umm...I doubt anyone on here can relate, but I can get a tiny bit obsessive about sharpening. Seriously, I have started to look like a crazy man, sharpening and resharpening, cutting paper, toilet paper, napkins and coffee filters...that's all after I ran out of hair! So yeah, I can get a little OCD. What I am learning to appreciate about s30v is that it likes a good ole fashioned working edge. 1-2 minutes on the brown stones and BAM, I've got a toothy hair popping edge. And the best part is, I have found that if I keep running it through the grits and trying to refine it then it actually starts to lose some of its bite. Knowing that kind of keeps me from going nutty trying to get the perfect edge! Anyone else have similar experience?

This is what I've also come to learn (exactly), about S30V. A diamond hone in the ballpark of DMT's 'Fine' (600 mesh/25 micron) or maybe even their 'Coarse' (325 mesh/45 micron) also gets it in shape very quickly and conveniently. I suspect that's what the original creators had in mind for it, when it was touted as taking and holding a great 'utility edge'. Attempting to take it too much further in edge finish seems counter-productive. I think I finally understand that, so I don't sweat or fret over it anymore.


David

 

[Surfingringo]

This is what I've also come to learn (exactly), about S30V. A diamond hone in the ballpark of DMT's 'Fine' (600 mesh/25 micron) or maybe even their 'Coarse' (325 mesh/45 micron) also gets it in shape very quickly and conveniently. I suspect that's what the original creators had in mind for it, when it was touted as taking and holding a great 'utility edge'. Attempting to take it too much further in edge finish seems counter-productive. I think I finally understand that, so I don't sweat or fret over it anymore.


David

Exactly. That's what keeps me out of OCD land! . Half of the quest in sharpening for me is to discover where the reasonable limits for any given steel/knife are. I find that s30v's "reasonable limit" is easily attained and maintained. And don't misinterpret "reasonable limit" as "mediocre edge". I find that Spyderco's s30v comes off of a medium grit stone with an EXTREMELY sharp and aggressive edge! Loving it!

 

[HoosierQ]

This is what I've also come to learn (exactly), about S30V. A diamond hone in the ballpark of DMT's 'Fine' (600 mesh/25 micron) or maybe even their 'Coarse' (325 mesh/45 micron) also gets it in shape very quickly and conveniently. I suspect that's what the original creators had in mind for it, when it was touted as taking and holding a great 'utility edge'. Attempting to take it too much further in edge finish seems counter-productive. I think I finally understand that, so I don't sweat or fret over it anymore.


David

So David...do you care to strop s30v? I have only the green compound which I believe is 6000 grit or so.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

So David...do you care to strop s30v? I have only the green compound which I believe is 6000 grit or so.

That's something else I've found kind of unique about S30V. At least with the examples I have (Kershaw and ZT, Chris Reeve, among others), they don't need much burr cleanup after honing, so I haven't developed much of a stropping habit with the steel. I first tried to use green compound on a ZT-0350 that I'd re-profiled and polished, but it seemed pretty ineffective on the steel. I'm sure diamond compound would've made a difference. But, since figuring out how well the steel does straight off a diamond hone, I haven't felt the need to do much stropping, aside from just cleaning up loose debris along the edge. I might still re-visit this with some 6, 3 and 1-micron DMT Dia-Paste I've got, just to see what else it can add.


David

 

[cchu518]

I've come to that conclusion. And also about sharpening in general. I was getting to the point. Where I would sharpen a knife, get it to zing through a piece of paper. BUT!!! Then I would have to sharpen it all over again, because I had just zinged it through a piece of paper! What the heck, was I doing to myself!!!

So I finally did the experiment, I would sharpen until I thought the edge was sharp but couldn't pop hair. Then I would try it out on opening a box, cutting fruit, rope, i.e. actual real life cutting stuff and the blade worked awesome. The whole sharpening thing I think was one of those zen things to me, in trying to get a mastery of something that is a life long skill. So I just had to let the compulsion go in the end. And "settle" for a toothy edge sometimes.

Turns out that a toothy edge stays sharp a heck of a lot longer than a really thinned out blade edge!

 

[Surfingringo]

That's something else I've found kind of unique about S30V. At least with the examples I have (Kershaw and ZT, Chris Reeve, among others), they don't need much burr cleanup after honing, so I haven't developed much of a stropping habit with the steel. I first tried to use green compound on a ZT-0350 that I'd re-profiled and polished, but it seemed pretty ineffective on the steel. I'm sure diamond compound would've made a difference. But, since figuring out how well the steel does straight off a diamond hone, I haven't felt the need to do much stropping, aside from just cleaning up loose debris along the edge. I might still re-visit this with some 6, 3 and 1-micron DMT Dia-Paste I've got, just to see what else it can add.


David

I'm with you on that one david. If it ain't broke don't fix it! . I have two workhorses that I have figured out how to put a hair popping edge on with very minimal effort. One is my pacific salt in serrated h1, and the other is my s30v military. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing with those two and try not to complicate it. K.I.S.S. .

 

[Surfingringo]

I've come to that conclusion. And also about sharpening in general. I was getting to the point. Where I would sharpen a knife, get it to zing through a piece of paper. BUT!!! Then I would have to sharpen it all over again, because I had just zinged it through a piece of paper! What the heck, was I doing to myself!!!

So I finally did the experiment, I would sharpen until I thought the edge was sharp but couldn't pop hair. Then I would try it out on opening a box, cutting fruit, rope, i.e. actual real life cutting stuff and the blade worked awesome. The whole sharpening thing I think was one of those zen things to me, in trying to get a mastery of something that is a life long skill. So I just had to let the compulsion go in the end. And "settle" for a toothy edge sometimes.

Turns out that a toothy edge stays sharp a heck of a lot longer than a really thinned out blade edge!

Thanks for chiming in cchu! So I'm not the only one. I feel slightly less insane now! Hehe.

Actually I don't think all of that obsession is wasted time. It is practice, and it is an exploration of limits. But I'm getting a little weary and the idea of being able to quickly get a knife "sharp enough" is starting to look very appealing.