Why the craze over sv30 ?

I think it's going to be hard for a lot of people to notice a difference between any of the super steels. Someone may find their ATS-34 blade holds an edge longer than their s30v blade. However, this could be because of the blade grind, the heat treat, the way it was sharpened, how it was used, etc. There # of variables are endless. Unless you have a knife made from each of the various steels, all with the exact same blade shape, grind, etc. All with the perfect heat treat for that type of steel, and all sharpened exactly the same way, and then using them all exactly the same. Only then would you have a clearer picture of how they hold up against each other.

If someone has a Spyderco with s30v with a 30 degree edge and compares that against another knife with ATS-34, BG-42, etc with a 40 degree edge, then the knife with the 30 degree edge may dull faster.

I put my own edge on a Doug Ritter grip with s30v steel, hacked through a piece of wood, talking hundreds of chops, and afterwards it would still shave hair off my arm. While the wood was pine I was still satisfied with the results. I normally don't chop through blocks of wood, so for my everday tasks of cutting open a letter, a package, etc, the edge should hold up for along time between sharpenings.
 
In the large scheme of things, non of the stainless steels are overly tough. If you want the toughest knife possible the use of any stainless steel is a contradition, no matter who makes that knife or how the steel is heat treated. That is a simple fact. Steels like S5, S7 achieve easily a three times higher impact rating than the toughest stainless steels (at the same hardness of course). Even A2 is much tougher than S30V or BG-42. As a matter of fact, the differences between the better stainless steels are pretty marginal in comparison. Also, I am under the impression that it is very difficult if not impossible to differentially heat treat stainless steels (hard edge, spring tempered spine), but I am not a knifemaker. INFI is not stainless by the way, nor is SR101.

But having said that, the question really is: How tough is tough enough. I have my doubts that you are able to break a well made and correctly heat treated 7" knife out of 1/4" S30V stock...unless you insist on using a hammer on it. (I don't think that cinderblock are a) a sensible test, b) such a tough challenge) Of course edge and blade geometry play a huge role in this. Even S30V is capable of carving a piece of steel out of an anvil being hammered (tapped rather than full swing blows) on the spine. At the same time S30V has many benefits: To begin with, it is stainless. If you are really crawling through the mud "in combat" I don't know if you would really want to have a knife that isn't stainless (a personal decision I would figure). Also, the new high end stainless steels tend to have a higher abrasion resistance, which, at the same hardness, tend to give them greater edgeholding than HC steels, even though the "modern" HC steels (like S3V, M2, M4) have come to rival the the highly alloyed SS steels in that regard.

But in response to your title question. I think S30V is a great steel for all but the big choppers, good corrosion resistance, good edgeholding, personally I have never seen chipping in the edge either. And in the big choppers I wasn't aware that there is a S30V craze?
 
Maybe instead of saying "combat rated" it would be better to say "Impact resistant"? As in you dont want a blade that will shatter with hard impacts, or accidental rock impacts. The ability to pry mostly depends on stock thickness, unless you are hammering on the blade while you are prying. So get a high Carbon Tool Steel for hard use and be happy.

Mall ninja- It originally referred to mall security officers sporting 100 lb. belts full of gagetry, but now it is a generic term used for people who buy a bunch of uber-tactical gear to look at, or because they think it will make them more badass. IMO Mercworx is close to Dork ops for catering to these uber-ninja. Just their name alone suggests that they are knives for Mercenaries. The mispelling of "works", with an "X" makes me think that they are marketing to kids who miss their GI-Joes. I am sure they have some quality products, but they have a stupid name.
 
Thanks to all of you. I really apreciate your efforts providing great info.
I must choose my words carefully next time.
 
I could be wrong but I think BG42 heat treats to a harder state than any other American made stainless steel. So edge holding would be better than for S30V. It is also common to heat treat 154CM to a harder state than S30V - not a lot but a little. The impression I get from knifemakers is that they like S30V tempered to a somewhat softer level to improve toughness. I think you can probably heat treat it over RC60 if that's your desire but I think it works better a little softer. Don't judge a knife blade solely on its ability to hold an edge. There is more to it than that.

I think S30V is excellent. I have used it in everything from a small pocket knife to a Chef knife and find that it competes with most of the best cutlery stainless steels from around the world. It is even more corrosion resistant that some like VG-10 and ATS-34.

I couldn't tell you what combat rated means nor could I tell you why anybody would care.
 
Best luck with steel that I've had has been D-2 in a Cuda Maxx and s30v in both a Lone Wolf T2 and a Wegner Pro Hunter. D-2 in an AFCK did not hold an edge well, could be a heat treat issue.

I really think that the s30v gives a longer lasting edge compared to the earlier generation of knife steels... you can sharpen it really fine but its tough enough that the fine edge lasts and lasts...

Especially on that T2... daily use doesn't seem to dull that thing... its a Y2K miracle knife! :D
 
I think S30V has a lot of things going for it when compared to other steels. S30 takes a fine edge and will hold it longer than many other steels. I've found S30V to be fairly easy to resharpen, but I have never let my S30V knives get that dull. S30V takes and holds a better edge than my 440V, ATS34, 154CM and VG10 knives. I've found that D2 heat treated high on the RC scale seems to perform a lot like S30V.
 
Tantrumtado, I think you're just getting some gentle ribbing for your abuse of the english language. The conventional defination of combat, as far as military purposes, is an active endevor to kill or maim the enemy, and destroy opponent's property. Survival situations, per military defination, is an effort to escape and evade capture when in enemy-controlled territory.

We can of course, have any number of difficult situations stateside, some of which may be described as extreme, but it's not really appropriate to describe any of them as combat, per se. Even if one is forced into an altercation and is forced to use one's knives to negotiate a settlement to said altercation, these circumstances do not approach the level of ongoing intensity and danger of actual combat.

From your description of intended use and preparedness, perhaps an Ontario machete or 'cane cutter' may be the appropriate tool for you to consider.

As far as Ninjas' involvement, I believe the reference is to a certain posture, where an actor has confused him/herself to be an operator.
 
"Combat rated" aside, it is my opinion that one of the big reasons some companies use S30V is that it is the "in" steel. This steel is talked and written about a lot, and companies want to take advantage of all the press.
 
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