Edge retention, and steel variances knife to knife.

[tps3443]

I’d love to hear everyone’s opinion or thoughts on this. First of all, my first Spydercos were both in S110V. And I moved over to a PM2 in S30V expecting just an OK knife.


I feel like my PM2 in S30V holds a razor sharp edge as long or longer than my PM2 in S110V ever did.



I am really wondering why this S30V is performing so well. I guess what I am getting at is, a PM2 in S110V was a totally different knife vs a Military in S110V. Even though the steels were the same, they performed much different as far as edge retention goes. And this S30V doesn’t seem much far behind my PM2 in S110V.

[Bloke]

Not too sure I can add much other than to say in the Short Term I can’t tell the difference in performance between S30V and S110V and agree that S30V seems to hold its initial sharpness better than S110V … the way I sharpen anyhow and how we sharpen will certainly impact edge retention.

For what it’s worth my most used folder is an S30V Military and I’ve never found it lacking in any way for my needs with an edge straight off medium SharpMaker rods.

S30V seems to get bashed for some strange reason but I for one find it to be a very well balanced steel. :)

[jpm2]

Generally, in my experience, the higher the carbide content, the longer the sharpness lasts.... whether fine or coarse edge holding.
Very different from what I commonly hear.

[Doc Dan]

Are the knives sharpened the same, to the same angles, etc?

[tps3443]

I guess I just underestimated S30V. This is the first time ever using it. Maybe there’s just way to much hype surrounding super steels. And I too also believed from reading on the internet that S30V was just a industry standard steel at best. But really it seems to be more than enough for cutting things up.

[The Mastiff]

And I too also believed from reading on the internet that S30V was just a industry standard steel at best

S30V was one of the first true super steels . It hasn't gotten worse over the years. Still , unless you have edges set up the same way with the same measurements I'd guess much of the differences noted is from that.

[ZrowsN1s]

S30V is actually a great steel. If you're looking for that 'best all around steel for edc', there's a reason S30V is used in so many knives.

Steels like S110V offer something different. It has pluses and minuses. Some love it, some hate it. Razor edge holding, I would expect S110V to do a little better than S30V. Where S110V shines though is working edge retention, in particular coarse edge retention. It will cut cardboard and rope for days with a 600grit edge (because of high carbide volume) it will hold those little saw teeth. If you're looking for that high polish edge retention, maybe ZDP-189, K390, Maxamet, Rex-45, Hap-40.

As for the difference between the Millie and the PM2, could be the behind the edge thickness is different, edge geometry is different, the heat treat/hardness might be a little different between the 2 models. A combination of these factors...

[Pelagic]

S110V is very finicky from a freehand sharpening standpoint. Great steel to learn on. If you can sharpen s110v freehand to a very high sharpness at various grit finishes, you're probably capable of sharpening any knife. In my experience it doesn't hold an extremely fine edge very long. I sharpen it coarse and view it as a specialized stainless slicer. The working edge holding is phenomenal. If you're ever in a situation where you won't have an opportunity to sharpen your knife for a long time and just need it to keep cutting, it will. It won't hold hair whittling or even hair shaving sharpness for a long time, but once it gets to the point where it can no longer shave but still has some bite. It's like the energizer bunny at that sharpness. I really think s30v would suit 99% of knife owners better than s110v. But it's probably closer to 50/50 amongst the knife community. I'm not sure why s110v seems to lose that fine edge the way it does. And strangely, sometimes it will keep it like longer than usual. I haven't eliminated the possibility of me making a mistake in sharpening, but I've been sharpening for decades and have about 3 years of experience with this steel, so I'm pretty sure I have it down. Every sharpening is an experiment, just seemingly more so with s110v. S30V is an excellent blade steel. Being well rounded is obviously a great quality. It's just that being well rounded isn't exciting. The most well rounded soccer player won't have the most goals, the most well rounded fighter won't have the most KO's, the most well rounded automobile won't win the most races, etc. Us "knife" people usually have 1-2 qualities we really look for in a blade steel (which will vary from model to model) and s30v isn't outstanding in any column. But I think even those who refuse to buy models in s30v will still tell you it's a great steel.