s35vn from china

[ladybug93]

i've seen almost zero reviews of the tenacious lw in s35vn online. there's only one youtube video and only a handful of posts praising it here. with the popularity of the tenacious, the many requests for a higher grade steel in the budget line, and the pending release of an upgraded resilience (implying the sales for the tenacious have been good), i'm surprised by how little we've seen on this.

i know some people here have made it well known that they love the knife, but even here, i've seen little about how the steel is performing for people. so, all of you that have it, do you find it to be as good as your other knives in s35vn? how is the heat treat?


i'm really excited for the resilience. it's one of my favorite blade shapes of all spydercos, but it's never been a serious contender against higher end knives, despite the good experience i've had with spyderco's on my current resilience. but, no joke, i've been considering multiple new knives recently and i think a pe s35vn resilience will trump them all to be the final and ultimate edc pairing to go with my sheepsfoot se caribbean.

i'm going to get it regardless of what's said here, but i thought i would ask and see if we can get more data.

[Wartstein]

....

i'm going to get it regardless of what's said here, but i thought i would ask and see if we can get more data.

I figure you will have read my posts "praising the Tenacious S35VN" since not many other seem to have one at this point

So you´ll know that I am REALLY impressed with the overall fit and finish and built quality, the perfect, rock solid linerlock and so on (I wonder if the "premium" S35VN version perhaps even gets a more thorough quality control than the 8CRMOV FRN version, since two members here mentioned that the centering was a bit of after changing the clip from tip down to tip up with the latter. Nothing like that at all with my S35VN FRN model)

Concerning the S35VN steel:
Keep in mind I am neither a steel, nor sharpening expert, but I use and sharpen my knives a lot and so I do have an "instinctive feeling" (totally non scientific of course) how a steel behaves. And so far I really like Spydercos Chinese S35VN!

- Seems to keep an edge about the same as the S30V I know, and definitely longer than something like VG10 (as it should)
- No rolling or chipping so far, and I am not gentle with the Tenacious
- Can´t say much about the sharpening response, since I can´t really use my thumb at the moment due to an injury and so I don´t like to sharpen my knives at the moment if not absolutely necessary ("no thumb" really disturbs all the unconscious sharpening skills I must have aqcuired)
- Overall the Chinese S35VN on the Tenacious feels no different to the US S35VN on the Native 5 I once had.

[ladybug93]

Concerning the S35VN steel:

thanks, wartstein! i have read your posts and know that you've been thoroughly enjoying your tenacious. thanks for sharing your thoughts here as well.

do you happen to know if this blade is swappable with the regular g10 tenacious? i'm planning on getting two more and having at least three resilience models by the time this is done...

pe s35vn with original g10
coated and full se 8cr13mov with blue lw scales
original pe 8cr13mov with black lw scales

if spyderco releases a coated s35vn blade down the road, i'll have to have that too. :)

[Wartstein]

thanks, wartstein! i have read your posts and know that you've been thoroughly enjoying your tenacious. thanks for sharing your thoughts here as well.

do you happen to know if this blade is swappable with the regular g10 tenacious? i'm planning on getting two more and having at least three resilience models by the time this is done...

pe s35vn with original g10
coated and full se 8cr13mov with blue lw scales
original pe 8cr13mov with black lw scales

if spyderco releases a coated s35vn blade down the road, i'll have to have that too. :)

Sorry, but I don´t know if the blades are swappable... this is my very first Tenacious (I was silly and snobby enough to not getting the budget 8crMOv steel - though now I am thinking about a Tenacious LW in this steel but SE. I think in SE 8cr should perform pretty well. The S35VN Tenacious unfortunately (and differently to the S35VN Resilience) only comes in PE and CE).

I really hope that the S35VN Tenacious will be available again soon and we´ll read more thoughts about it. Wonder if I just got an exceptionally well made example or if they all are just that good.

[ykspydiefan]

The data we need is.... where are they in stock? I have looked around and only see, "coming soon" or "out of stock."

[Evil D]

I can't help but I also plan to get the Resilience. My son carries a Native 5 combo edge in S35VN and he's not kind to it. I sharpened it last week and the plain edge section was beat but the serrations were in great shape so either he isn't using the serrations or they're holding up really well. (I just realized this doesn't help you at all with Chinese S35VN, sorry :o )

[Sharp Guy]

I don't have the Tenacious LW with S35VN but I do have 4 knives from China with it. It seems to be every bit as good as my Golden & Taichung made Spydercos with S35VN. I'm seriously considering getting one of the S35VN Tenacious LWs

[skeeg11]

Will definitely be getting the S35VN Resilience in PE, but would really like some real world input as to how serrated S35VN fares compared to serrated LC200N and H1. The price is so reasonable that I wouldn't mind a matching pair.

[ladybug93]

(I just realized this doesn't help you at all with Chinese S35VN, sorry :o )

haha... no worries, bro. your post is helpful as long as both behave the same.

[olywa]

It was my understanding that Spyderco shipped the S35 steel from the US to China for these knives. So this is not, in fact, Chinese S35 steel. Can someone either confirm or deny this?

[Sharp Guy]

It was my understanding that Spyderco shipped the S35 steel from the US to China for these knives. So this is not, in fact, Chinese S35 steel. Can someone either confirm or deny this?

I was under the impression that all S35VN steel was made in the US by Crucible. The big difference might be where/how it was heat treated

[ladybug93]

It was my understanding that Spyderco shipped the S35 steel from the US to China for these knives. So this is not, in fact, Chinese S35 steel. Can someone either confirm or deny this?

I was under the impression that all S35VN steel was made in the US by Crucible. The big difference might be where/how it was heat treated

yes. maybe i should've been more specific. i mentioned heat treat somewhere, but i guess it wasn't clear. when i say chinese s35vn, i mean s35vn as it's heat treated in chinese facilities that typically handle spyderco's budget line. i said before that spyderco's 8cr13mov in my resilience is better than that of other companies. i wonder if they are also doing as well with the s35vn heat treat.

[Cl1ff]

I also think it’s interesting that the s35vn Tenacious hasn’t seemed to have made such a initial “bang” of an impact, but it will mostly likely be my next purchase. Perhaps we’ll see a more stable and dawn out reception of the new Chinese knives.

[Tgmr05]

I do not believe the lw Tenacious s35vn has been released in the US, yet. It may sell quickly when it does. When initially announced I was somewhat interested, and thanks to Wartstein with his reviews and photos I will definitely try to get one.

[ladybug93]

I also think it’s interesting that the s35vn Tenacious hasn’t seemed to have made such a initial “bang” of an impact, but it will mostly likely be my next purchase. Perhaps we’ll see a more stable and dawn out reception of the new Chinese knives.

i know some people were hesitant to purchase a chinese knife in the first place and even more were hesitant to spend so much on one, but clearly enough people did or we wouldn't see it spreading to the resilience. i plan on doing my part when the resistance is released. i just wish more of the trailblazers would chime in with their experience with the tenacious.

[ladybug93]

I do not believe the lw Tenacious s35vn has been released in the US, yet. It may sell quickly when it does. When initially announced I was somewhat interested, and thanks to Wartstein with his reviews and photos I will definitely try to get one.

slicey dicey released the only youtube review out there in march.

[sal]

Hi Ladybug,

Actually Eric worked for years with the makers and the heat treaters to make this a reality. I'm sure you will be pleased with the piece.

sal

[Tgmr05]

I do not believe the lw Tenacious s35vn has been released in the US, yet. It may sell quickly when it does. When initially announced I was somewhat interested, and thanks to Wartstein with his reviews and photos I will definitely try to get one.

slicey dicey released the only youtube review out there in march.

And he mentioned white mountain knives as the supplier. Most suppliers in the US are still showing coming soon. Been a few months, has anyone else in the US been able to get one locally.. You would think we would have heard more about them, if most suppliers had stocked them. With all the shipping issues/ports/backlogs, maybe still coming.

[ladybug93]

Hi Ladybug,

Actually Eric worked for years with the makers and the heat treaters to make this a reality. I'm sure you will be pleased with the piece.

sal

i believe you. i don't really have any doubts. i was just hoping to get some more testimonials.

i haven't been this excited about any other reveal so far and i'm really looking forward to grabbing a couple more resiliences and probably my first police. you guys really made those of us that love teeth very happy with this one. :)

[Wartstein]

Hi Ladybug,

Actually Eric worked for years with the makers and the heat treaters to make this a reality. I'm sure you will be pleased with the piece.

sal

I am already! :)

But Sal, will there be a fully serrated version of the S35VN Tenacious?