I feel like the only person who likes S30V in 2017

[vivi]

Seems every other thread there's something negative said about this steel.

I really don't get it.

I understand it's not the latest, hottest steel on the market these days, and hasn't been for some years.

But when did it turn into a bad steel?

My experiences with S30V have always been good. Holds an edge well, sharpens easily enough, tough enough to not chip at the low angles I run it, takes a nice edge and doesn't rust easily. Works well with either polished or course edge finishes.

I've always felt it was a very balanced steel similar to VG10, though it trades a bit of ease of sharpening for a bit of edge holding IMO.

There has never been a time I've passed on a knife because it was offered in "only" S30V.

In fact the DLC coated S30V blades Spyderco offers on the Military, Para 2 & 3, Manix XL etc. is one of my favorite configurations for a knife. It gives me essentially a rust proof blade with superior edge holding to PE H1.

[Larry_Mott]

You're not alone.. Funny thing is, a lot of users here wouldn't let their dogs pee on 420HC but my Buck 110 still cuts everything i need it to. So by that rationale i will probably get tired of S30V within the next 25 years or so :D

[Whitetail addict]

I enjoy s30v, I have lots of s30v knives in my rotation but it too vanilla sometimes. There are definitely steel I like more.

[SG89]

vanilla is nice but so is variety. out of all the spydercos i have owned prob less than 5 were s30v and less than 15 vg10. variety is the spice of life

[abbazaba]

Spyderco spoils us with choice for sure. I agree that it's all about variety, not that S30v is bad.

[gingerninja]

There are other steels that I prefer but I dont have any problems either using or buying more s30v blades.

[vilePossum]

For me it was a phase... sure getting spoiled by manufacturers doesn't help either, but lately I have come to appreciate vg10, n690 and the likes again... only place where I would really want a steel upgrade is for my Victorinox main blades..

[Peter1960]

But when did it turn into a bad steel?

Bad? Why do you think so?

Yes, there are a lot of voices praising other more exotic steels (do they run with the pack? :rolleyes: ) and I guess those people will also praise other steels in +10 years or so, as they feel the never ending need for something new.

I for my person still enjoy ATS-34, also a super steel some years ago and used on the pricey original Michael Walker Carbon model. Even if someone will response this steel isn't able to cut an apple, I will negate it, as I know it better. :p

[TomAiello]

I actually like VG-10 more than s30v, even though most people consider it less "premium".

I think VG-10 is easier for me to get super sharp quickly. It loses that edge faster, but I like to for knives I am going to sharpen frequently (kitchen knives might be a good example).

Which leaves me with no real place for s30v. If I want better edge holding than VG-10 (which I frequently do) I'd rather step all the way up to something hard to sharpen but with a lot better edge holding (s110v works for stainless in that way, but I've mostly found myself going to Maxamet and K390 for this).

All of which leaves me with no real place in my real-world use cases for s30v. I either go with "easy to sharpen to a razor edge" (VG-10) or "harder to sharpen but holds the edge longer (Maxamet, K390 of s110v).

[Evil D]

I can't say I dislike it, I just don't love it. In fact I'd say I prefer VG10 over it despite the fact that S30V should hold an edge longer. It works fine as an everyday steel, it just doesn't really excel at anything, and is ultimately outshined by a vast number of other available steels that aren't necessarily more difficult to sharpen or maintain. My biggest gripe is that it loses high level sharpness practically immediately, and while working edges are important, there's nothing wrong with preferring a steel that holds that "just sharpened" feel a little longer. It is by all means an excellent steel, we are just all spoiled. S30V along with VG10 won't stop me from buying a knife that I like, but I will absolutely buy other steels over it when I can.

[JimP]

I've always pondered the sometimes very strong opinions of different steels, for my own opinions I concluded that it often came down to sharpening equipment and skill, I can now sharpen any steel I own but that was not always the case, the large variances I saw in performance generally came down to how well I could sharpen a particular steel and not the steel itself....

Now days, with little time or inclination for mucking around with sharpening, I stick with steels that allow me to use a quick and simple sharpening method that gets me to my chosen level of sharpness in the shortest amount of time, S30V is not one of those steels so I tend to avoid it.

[Evil D]

I've always pondered the sometimes very strong opinions of different steels..

Information, or rather being informed (not to be confused with having actual knowledge of something) can be a double edged sword. The internet has ruined a lot of hobbies and people by "informing them" of what is good/better/best. Look at the car world for example, and you have people scoffing at 400 horsepower as if it isn't worth their time, but I wonder how many of those people have actually driven a car with that much power. Most hobbies develop to a point of being jaded about what is perceived to be lesser quality/performance/worth, but it's all relative to the individual and their own experiences. The problem we have today is that experience is being "earned" from watching You Tube and reading forums, and then opinions are developed based on what people watch and read as opposed to actually doing for themselves. Sharing information and experiences is a good thing up until people start to take them as their own and then spread it around to everyone else, then you end up with a weird type of informed ignorance that is all too often mistaken for fact.

[ZrowsN1s]

I said it somewhere before but it bears repeating. If you try to buy a knife from Not-Spyderco you will be LUCKY to get a steel as nice as S30V from them. VG-10 and S30V are such nicer steels than the base or even premium steel (154cm for a lot of companies) of other companies it is a little silly we ever complain about them....

Having said that there are 2 reasons I occasionally deride these fine steels.

#1 I buy spyderco, and they offer better steel than S30V. I like to get the best I can get. At Spyderco, that is not S30V. Given the choice between S30V, S90V, S110V, Maxamet, Cruwear, M4, ZDP-189, Hap 40, Super Blue.... S30V gets overshadowed.

#2 Variety. Since spyderco uses S30V as a base steel, a lot of us already have a few blades in S30V. When you combine this with the points I made about it being overshadowed by newer steels, you can understand why people aren't clamoring for more S30V when they've already got 3 of them and want to try some of that "new steel" they've heard so much about.

I will end by saying that S30V is a great steel. The next knife I buy is going to have S30V (the CS wharndelica). Speaking of variety, this knife will give me an opportunity to try S30V full flat ground on thin blade stock. All of my other S30V knives run on the thick side, it will be interesting to see how much blade geometry effects performance.

[wrdwrght]

My only problem with S30V is its abundance in my collection (my Sages alone give me five S30V blades).

It's an excellent steel, as is VG10. Knowing how these two perform in my uses, I've simply become more new-steel-curious than new-model-curious. That's probably why I now have seven different PM2s.

The Police4 was both a new steel and a new model for me so I was especially keen to get it, but I'm hardly less keen to get the Shaman in "lowly" S30V.

[foofie]

Agree with most of what has been said. If s30v is fine, then s110v is finer :D.

Let me approach it this way - I don't really need another knife. Got everything more than covered. Since I still keep buying new ones though, it is awfully nice to have a different steel as an additional selling point. Case in point - I waited for the cruwear para3 before trying that platform. Nothing wrong with the regular s30v para3 - but I would rather have the cruwear.

[SF Native]

I recently counted the number of different steels in my collection. It’s 25. S30v is well represented. It’s a really good balanced steel. It’s not so great for thin edges as they tend to chip. But for most of my purchases, s30v doesn’t hold me back.

[bearfacedkiller]

I like it. There are others I like more but there certainly isn't anything wrong with S30V.

[The Mastiff]

I'm still more than fine with both S30V and Vg 10. I just have more than a couple of lifetimes worth of knives sitting here in those steels so it has to be a pretty special offering before I buy more. They have always worked fine for me though.

Joe

[SpeedHoles]

Probably not the only person.
Spyderco seems to be producing a ton of new models, selling a lot of new knives, all in S30V... And also now sending S30V to Japan for production blades there as well.


Just keep in mind that on this forum we are among a small cross-section group of users and owners who have multiples of multiples of models all across the range and timeline. Blade steel options and comparison is a big part of the draw to becoming a Spyderco fan and afi. No other brand/company is as diverse as Spyderco, nor as willing to listen to us fans and willing to try out new steels or suggestions!

[Sharp Guy]

Hanging around all you folks has me trying and enjoying a variety of different steels. Lately I've been favoring HAP40 and Cruwear but the truth is, steels like S30V and S35VN suit my needs just fine. They're all around good performers and I could be quite content if I only had those.