Spyderco Forums

I've had a 110V Para 3 for some time now, but have not carried it much. I like my M390 and lightweight one so much haven't had room in my pocket.
So, can you tell me a little about the steel, like *Holds an edge long time, * Hard to sharpen, *Just what do you use to sharpen it, diamonds (I have diamonds), *How does compare with M390.....Note - I like shaving sharp.

It's certainly not the easiest to sharpen, but neither is it that hard, really. It tends to lose the "shaving sharp" about as quickly as most other high-carbide steels, but then retains a very respectable working edge for a long, long time.

My experience. I am sharpening with DMT Diamond and Spyderco CBN. It takes a longer time to get to a certain level of sharpness than K390. It is still very doable though, and shouldn´t take a crazy long time like hours or something. My S110V knife nicely shaves off the arms of my legs and arms, and at the same time feels aggressive on paper, toilet paper, cardboard and meat. I´ve had 3 different S90V knives from Spyderco, and I´ve had more issues with getting those sharp than the 2 S110V knives I have now. Mainly the deburring.

S110V has a large volume of carbides that makes it behave sorta like a ceramic. Without proper tools and techniques it's difficult to get S110V shaving sharp.

Ceramic S110V Photos from https://scienceofsharp.com/

S110V is one of my favourite steels for work use, primarily for its working edge retention (I cut a lot of cardboard, pallet straps, and pallet wrap at work). Not the easiest to sharpen but not the nightmare some people make it out to be, either (you just need a good set of CBN/Diamond stones, proper technique, and patience).

Its absolute screaming sharp edge retention isn't particularly outstanding for a premium high-alloy PM steel, but it holds a decent working edge for a very long time, which is what matters more for my uses. I find S110V's working edge at about 17° lasts noticeably longer than S30V, XHP, and Cru-Wear; is more or less on par with S90V, K390, and ZDP-189; and only really lags behind Maxamet.

S110V's on the lower end of the toughness scale, but I have personally had no issues with gross chipping or premature edge degradation due to microfractures, even with regular use that is probably a lot more harsh than what most people put their folders through.

It's very corrosion resistant as well, I've never seen so much as a spot of rust on any of my four S110V knives (a PM2, Native 5 LW, Manix 2, and UKPK), despite frequently using them to cut wet/frozen materials and not having time to clean/dry them immediately after use.

If you're looking for a stainless PM steel with top-tier edge retention in a Spyderco, I'd recommend S110V over S90V and 20CV/M390 (don't have a lot of experience with the latter, just basing that opinion on Larrin's testing and performance projections based on the steel's chemistry). It's more readily available in Spyderco's regular production line-up: it can be had in the Native 5, Native 5 LW, Para Military 2, Para 3, Military, Manix 2, Manix 2 LW, and UKPK models, at a lower cost than any existing S90V equivalents (most of which are either Sprint Runs or limited production dealer exclusives).

gull wing wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:40 am

I've had a 110V Para 3 for some time now, but have not carried it much. I like my M390 and lightweight one so much haven't had room in my pocket.
So, can you tell me a little about the steel, like *Holds an edge long time, * Hard to sharpen, *Just what do you use to sharpen it, diamonds (I have diamonds), *How does compare with M390.....Note - I like shaving sharp.

You don't need diamond. Water stones for example will do a good job and they will do it without the irregular, jagged scratch pattern of diamond. Honestly with brittle steels like s110v diamond isn't the best option because of the way it gouges an already brittle steel; that frayed apex is that much easier to chip with all those little, unsupported micro teeth. You'll need to go through the pastes and sprays to get that jagged edge refined so it can be more stable, or use a non diamond abrasive at that point in the sharpening process. Personally I only use diamond when I have to do serious grinding and then I finish with many passes over ceramic and generous stropping with compound to get as much of the diamond gouging out of the edge.

As for S110V, it is massively wear resistant. It has close to the corrosion resistance of 20cv but much more edge retention potential. S110V is a very serious steel, not for the faint of heart. Prepare to be frustrated if you are not already a good sharpener. You may want to invest in a jig system.

Thank you everyone.

Erich wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 03, 2023 9:54 pm

You don't need diamond. Water stones for example will do a good job and they will do it without the irregular, jagged scratch pattern of diamond. Honestly with brittle steels like s110v diamond isn't the best option

That's pretty interesting, Erich. I'm going to have to play around with some different stones. I have a substantial collection that rarely gets used nowadays, so it will be fun to experiment.