Is S110V better than S30V? Well explained
Due to its degree of hardness, S110V has outstanding edge retention. It currently has the highest edge retention in the market. The higher Vanadium composition, which accounts for both hardness and edge retention, is the main reason for this. It is long-lasting due to both of these characteristics.
Crucible produced S110V, a high powder metallurgy stainless steel, in late 2005. It’s a high-carbon, high-vanadium steel with a significant amount of Niobium added, resulting in very small, extremely hard carbides.
It’s well-known for its high wear and corrosion resistance. It contains a lot of Vanadium and Niobium, and it is used in industrial knives, slitters, circular cutters, and screw elements.
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S30V
In comparison to the CPM S110V, the S30V has lower edge retention and higher toughness. S30V was created to provide extra wear resistance when durability isn’t needed.
When it comes to blade steels, one thing I notice is that the person’s skill and equipment choices are always overlooked.
It will be a tough path if you are unable to invest in the necessary equipment that the steel needs or if you lack the expertise to deal with super steels.
For most people with average equipment and skill levels, S30V is better steel to work with. The vast majority of people would find it sufficient and satisfying. For others, the more complicated S110V may be too much.
Both s110v and s30v are fantastic tools with incredible functionality. The response to which knife is better depends on the conditions in which they are being used and the heat they are exposed to.
S30v has a higher toughness rating than S110v, making it ideal for conditions where toughness is important, such as hiking and camping. Overall, both knives are excellent and have almost identical features.
Is S110V worth it?
The CPM S110V Military is a pure high-performance knife that can handle just about everything that most people can use a 4” folder for in their everyday carry.
Furthermore, it can work admirably in demanding tasks that other knives simply cannot handle. So, if you’re in the market for a high-performance knife, look no further.
The CPM S110V stainless steel from Crucible is the highest alloy stainless steel available today. It’s made of stainless steel and boasts impressive strength and toughness.
It is a very aggressive cutter with a coarse edge, and cutting with it will feel like using a hacksaw.
It does, however, take a nice edge and can get extremely sharp if you have the patience to sharpen it on a sharpening stone.
With simple tools like the Spyderco Sharpmaker or Silicon Carbide bench stones, maintaining the edge will be stress free.
Because of its high edge retention, you won’t have to sharpen it as often as other steels; instead, you’ll just need to do light touch-ups every now and then, depending on actual usage.
Before hopping on the super-steel ride, consider what you’re getting yourself into with CPM S110V. In other words, it will be more difficult to sharpen than the more traditional steels with which we are all familiar.
However, with the right tools, such as a Sharpmaker, Silicon Carbide, or even Diamonds, you can deal with it. For touch-ups, ceramics also perform well with CPM S110V.
Only keep in mind that extreme wear resistance comes at a price – and that is your time spent sharpening the stone when the time comes (and that time will always come).
Knifemakers, both experienced and amateurs, are less enthusiastic about this steel. What’s the reason? It’s a nightmare to deal with. It’s also possible that priming up the edge would drive you insane.
It’s also something you shouldn’t try with those low-cost abrasive belts. But if you do it right, this steel will hold its shape for much longer than any other steel you’ve seen, and it will withstand a lot of abuse without rolling or chipping
Is CPM S110V steel good?
Despite its low durability, a CPM S110V knife can retain an edge for so long and will be suitable for humid use (fishing, hunting, skinning, and diving…),
the S110 is a steel that provides excellent edge retention, excellent wear and corrosion resistance, high hardness, and a respectable toughness making it ideal for knives.
However, if you plan to use it for EDC as a camper or hiker, where you can use the knife in a “hard, damaging” manner, the CPM S110V may not fit you; it can break while in use, particularly at the top of the edge.
S100v excels in one area: edge retention, which lasts much longer than most steels. For starters, this steel’s higher hardness range is responsible for its edge stability. Second, it has a high vanadium content, which provides a long-lasting cutting edge.
The steel contains over 15% chromium, making it stainless and allowing it to withstand high levels of corrosion and rust. However, the s110v stainless steel knife is not entirely rust-free and will need some extra care to avoid corrosion.
Cleaning and drying the blade after each use is an easy way to do this. You can use your knife in wet conditions without fear of it rusting if you follow this basic maintenance routine.
The hardness of American steel is also strong, but not the strongest. It’s tough enough to withstand heavy use while still preventing chipping on your knife.
This is just what you’d expect from a hard steel with high anti-corrosion properties: the hardness decreases. However, you must keep in mind that this steel is expensive. This isn’t shocking for premium-grade steel produced in the United States.
Premium steels are a source of livelihood and no true knife enthusiast can turn down a knife made of one. In this regard, the CPM S110V speaks for itself and it is worth a try if you don’t mind paying more for a knife with such qualities.
Is S110V hard to sharpen?
This is one area where S110V will let you down big time. It’s a difficult job to sharpen it. This is understandable considering that it is one of the hardest steels available in the market today.
Some users say that this is the hardest steel they’ve ever attempted to sharpen, and that it won’t take a sharp edge except when using diamond stones.
However, once the steel has taken a fine edge, it will last for a long time without needing to be re-sharpened. If you don’t want to spend hours sharpening S110V, it must be maintained on a regular basis.
If it needs sharpening after three months of use, you either have unreasonable standards of the steel or your acceptable level of sharpness is much lower than mine.
S110V isn’t magical; it always gets dull after a while. Subjectively, I’d say you are fortunate if your S110V stays sharp twice as long as the S30V would.
We all use our knives for numerous activities, and as a result, we have some expectations of them. S110V, in my experience, does not retain the razor-sharp edge that many people like on their food-processing knives for very long.
If you want a razor-sharp edge, S110V may not be the steel for you. It would be preferable to use steel with a lower carbide material. S110V will get the job done if you want to rip off that old carpet.
To get the best out of high vanadium carbide steels like S110V, you’ll need abrasives that can cut and shape the vanadium carbides themselves, which leave just CBN and diamond in widely available materials.
It is better to use a row of actually shaped and sharpened carbides in your edge, not just a row of whole carbides, for optimum sharpness and edge retention (this will be okay for coarser edge types, but they simply work better when sharp.)
Other abrasives will rip through the matrix and drive the vanadium carbides out of the way, but they will be unable to refine those carbides due to their lack of hardness.
For sharpening modern steels that are resistant to conventional sharpening stones, I suggest diamond or ceramic sharpening stones.
Since diamond and alumina ceramic sharpeners are so much harder than any steel, they can cut tough steels just as easily as traditional stones can.
Diamond sharpeners are the best bet here. Diamond sharpening stones for freehand bench sharpening are available from leading brands such as DMT, EZE-LAP, and UltraSharp.
The number of alumina ceramic bench stones available is much smaller, with Spyderco having the best selection. The leading brands of affordable guided sharpeners all sell sets of diamond sharpening stones for those who prefer manual guided sharpening systems.
Alumina ceramic crock stick sharpener is a must-have for me when it comes to setting and smoothing final edge bevels.
For knife blades, I do not suggest using manual or powered (consumer-grade) pull-through knife sharpeners.
These, in my experience, have significant limitations and drawbacks, resulting in the fact that they are more likely to damage blade bevels than to produce satisfactory sharpening results.
I’ve found this to be accurate while using common steels, but I doubt they’ll perform well on super steels.