Anyone used or made a knife with this steel? On paper (Crucible's web site) it looks much better than S30V but must have some serious downside like sharpening ability.

Is harder to sharpen, is EXPENSIVE and can be brittle if not HT'd to a reasonable hardness (like RC 59-60).

S60V (440V) was a wonderful balance between S30V and S90V and had terrific resistance to salt water corrosion. I really hated to see that one dropped from their product line.

Mike:

Looking at Admiral's site, I note that S90V is roughly 30% more than S30V.

FYI Admiral has 17 pounds of S60V 5/32-1/8 in 1 or 1 or 1 1/2 widths left for sale as a package for $150.

quote:

Originally posted by mstarling:
Is harder to sharpen, is EXPENSIVE and can be brittle if not HT'd to a reasonable hardness (like RC 59-60).

S60V (440V) was a wonderful balance between S30V and S90V and had terrific resistance to salt water corrosion. I really hated to see that one dropped from their product line.

Mike,

I had originally thought that S30V was identical to 440V. I have some of the older 440V in house.
What is the difference in chemistry between 30V, 60V and 90V?
Thanks,

Don

Even tho I'm not Mike, it is my understanding that 440V is the same as S60V. 420V is S90V.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
Even tho I'm not Mike, it is my understanding that 440V is the same as S60V. 420V is S90V.

Thanks for the info.
Vanadium sure adds to edge holding, wear resistance. My kids and I have been using 440V knives for several years and like it.

Don

Sorry, haven't checked in for a couple of days. Yup ... 440V is S60V and 420V is S90V.

The vanadium forms carbide cystals that you feel as increased sharpness. It is very noticeable. Blades just feel sharper! The increasing carbon tends to impact the difficulty in sharpening though this is not the only contributor by any means. Especially with S60V and S90V it is very easy to get blades very hard during HT (RC 63-65).

S-90v is good stuff but I'll have to agree about S-60V, It's my favorite of the three. S-60V(440V) is about the best Keen-edge holding steel other than ZDP-189 IMHO...................DJ

I haven't tried S60 but I have experience grinding blades from S30 and S90.

These steels developed a poor reputation in some circles due to edge chipping (excessive hardness). Dropping a couple of RC points eliminates chipping but maintains exellent blade qualities.

They temper at relatively low temps. A maker that gets away with heavy grinding on heat treated blades of ATS-34 could lose the temper or hardness on S30-90 if they dont keep it cool.

I routinely cut into bone and hard wood with both steels without chipping the blades. Both present some challenges when sharpening but are not a major issue if you use diamond stones. They are all capable of hair flinging edges.
I use S90 for skinners and S30 for heavy duty use.

Corrosion resistance is superb and was superior to my ATS-34 blades when used in SE Alaska.

The negative aspects in my opinion-
More expensive
More difficult to grind/sharpen
Virtually impossible to mirror polish

Positives-
Great edge holding
Decent toughness
Great corrosion resistance

S30 C 1.45, Cr 14.0, Va 4.0, Mo 2.0
S60 C 2.15, Cr 17.0, Va 5.5, Mo 0.4
S90 C 2.30, Cr 14.0, Va 9.0, Mo 1.0

S30 is available in more choices and is easier to find. I consider it the best all purpose blade steel. (when a mirror finish isn't required)


Scott.

I just received a Buck Vanguard fixed blade in S30V that has their TiAN coating. This knife is one of the Cabelas Alaskan Series. The heat treating is by Bos.

I am very impressed after my initial inspection. I am looking forward to hunting with it this year.

jim

If anyone knows how to HT S30V under inert gas conditions it is Paul Bos. BUT ... he'll do it to the specs required by the customer. If it's good give due credit to Paul. If it's too hard and chippy ... "credit" goes to the guys who set the spec.

While I'm a general admirer of Spyderco, I find their S30V to be a bit chippy. My examples seem to have a strong tendency to lose the last fractional inch off their points, and I'm not talking about using them as screwdrivers. I'm not sure when it happens, possibly during sharpening on a sharpmaker. However, the edge is still good and holds up well to skinning with that kind of "aggressive" slicing action I like.

Paul Bos heat treated my blades.
Can't say enough good about that man.
Blades come back straight too.

S90V is good for smaller blades (for folders), where higher toughness is not the key. It is more expensive than S30V and it is really harder to work with it, so overall price is much higher.

I belive the really good steel between S30V and S90V is Bohler M390 and its licensed copy "Duratech 20CV" by Timken Latrobe.

M390:

C: 1.9
Si: 0.7
Mn: 0.3
Cr: 20.00
Mo: 1.00
V: 4.00
W: 0.60

But if you want the best combination of wear resistance and toughness, go with Bohler K390, K890, ASP 2005 or ASP 2053.

For example, ASP 2005 is more wear resistant and tougher at higher hardness than famous CPM-3V (Fehrman knives etc.)

Jiri

I will take 01 or D2 over all the above.. but thats just my 2 cents and it probably is not worth that. You have to care for them but why buy something you are not interested in taking care of..