3v vs 20CV

OBX351 said:
I think this would be a case for some customer service, which I have no doubt will be addressed. Guy and Elly stand behind their products. .
Click to expand...

Disagree. Knives are meant to be used and when used, this stuff happens. That's why sharpeners are made. I accidentally hit the concrete with my 3V 7/7 and took 1/8" off the tip. Never once did it cross my mind to tell Guy et al to come to my rescue because the knife should have been beyond being damage by such use.

These knives are good but they are not impervious to damage. Going to Guy and his folks for this type of stuff sets a bad precedent.
 
Well you should have because they might have been able to do something for you. They still can. Part of the premium of the knife includes the warranty which covers accidental damage. If you chose not to exercise your warranty, that's up to you.

Regarding the chip on the 3.5, my point is that S! would make it right because that's part of the warranty as well as the free lifetime sharpening that comes with the knife. I know that Guy can either resharpen it or re-edge the 3.5. It's not a big deal I've seen him do it in his old PA shop. I also know that Guy enjoys seeing his blades being used and doesn't have a problem fixing his knives.

I have over 10 S! knives and Guy has resharpened most of them at least twice, some three times. AND most of the time Guy is the one that initiated the sharpening - meaning he tells me to send them back to resharpen or that he can make them sharper. As a matter of fact I was talking to Guy about how happy I am with my 7/7 after 2+ years of use. I also told him that I was recently batoning big pieces of seasoned oak with it and that I hit a rock with the tip of the blade and I was impressed that the knife didn't chip but did create a micro fold/roll. Guy stopped me and told me to send it in for re-sharpening. I was happy to resharpen it myself but he just told me to send it back in.

For me seeing a chipped knife that I've never seen before would set a bad precedent because that tells me either the knife is potentially bad or the warranty is bad, especially with a $200+ knife. I understand your opinion, but you should reach out to S! to see for yourself what they can do to repair that knife. Especially with that 7/7 since they are so hard to replace. I love mine and would be heart broken if it chipped that bad.
 
Last edited:
I do know they resharpen for free... I perhaps thought you were suggesting a new knife.
 
Steel chips! It happens. Just sharpen it out. There are many multitudes of reasons for it. It doesnt even mean you have a bad knife. Ultimately knives are tools. Tools are meant to be used and even with the advent of Super steels, they are still chipable, rollable, dullable and rustable. Everything is a trade off. Trust me. If you arent comfortable sharpening it on your own, send it in and it will come back like it was never even chipped.
 
bladeflana said:
I do know they resharpen for free... I perhaps thought you were suggesting a new knife.
Click to expand...
Sorry if I wasn't clear in my post, I was edited it while you posted this comment. I was suggesting that Guy would either resharpen it or put a new edge on it. I agree with you sending a knife back for a chip and demanding a new one is out of scope of the warranty and unreasonable. Like Riz says, send it back and when you get it again it will be like new.
 
Honestly, I frankly think that because a lot of people say they like 3V, seems to give 20CV that "stepchild feel" like it is an inferior steel. I have a sense that if it were, Guy would not have made anything with it knowing their standards. Yeah, they have made changes as they have learned more about quality and performance and feedback, especially around DLC coatings, etc..., but I think that if they for some reason were going away from 20CV because it were inferior, then you would have to explain why they stopped making knives in M390, which is worshipped for some reason.
 
Good point Bladeflana. I just assumed that they chose M390 because of the alloy's popularity. Ten years ago the choice might have been BG-42, but in my opinion there are a number of other modern stainless alloys that could have been chosen instead, including S35VN and Elmax, but M390 is popular and worked well. I'm also assuming that they stopped using M390 simply so that they could go with the nearest equivalent American sourced alloy.
Hopefully somebody with more than just guesses can chime in. :)
 
Well, no guessing here...in light of S30V, and other "stainless" fine grain steels, I would not want a survival knife to be made of such a steel because you cannot sharpen them on most rocks; hence, the use of diamond sharpening media. Tool and similar larger grain steels make much better survival steels as they tend to be tougher (don't chip) vs edge retention. There is a trade off for all of them; hence the context of use and understanding the limits of steels is paramount.
 
bladeflana said:
Honestly, I frankly think that because a lot of people say they like 3V, seems to give 20CV that "stepchild feel" like it is an inferior steel. I have a sense that if it were, Guy would not have made anything with it knowing their standards. Yeah, they have made changes as they have learned more about quality and performance and feedback, especially around DLC coatings, etc..., but I think that if they for some reason were going away from 20CV because it were inferior, then you would have to explain why they stopped making knives in M390, which is worshipped for some reason.
Click to expand...

That's an interesting point. 20CV is a fantastic steel for what it is but for me 3v is just better. If I was in and around a boat/salt water I might change my mind about 20CV. However for where I live, mid-Atlantic, I don't care if my knives spot or even pit slightly because it's not going to rust. None of this has hasn't happened to me yet but I can clean it up if/when it does. I just care about durability, edge holding and being able to bring the edge back as quickly as possible. 3V does the first two very well and marginal on the last. 20CV is very durable and holds an edge very well but not quite as well as 3v and I found 20CV is a bit harder to bring a edge back once it has micro rolls than 3V. As I mentioned in the first post for smaller less hard use blades 20CV works great but for my 4.1 and up sized blades I just prefer 3v because it will hold an edge longer and it can be brought back faster.
 
Last edited:
3V is my all around favorite steel. There are many reputible makers that agree and have stated it is the perfect all around knife steel. I agree with them. My 3.5, necker and necker 2 are 20CV and using a spyderco stone, I have never had a problem sharpening or stropping it. It definitely loses its hair popping edge faster than 3V but they both have been excellent
 
Riz2530 said:
3V is my all around favorite steel. There are many reputible makers that agree and have stated it is the perfect all around knife steel. I agree with them. My 3.5, necker and necker 2 are 20CV and using a spyderco stone, I have never had a problem sharpening or stropping it. It definitely loses its hair popping edge faster than 3V but they both have been excellent
Click to expand...

Great to hear.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top