Civivi Damascus Blade vs. Standard Steel?

R

RazorD

Joined
May 2, 2022
Messages
18
Hello,
I was looking at a few Civivi purchases and trying to decide if I want to go with the standard steel (one has D2 and the other option has S-35). I know both knives (the Elementum and Pintail) offer a Damascus option as well. I love the look, but curious of the steel compares to the 2 options?

Thanks in advance!
 
I have Civivi Damascus and it is very good.
But I prefer their D2 over the Damascus. If you like Damascus in general you'll be happy with Civivi's version.
I have not used the S-35. I expect its very good as well. g
 
The 9Cr based Damascus performs almost identical to their 9Cr18Mov...which is to say, not bad. Their D2 is actually pretty stainless from my daily use.

I'll rank it very scientifically:
Edge retention: S35VN->D2->Dam
Toughness: S35VN->Dam->D2
Stainless: S35VN=Dam->D2
Looks: Dam->S35VN->D2

Hope this helps haha, I don't think there's a wrong choice, go with which one you like the looks of. In my experience, you see a knife more than you use it...

The S35VN elementum has one TINY trick up its sleeve, it is slightly but noticeably thinner...making it a superb slicer.
 
The Pintail absolutely rocks, I have the dark green S35VN version and it's awesome. Civivi damascus is pretty great too, but it's like top-end budget steel great, not S35VN vanilla killa great.
 
The Damascus isn’t crap, but it’s for looks. If cutting things is your primary goal, get the non- Damascus. If looks most important, get Damascus.
 
Their Damascus is made with a mixture of 9Cr18Mov and 10Cr15CoMov (a Chinese analog of VG-10). So unlike a lot of cheap "Damascus" that is just for looks, this one is actually made with decent budget steels. I picked some up but haven't used it enough to get an idea on the edge retention. If nothing else, it should easily out-cut 8Cr13Mov and other lesser steels.

Coincidentally, WE does an exceptional heat treatment on their regular 9Cr18Mov. It's already a decent budget steel but they push it to the next level. The Civivi and Sencut knives in 9Cr18Mov will often out-cut Spyderco's VG-10. It also has good corrosion resistance.

I generally avoid D2. I can carry it without issue for three seasons but once the temperature gets over 85F and the humidity is over 85%, sweat becomes a fact of life for me. Steels like 9Cr18Mov, N690, and S35VN remain low-maintenance but D2 can spot in my pocket. There is also the question of what you get for that trade-off. The edge retention on Chinese D2 never seems to match what you'd get from Benchmade or the other American companies that built the reputation that sells this steel.
 
That’s very helpful. I do live in a high humidity area in the summer. I think that leaves me the S35VN vs. Damascus which prices around the same on the pintail. Leaning to the S35VN but glad to know both options are decent.
 
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