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S35VN for Bushcraft
- Thread starter MatthewSB
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I don't understand the question ... what exactly is your concern?
Sorry I didn't make it very clear.
I have S35vn knives that I've used for light chores - taking down boxes, making fuzz sticks, and similar.
My "hard use" knives have been made from A2 or 3V. I have a lot of respect for those steels, earned in the woods splitting branches into kindling and such. Even my tough A2 has had the edge roll and chip when pushed too far, which was entirely my fault.
I guess I have the impression that S35vn won't be as tough, and I'm afraid of finding out what it can't do the hard way.
I searched and searched and had difficulty finding reviews on fixed blade knives made from S35VN and used hard.
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Gossman Knives
Edged Toolmaker
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- Apr 9, 2004
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You shouldn't need to worry. S35VN has a toughness about equal to O1. I've beat on knives in this steel with no issues. All depends on if it is properly heat treated and tempered.
Scott
Scott
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And ground for this kind of use. I personally wouldn't worry about the steel but the grind from Bark River. They tend to grind on the too thin side for rougher use. This being their flagship rough use model though, I wouldn't worry about it.
Gossman Knives
Edged Toolmaker
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This bowie is CPM S35VN. I split that pile of wood with this knife.
Scott
Scott
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- Mar 19, 2001
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- 3,157
A couple of months ago a buddy was asking me what made my knife worth more than his. My "knife guy" lingo seemed to be lost on him, so I hammered (with a framing hammer) my SnG (S30V, reported to be a tad less tough than S35VN) cross grain through a 2x4. Not a scratch on the blade, still sliced a thin receipt i had in my pocket. I said "your turn!" He said "You win." It was dumb but it was fun!
Mistwalker
Gold Member
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- Dec 22, 2007
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I can only speak for myself and my personal experiences, and I only have a couple of knives made of CPM S35VN. Neither are what would be considered bushcraft knives, but I have managed to use them in such tasks, and much harder ones, and I haven't had any issues with toughness so far.
Spartan Knives: Spartan/Harsey Hunter
This knife has done a lot, from whittling, cutting, and skinning, to splitting kindling at a vacation cabin where the fire wood was provided but no kindling and no ax and I didn't bring one, and on opening tin cans and puncturing a fuel tank repeatedly. Hasn't had any tip failures and no serious damage to the edge.
The Spartan hunter was the primary fixed blade I carried while working in the gator infested swamps of south Florida last summer, conducting personal experiments, and doing reconnaissance for locations future experiments and studies. The knife handled all tasks I asked of it, and it spent a lot of time exposed to salt and brackish water, and very high humidity, and it showed great results in corrosion resistance. The Hunter is now in the Everglades with a friend who is there working drug interdiction, and has been for about a year, and so far he is just as happy with it as I was, it is the knife he carries and uses daily.
I actually wanted a more complex design for future trips into such a dynamic area. I wanted one that was more of a survival knife with diverse capabilities. I had been keeping an eye on Newt Martin's work and really liked what he was doing. I did some testing one of the production versions of his Apparo design, and Boker did a great job with it, but I really wanted something with a 6 inch blade, and CPM S35VN after previous experiences. So I talked to Newt and got in on the early phases of testing a new design. After putting it through some serious paces it is the knife I will be taking on the next trip...though I admit I have been wistfully thinking about a larger version of the same knife.
I have been so impressed with the work I have seen done in S35VN so far that I ordered a small neck Knife from Chris Liv made of it for a back up on the next trip south. I'm liking the CPM S35VN a lot.
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Spartan Knives: Spartan/Harsey Hunter
This knife has done a lot, from whittling, cutting, and skinning, to splitting kindling at a vacation cabin where the fire wood was provided but no kindling and no ax and I didn't bring one, and on opening tin cans and puncturing a fuel tank repeatedly. Hasn't had any tip failures and no serious damage to the edge.
The Spartan hunter was the primary fixed blade I carried while working in the gator infested swamps of south Florida last summer, conducting personal experiments, and doing reconnaissance for locations future experiments and studies. The knife handled all tasks I asked of it, and it spent a lot of time exposed to salt and brackish water, and very high humidity, and it showed great results in corrosion resistance. The Hunter is now in the Everglades with a friend who is there working drug interdiction, and has been for about a year, and so far he is just as happy with it as I was, it is the knife he carries and uses daily.
I actually wanted a more complex design for future trips into such a dynamic area. I wanted one that was more of a survival knife with diverse capabilities. I had been keeping an eye on Newt Martin's work and really liked what he was doing. I did some testing one of the production versions of his Apparo design, and Boker did a great job with it, but I really wanted something with a 6 inch blade, and CPM S35VN after previous experiences. So I talked to Newt and got in on the early phases of testing a new design. After putting it through some serious paces it is the knife I will be taking on the next trip...though I admit I have been wistfully thinking about a larger version of the same knife.
I have been so impressed with the work I have seen done in S35VN so far that I ordered a small neck Knife from Chris Liv made of it for a back up on the next trip south. I'm liking the CPM S35VN a lot.
.
Wow Mistwalker, great pictures and thanks for sharing your experience!
I got the knife, but haven't gotten a chance to test it yet because I was waiting on a shipment of kydex to come in. Always impressed with Bark River's ability to turn lowly canvas micarta into a thing of beauty.
I did carve up a turkey with the S35vn Bravo 1, but my wife rubbed butter and sage (and freaking bacon!!!!) under the skin so the turkey was so moist I could have done it with a fork.
Made a sheath last night, but I'm not completely happy with it so I think I'll redo it tonight or this weekend.
I got the knife, but haven't gotten a chance to test it yet because I was waiting on a shipment of kydex to come in. Always impressed with Bark River's ability to turn lowly canvas micarta into a thing of beauty.
I did carve up a turkey with the S35vn Bravo 1, but my wife rubbed butter and sage (and freaking bacon!!!!) under the skin so the turkey was so moist I could have done it with a fork.
Made a sheath last night, but I'm not completely happy with it so I think I'll redo it tonight or this weekend.
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I'm a big fan of S30V and S35VN. It's my go-to steel for stainless steel. It might not be as tough as A2 or 3V but it's plenty tough enough and I think it has the right balance of edge holding and toughness for the vast majority of knives. What I like the most about S35VN is it seems to hold a working edge longer than steels like 154CM and D2.
Hey mistwalker, I put your knife in the mail this morning.
Hey mistwalker, I put your knife in the mail this morning.
Mistwalker
Gold Member
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- Dec 22, 2007
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- 18,958
No worries man, I hope you enjoy the knife. I am really liking the S35VN a lot. Sheath making is hit and miss with me too. Sometimes I like the first one I make, sometimes it takes making three to finally be happy.
Thanks, and I really love it too. Great knife, I love the blade profile, Bill Harsey did an amazing job on the grinds, the grip and ergonomics are phenomenal, and it has shown to be really tough. As soon as Jimmy told me where he was relocating to I put it in the mail to him, it's the perfect knife for his job and that environment. We were just talking last night about how much he uses it, how well it is doing, and how much he likes it.
I'm a big fan of S30V and S35VN. It's my go-to steel for stainless steel. It might not be as tough as A2 or 3V but it's plenty tough enough and I think it has the right balance of edge holding and toughness for the vast majority of knives. What I like the most about S35VN is it seems to hold a working edge longer than steels like 154CM and D2.
Hey mistwalker, I put your knife in the mail this morning.
View attachment 339713
This has been my experience too, along with VERY good corrosion resistance.
That's awesome Chris! And the sheath looks perfect!
Just to update this thread, I've been using the S35VN Bravo 1 almost exclusively for exploring, hiking, kayaking, canoeing, camping, and general woods bumming.
What I've learned is that there is more to a knife than just the steel used, it's the thickness and grind and whatever else. After using the super stainless and experiencing very little compromise between fantastic edge retention and a total lack of a need for concern about corrosion, I don't think I'll ever go for a high carbon steel again if I can help it.
I also learned that S35VN is way easier to sharpen than some of the other super stainless steels, kind of a "sweet spot" that explains why Chris Reeve, Spartan, and other makers of top shelf user knives use it over more exotic steels.
I'm about to put it away (I finally got a Harsey Hunter, that I've been wanting badly since Mistwalker's post in this thread, that will be at my side for at least a while) but the S35VN Bravo 1 is a great knife that I highly recommend to anyone looking for an extremely tough, rust resistant fixed blade that takes up very little space on a belt or in a 'pack and is a great cutter.
What I've learned is that there is more to a knife than just the steel used, it's the thickness and grind and whatever else. After using the super stainless and experiencing very little compromise between fantastic edge retention and a total lack of a need for concern about corrosion, I don't think I'll ever go for a high carbon steel again if I can help it.
I also learned that S35VN is way easier to sharpen than some of the other super stainless steels, kind of a "sweet spot" that explains why Chris Reeve, Spartan, and other makers of top shelf user knives use it over more exotic steels.
I'm about to put it away (I finally got a Harsey Hunter, that I've been wanting badly since Mistwalker's post in this thread, that will be at my side for at least a while) but the S35VN Bravo 1 is a great knife that I highly recommend to anyone looking for an extremely tough, rust resistant fixed blade that takes up very little space on a belt or in a 'pack and is a great cutter.
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- Nov 9, 2012
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S35VN is probably the first stainless steel I've ever actually liked.
Normally, I don't care about a knife being "stainless" at all (and yes, my knives get wet all the time). An honest patina doesn't bother me, and none of my carbon steel knives have rusted with proper care.
That said, the thing I'm liking most about S35VN is that it takes an excellent, fine edge for a SS and holds it well, while still being a relatively easy edge to maintain in the field with occasional stropping. I would put it on par with 3V for sharpening difficulty, which isn't bad once you get the hang of it, and stay ahead of it and don't wait until the knife is truly dull.
And FWIW, I have a Bravo LT (though in 3V). I don't find the grind too thin for real-world use at all. It's a stout convex grind with plenty of steel behind the edge for anything I'm realistically going to be using a field knife for.
Normally, I don't care about a knife being "stainless" at all (and yes, my knives get wet all the time). An honest patina doesn't bother me, and none of my carbon steel knives have rusted with proper care.
That said, the thing I'm liking most about S35VN is that it takes an excellent, fine edge for a SS and holds it well, while still being a relatively easy edge to maintain in the field with occasional stropping. I would put it on par with 3V for sharpening difficulty, which isn't bad once you get the hang of it, and stay ahead of it and don't wait until the knife is truly dull.
And FWIW, I have a Bravo LT (though in 3V). I don't find the grind too thin for real-world use at all. It's a stout convex grind with plenty of steel behind the edge for anything I'm realistically going to be using a field knife for.
Thanks for the long term update! It's always interesting to see a report after a length of time has elapsed. I have shied away from S35VN because I've had a lot of bad experience with S30V, but it sounds like a good steel, I'll keep my eyes open for it in the future. Good luck with your Harsey!