Vg 10 bad edge retention?

Jason B. said:
Couldn't agree more, I'm a big fan of VG-10, I like a good sharp blade and VG-10 will take a very sharp edge. I actually avoid knives with S30V... I think it's and awful steel from a users perspective.

VG-10 does not hold a finer edge because most production knives are not that high on the hardness scale. For fine edge holding ability the blade really needs to be at its max hardness for maximum edge stability. For sharpening I really like my Shapton stones, finish to 2000 grit and give it a little stropping.
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Two other aspects I also like about VG-10 versus S30V ( or a few other steels I could mention) is that it seems to me I get much better corrosion and stain resistance with VG-10. I find that VG-10 takes a beautiful polish with FLITZ and Knorrostol commercial polishes. I also have more confidence with VG-10 in wet and cold or potentially harsh environments.

From the get-go when I got my first two S30V knives back around 2003 I was never all that impressed with it from several aspects. And like you mentioned Jason the VG-10 that Spyderco produces seems to take an edge with significantly more bite and penetration than any edge I ever got with S30V. I say that because I've only used VG-10 by only one other knife company other than Spyderco. And this comparison is coming from a guy ( myself) who does like a lot of Crucible's other blade steels. I think they have one of the best renditions of D2 I've ever used. I also like their S90V as well. And the old 440V is one of my all time favorites for Spyderedged blades.

I try to be like a baseball umpire>>> I call them the way I see them>> or the way I experience using them for that matter. But I am enjoying this thread because there is some really good information on it to be sure.
 
IMHO VG-10 from Spyderco is 5-10% better than Aus-8A from Cold Steel in edge retention. I've few knives from both steel made by Spyderco and CS.
 
I like VG10. It is my favorite of the category of 154CM, ATS-34, VG-10, and etc. I actually prefer it on day to day user knives for my pocket because it sharpens easily and takes a very sharp edge. Other steels are harder to sharpen and I have other things to do these days. (Not that I do not buy and use other steels)
 
I like VG10 when it is hard enough. I used a Fallkniven F2 to clean and remove the heads of a few whiting. The edge rolled after just a couple of fish. The upside is that it was easy to resharpen. However, I have not had this happen with harder blades in VG10. Perhaps the knife just needs a different edge geometry. I'll give this a try.
It is also possible that I didn't get rid of a wire edge when the knife was first used.
 
Prior to getting my first VG10 knife years ago, Id read sort of ho-hum reports about what some dubbed a rather mundane performance by VG10.
So I was prepared to be unimpressed, but those reviews must have been by some pretty jaded knife afficionados (note that I didnt use the term 'steel snobs' :D), because after buying several Spyderco knives in VG10 steel, Im impressed.
Yes, there is a noteworthy difference between my ZDP Spydie and the knives in VG10. Also a price difference.
My favorite Spyderco in VG10 is the Street Beat - its a slicing machine and holds an edge just fine for my needs. Talk about the cliche of being hair popping sharp.
Im certainly a believer and wish I had more Spydies in VG10.
"Kitchen knife steel only" - my furry derriere:D
 
It could be possible but highly unlikely you got a knife with a bad heat treat, Im no expert in VG-10 don't really use it much but another thing to factor in is how the edge deforms. With VG-10 the edge seems to roll over after use which is great for some uses (Kitchen, Skinning, Horticulture) because you can steel or strop it back to sharp, with some steels like s30V they deform by microchipping which a lot of users hate, but if you do a lot of slicing or outdoor use the microchipping is a good way for the knife to deform because the microchips can act as micro-serrations. Some knife steels also just simply go flat (steel used in SAK for example, pretty sure it is called Inox but not 100%) these are in my opinion the worst way to dull as it doesnt give you much advantage in any area.
 
I absolutely love Spyderco's VG10. It gets sharper than any other steel I have had- S30, S35VN, S90V, 1095, etc... It's a great steel.
 
I have conducted a study based on this. I used a VG-10 Plain edge Endura , an S35 VN Native , a S30V Military , an ATS-55 Endura , a Plain edge H1 Pacific Salt , A Serrated H1 Pacific Salt , and a 440c Spyderco Cat. They all had to cut through An old huge Carpet which my Grandmother chucked away. I know that my Study was deeply flawed since many of the blades are different in shape. But here is what l found.
In Plain edge format : The VG-10 held it's edge longer than H1 , 440c and ATS-55. But it became dull a lot faster than S35VN and S30V.
In Spyderedge format : VG-10 and H1 seemed to be neck and neck for a long time , but then VG-10 eventually got dull while H1 kept going undeterred.
That's a lot of cutting for one day and even though my test was deeply flawed , what l saw seems to correspond with conventional wisdom. One particularly interesting thing l noticed was that when VG-10 was pitted against 440C. VG-10 started out with a much finer edge than 440c , even though both of them were sharpened the same way with a lansky. But VG-10 lost got dull fairly quickly , while 440c ( while NOT razor sharp ) maintained a serviceable edge for quite a while. I hope this helps.
P.S: For the test , all the knives were newly sharpened on a lansky.
 
carbonsteelfan said:
I have conducted a study based on this. I used a VG-10 Plain edge Endura , an S35 VN Native , a S30V Military , an ATS-55 Endura , a Plain edge H1 Pacific Salt , A Serrated H1 Pacific Salt , and a 440c Spyderco Cat. They all had to cut through An old huge Carpet which my Grandmother chucked away. I know that my Study was deeply flawed since many of the blades are different in shape. But here is what l found.
In Plain edge format : The VG-10 held it's edge longer than H1 , 440c and ATS-55. But it became dull a lot faster than S35VN and S30V.
In Spyderedge format : VG-10 and H1 seemed to be neck and neck for a long time , but then VG-10 eventually got dull while H1 kept going undeterred.
That's a lot of cutting for one day and even though my test was deeply flawed , what l saw seems to correspond with conventional wisdom. One particularly interesting thing l noticed was that when VG-10 was pitted against 440C. VG-10 started out with a much finer edge than 440c , even though both of them were sharpened the same way with a lansky. But VG-10 lost got dull fairly quickly , while 440c ( while NOT razor sharp ) maintained a serviceable edge for quite a while. I hope this helps.
P.S: For the test , all the knives were newly sharpened on a lansky.
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Thanks for the data. I think next time it would be awesome if you documented your study with pictures for us. :)
 
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