Why is S35VN your favorite steel?

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It works for the work that I do. Sometimes, I am guilty of prying and S35VN has held up to the lateral stress without fear of me breaking the tip or chipping the edge. Yes, sometimes I’ve used the edge to wedge stuff open. It holds a good working edge, sharpening is not an issue. It can be neglected without fear of rust spots forming. And it seems like most knives are offered in S35VN or M390. I’m sure that will change with S45VN and Magnacut in the near future.
 
I don't have a "favorite steel" per se , but S35VN comes with Cold Steel's higher end folders , now .

Still some of my most favorite knives .

Seems to work fine with their HT and blade geometry etc .

Reasonably priced , well balanced steel ...at least from CS .
 
It’s one of the best, and one of my favorites, along with Elmax and of course, 20CV/M390. When I started getting into knives 5 years ago, I thought M390 was something sent from the gods. In real life it’s hard to tell the difference between S35VN/Elmax/M390. They’re all good and nowadays I consider the design of the knife much more than if it has S35VN vs. M390 etc.
 
Why? Because there's nothing wrong with it. It's a very nicely balanced alloy, and performs quite well in an all-around role. My EDC fixed blade for the last couple of years has been S35VN, it takes a good edge fairly easily, holds it acceptably well, and is tough enough for what I use an EDC knife for. I also have a White River Recondo, a Todd Begg collaboration, again in S35VN. It's the same size as the SOG Pillar, with the same design goals, the Recondo is just cooler. Mine was a blem, so I didn't get the cool box, but it also means I can use it without worrying about the collector value! It's a good tool, in a good steel, win/win.
 
I have a bunch of knives and brands in it..mostly folders but a few fixed blades. its a good all around steel from my use. I find it easier to keep sharp than s30v, but no science studies here, just my feel on it.
 
I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite, but it is one of them. I’d rather sharpen more often, and have quick touch ups as I value ease of sharpening l, corrosion resistance and toughness over edge retention and wear resistance.

Steels like aus8, vg10, H1, 154cm, s30v and S35vn I have loved, still love and prefer over stuff like m390/20cv/204p, and the new tool steels. S90v ain’t so terrible but that’s about as crazy so want to go, and I don’t currently own any. Outside of those I don’t have a problem with well done D2 or psf27, I like my old Microtech socom in D2 and my Spyderco junction and Bradley Bowie in psf27
 
Ajack60 said:
Yes, sometimes I’ve used the edge to wedge stuff open. It holds a good working edge, sharpening is not an issue. It can be neglected without fear of rust spots forming. I’m sure that will change Magnacut in the near future.
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What sort of geometry and prying?

353 said:
As Larrin said it is a good balanced steel. Why do you ask?
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The Spyderco Resilience. I have one on the way in this steel. I have liked the Tenacious in S35VN so far, but the Resilience will see much more use because of the pocket it goes in.
 
David Mary said:
What sort of geometry and prying?



The Spyderco Resilience. I have one on the way in this steel. I have liked the Tenacious in S35VN so far, but the Resilience will see much more use because of the pocket it goes in.
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For my work knives, I keep the factory edge angles and don’t thin them out. Mostly CRK’s, I’ll use a ZT every now and then, and a couple of fixed blades with FFG grinds.
I think Hinderer runs their S35VN on the high side because I’ve had edge chipping on one.
Sometimes, I’ll use a knife to separate a plastic cartridge on a brass body that some faucets come with or separate a tub face plate from the tub wall. Those are the worst things I’ll do and I’ve had other steels chip, broke the tip off one that was thin.
 
It’s a decent steel, not my favorite, but works just fine on a work knife. I find myself having to touch up my sebenzas more often though.
 
It’s a great steel but it’s certainly not my favorite.I really don’t have a favorite steel,I have several favorites.I love LC200N,3V,Cruwear,M4,Maxamet,Elmax,XHP and M390..LC200N quickly won me over a few years back when I bought my Spyderco Autonomy 2.it still amazes me to this day that LC200N is nearly as corrosion resistant as H1 yet it still happens to have edge retention comparable to S30V.my only problem with LC200N is the fact it’s not used nearly as much as I would like for it to be.the only knives I have in LC200N are Spyderco knives (the Autonomy 2,the Spydiechef and the Caribbean).I would love to see other manufacturers start using some of these steels you rarely see outside of what Spyderco releases.LC200N,REX45,Maxamet,etc are all great and deserve so much more love than they get...I like S90V and S110V but they are both a pain in the ass to sharpen.they aren’t quite as much of a nightmare as ZDP-189 but they are still quite frustrating ...while steels like A2,O1,AEB-L,N690,VG-10,14C28N,12C27,etc arent considered “super steels” I have a lot of love for these steels as well and in some cases I would rather have some of these steels than the latest and greatest.as far as I’m concerned 14C28N is an amazing steel simply because it’s about as well balanced as it gets.its usually available in Budget friendly knives (under $100),it’s pretty tough,it has fairly good edge retention,it has a nice level of corrosion resistance,it’s low maintenance and it’s quite easy to sharpen.I say 14C28N is an excellent option for stainless bushcraft,hunting,fishing and/or survival knives.its nice to not have to worry about keeping your knife oiled up at all times to prevent rust(especially if you live or spend a lot of time in environments with high humidity,near rivers,lakes,ponds,creeks and especially tropical areas near sandy beaches and massive oceans that make for a salty environment)
 
Garrett Ferrell said:
It’s a great steel but it’s certainly not my favorite.I really don’t have a favorite steel,I have several favorites.I love LC200N,3V,Cruwear,M4,Maxamet,Elmax,XHP and M390..LC200N quickly won me over a few years back when I bought my Spyderco Autonomy 2.it still amazes me to this day that LC200N is nearly as corrosion resistant as H1 yet it still happens to have edge retention comparable to S30V.my only problem with LC200N is the fact it’s not used nearly as much as I would like for it to be.the only knives I have in LC200N are Spyderco knives (the Autonomy 2,the Spydiechef and the Caribbean).I would love to see other manufacturers start using some of these steels you rarely see outside of what Spyderco releases.LC200N,REX45,Maxamet,etc are all great and deserve so much more love than they get...I like S90V and S110V but they are both a pain in the ass to sharpen.they aren’t quite as much of a nightmare as ZDP-189 but they are still quite frustrating ...while steels like A2,O1,AEB-L,N690,VG-10,14C28N,12C27,etc arent considered “super steels” I have a lot of love for these steels as well and in some cases I would rather have some of these steels than the latest and greatest.as far as I’m concerned 14C28N is an amazing steel simply because it’s about as well balanced as it gets.its usually available in Budget friendly knives (under $100),it’s pretty tough,it has fairly good edge retention,it has a nice level of corrosion resistance,it’s low maintenance and it’s quite easy to sharpen.I say 14C28N is an excellent option for stainless bushcraft,hunting,fishing and/or survival knives.its nice to not have to worry about keeping your knife oiled up at all times to prevent rust(especially if you live or spend a lot of time in environments with high humidity,near rivers,lakes,ponds,creeks and especially tropical areas near sandy beaches and massive oceans that make for a salty environment)
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Wait... ZDP is supposed to be WORSE than S90V and S110V? 😂 Boy, have I got trouble in my future.

As to the thread, all's I've got is a slab of S35VN in the form of an Espada XL. I was actually wondering about the steel myself.
It was the HYPE steel when I came onto the knife scene a year or so ago. I actually thought it was "SEVEN" steel stylized as "S3V3N", when I saw some Benchmade commercials that started advertising at me once I got into knives.
 
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