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Epic_Enkidu
206
Aug 19, 2017
I'm pretty new to the knife world so I am hoping someone can answer a question for me.
What is the difference between m390 and S35VN? Would it be a big performance upgrade from s35vn to m390 for everyday use?
I have a knife in s35vn now and so far I love it. I haven't had to sharpen it, yet, and it stands up to the tasks that I need it for. If m390 is a lot better than s35vn then I will definitely get this!
PapaEmeritus
91
Aug 19, 2017
Epic_EnkiduI'd say that s35vn is tougher, but m390 holds an edge longer.
namhod
1991
Aug 20, 2017
Epic_EnkiduThe difference between S35VN and M390 is.... I don't own anything in M390 so I am no help.
This is a damn fine looking knife though. If it had some anodized hardware to make it pop I would probably jump on it immediately.
EKChens
82
Aug 24, 2017
Epic_EnkiduM390 is a better steel than S35VN. Don't get me wrong, both are excellent but M390 is the hands-down winner. Holds a better edge and is easier to sharpen (I know that sounds contradictory but it's true). I have a couple knives in each of these steels (my wallet hates me) and you really can't go wrong with either.... but if you really want the best, get the M390.
Ben78
51
Aug 24, 2017
namhodpack of commercially pure titanium filler rods , few alligator clips jug of distilled water, box of baking soda , a bit of tin foil/a metal spatula you dont mind ruining , some 9v batteries ,a plastic fly swatter with the handle removed and a receptacle to put it all in ... DIY anodizing
s4mpson
11
Oct 17, 2017
Epic_EnkiduThe short answer is "m390 is a better steel", but the long answer is... well much longer. It depends on what you need your knife blade to do, ya know the right tool for the job etc.
For everyday run-of-the-mill middle america EDC tasks both steels are generally more than you'll ever need, ever ever. In some ways they are actually kind of ridiculous for what people actually use them for and the manner in which they use their knives. The #1 overkill in my eyes is the obscene edge retention that allows you to cut 980989 miles of cardboard, 21342 ft of some size rope you'll never use (unless you sail or kidnap people), baton a goddamn tree, cut car doors off etc.
This is why: if you give a crap at all about your knives then you probably take care of them, which involves sharpening/cleaning/not using them as a pry bar etc. The insane edge retention makes it so you can have a 'working edge' for longer than you likely will ever need. If you're taking care of your knives then you're likely maintaining the edge on a daily basis, hell, on a basis of any time you actually use the knife shortly after you do maintenance on it. The best practice for ownership of a knife is basically to keep the edge near maximum sharpness at all times. I don't know too many people, who pay relatively considerable sums of money on a pocket knife, that use their nice blade, dull it down a bit then put it right back in their pocket and keep on going for the next week or so without caring about sharpness. Sure plenty of people actually do that, but I would venture to guess the overwhelming majority of them do not carry around $250+ pocketknives. They are likely going to roll with a $30 kershaw (even $30 is considered a lot by MANY people), use the hell out of it, then get another one or maybe they have some sort of ability to sharpen blades.
You could easily use 440c (or any number of other 400 series), AUS8, 1428cn, vg-10, or any whole slew of other steels and do just about 95% of the EDC tasks you will ever commence. I would actually double blind test virtually anyone with the various steels and say with near certainty that most people, even knife nerds, can't tell the difference. Mind you this is for EDC tasks, if you get into some extreme or specific tasks/tests then the ability to discern between higher and lower end steels is more apparent. Though if you push it further I would bet entire collection that virtually no one would be able to consistently and accurately tell the difference between high end steels, in double blind tests. If you nerd out and get into steel/blade metallurgy on the internet most of the people doing reviews and comparisons and tests etc say point blank they can't tell a difference for the most part, at the higher end.
Now that being said, m390 and s35vn are two that I prefer to own/use. I'm a sharpening junkie (it's bad, man) and those two steels are specifically enjoyable to hone, personally. If it came down to the same exact knife and the only difference was s35vn v m390, I wouldn't pay a huge premium for m390 over s35vn, maybe $20 at most. Even then I might not spend the extra $20 because for my use, even at the most extreme (not including sharpening), there really is no difference in utility between the two steels.
LazarusLong
210
Oct 22, 2017
s4mpsonI think it’s a great looking knife, but after several purchases of super steel knives I find myself going back to the 1095s, VG-10s, AUS8s, etc. in my collection as my user blades. I feel that a truly useful knife should be a balance of edge retention, corrosion resistance, and sharpening ease. With regards to super steel you really have to make an investment on a dedicated sharpening system and I’m a bigger fan of keeping it simple.
But I gotta admit its fun to have something that’s as close to adamantium as you can get.
s4mpson
11
Oct 23, 2017
LazarusLongI buy the knife if I like the knife, regardless of steel. I tend to not like most of the pieces made with lower end steel, unless you get into custom pieces, because in general they just aren’t up to the same quality level as production pieces with good steel.
You don’t need anything remotely close to an expensive sharpening system to hone most supersteels a stupid sharp edge. A $15 smiths two sided diamond sharpener available at Walmart can sharpen any blade material currently available on the market. There’s at least 8 billion videos and forum threads about the topic, many of them being very in depth. What it comes down to is skill level, if you can’t sharpen s35vn with the same general sharpening tools you use on aus8, then its your technique that is the problem, there are no if ands or buts about it.
I can understand a few pieces being lower end steel, but frankly once you move to quality steel as your daily user blades you don’t “go back” to aus8 or 8cr or even vg-10 (which is not that easy to sharpen). I’ve had this exact same discussion with people in real life, my experience was the people making that argument didn’t know how to sharpen and really didn’t know what a sharp knife was. I’ve tested this multiple times by taking their knife and testing it, then dulling it (realistically their blades were already what I would consider dull) handing it back to them and ask them to sharpen it. All of them handed me back a blade that I wouldn’t consider ok to carry outside of my house. All of them took a length of time I wouldn’t consider to be short/quick and all took about as long as I would to put on a very sharp edge on most supersteels. Difference being my edge was actually sharp and would stay sharp. Not to say you are like that, but I will trust my experiences for the most part.
Just today I was working in my yard and pulled out a budget blade I keep in the garage for beating on. It’s 440c and sharp as a sonofabitch. While using it I had to do maintenance sharpening relatively frequently throughout the afternoon. After a bit I pulled out one of my normal users in s35vn and that was the last time I had to sharpen anything for the rest of the day.
LazarusLong
210
Oct 23, 2017
s4mpsonI’ll take a closer look at my technique then. I have a cheapo Harbor Freight diamond grit that I don’t use that often as I like using my water stones. I’ll try it out. I actually don’t have an issue with the VG 10 but noticed that the S30V and S35vn take more time which I dislike. Everything is still sharp so I’ll have to wait.
TheOneAndOnly
16
Jan 11, 2018
s4mpsonWith the recurve on this blade will the standard diamond stones work well? Is there something that will work better than a flat diamond stone?
LazarusLong
210
Jan 11, 2018
TheOneAndOnlyI'm not an expert but I heard that sharpening rods work best on recurves.
namhod
1991
Jan 11, 2018
TheOneAndOnlyIf you have skinny stones that would work best.
Cferrer1983
79
Jan 11, 2018
s4mpsonDude, can you recommend me a sharpening system or tool to sharpen my stuff? I will own a s35vn and a M390 . I need something from Amazon or Walmart or whatever you recommend me.
namhod
1991
Jan 12, 2018
Cferrer1983You can't go wrong with one of the Lansky kits. They are a great starting point if you cant, or don't want to learn how to free hand sharpen. Things only get more expensive from there. Premium guided sharpening kits are not cheap, but if you want to spend the money. Edge Pro, KME, Wicked Edge, there are several more but their names escape me right now.
s4mpson
11
Jan 12, 2018
LazarusLongThe harbor freight multi-sided diamond block is not terrible for the price, though the grit isn't super consistent and it experiences tear out more than stones like DMT or Atoma. It will still do the job though. If you make the move to diamond, which you basically HAVE to with modern super steels, train yourself to only use lighter-moderate pressure, if you work it too hard you'll hog off material, won't keep a consistent angle and will tear the diamond right off the plates. If you're running the blade on the diamond plate, and the plate actually has diamond on it, then it's cutting.
s4mpson
11
Jan 12, 2018
TheOneAndOnlyPersonally, I despise recurves, but sharpen them I must. You can use the side of a stone or a sharpening rod, something like this: http://a.co/89CvRH0 I use rods as I primarily use diamond as my abrasive.
s4mpson
11
Jan 13, 2018
Cferrer1983I only sharpen freehand. I enjoy doing it and I find it rewarding. It's also a valuable skill from a practical standpoint as you don't need to have an entire guided sharpening system/contraption setup. All you need for hand sharpening is your 'stones' and blade, which means you can do it basically anywhere, which primarily means not at your house where the guided system is. There is nothing wrong with using a guided system, they do give fantastic edges when used correctly. Guided systems still require skill to use properly and effectively. The theory, mechanics and overall process of sharpening a blade is generally the same no matter what you use. The primary difference is that with a guided sharpener the blade is secured in place while the stone is moving; in freehand the stone is generally stationary (many sharpen with one hand on blade, one hand on stone and make continual adjustments) while the blade is the moving part. Every knife owner should be able to take a knife to a good working edge by hand sharpening, there aren't many good excuses not to. Then a combination of hand sharpening and guided sharpening.
Guided systems run from below $100 for a DMT aligner dia-fold thing or Lansky system, and it runs right up to a many hundred dollar Apex Edge pro, KME, or Wicked edge. I do not suggest going and dropping $500 on a guided system to start.. obviously. There are some knock-off type guided systems, some made overseas that work well, hell there are instructions on how to make your own as the guided system is just a fancy jig.
Go directly to a set of diamond stones as your primary abrasive, then when you get to much higher mesh/finishing stones you can use ceramic or another synthetic or natural stone - like shapton glass. In the true finishing stages stropping with compounds and/or films is how it's done. If you are sharpening high end steel like M390 you will practically NEED diamond abrasive. I use DMT dia-sharp stones (6" and 8") from xx course to xx-fine, I use spyderco ceramic stones/rods near the finishing stages, then it's diamond stropping compounds on wood and leather. Though start with some diamond stones, like course and fine and maybe a extra file spyderco rod ($14 for a the rod). Also get a beater knife you don't really care about, even if you have to buy one (don't get a walmart $3 special, get something thats workable) and practice with that because you are going to destroy it and you don't want to destroy your nice M390 or other assorted nice blades.
Cferrer1983
79
Jan 13, 2018
s4mpsonI enjoyed reading your recommendations as much as I'm now a little scared of screwing my blades haha
namhod
1991
Jan 13, 2018
Cferrer1983Don't be scared. Just practice on cheap knives. You will be fine. Also you really don't need diamond stones for "super" steels.
I would say the majority of my knives are S35VN, a couple M390. I don't have any diamond stones, and I have no issues. I use a knockoff edge pro, with gritomatic stones. Works great. I originally started hand sharpening, which I am OK at. Not good. Just OK, I have difficulty keeping the angle consistent when sharpening free hand.