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I'm looking for firsthand advice on the performance of S110V. I have a MULE S110V but I haven't used it yet (deer knife)

I'm planning on ordering a new Manix 2 work knofe today to replace my Endura I sold to a buddy that wanted to try one out. I'm not sure if I should go with the S110V or regular G10 S30V because a lot of reviews and "tests" I've read on the LW manix are very mixed, some say it's a phenomenal blade steel and others rate it lower than S35VN by a long shot. I'm wondering if people who have bad results with it just aren't sharpening it correctly since it's not an easy steel to reprofile from what I understand.

I like the lightness of the S110V model, want to try the FRCP (I love Spyderco FRN) and a huge advantage is the wire clip, the one thing that keeps the Manix and XL from being my very favorite folder is the clip position and how it rides in pocket. All of the qualities of the LW S110V are normally enough to push me over the edge and buy it but the steel reviews worry me a bit, especially since I'm not a master sharpener. I'm very familiar with S30V and that's about the only upside to the basic model M2.

Manix 2 S110V owners (and past owners), what's the verdict? Help me decide!

I have a M2 in S110V and I think it is great all around. But truth be told, I have heard anecdotal evidence that it can chip under hard use and I do not use a folder for hard use and I have no fixed blades in S110V so I can't really comment about that.

It's fine, the fears of it being fragile are overstated, you'd likely notice no difference durability wise. That being said. It's a nightmare to sharpen.

Don't take the edge angle toooo low and it's a fantastic steel. It is a nightmare to sharpen so unless you're really good at it or have a great sharpening system for reprofiling, maybe consider a different steel version. BD-1 is also excellent, it will sharpen and dull more quickly but it's a good all-around steel.

dubya3 wrote:I'm looking for firsthand advice on the performance of S110V. I have a MULE S110V but I haven't used it yet (deer knife)

I'm planning on ordering a new Manix 2 work knofe today to replace my Endura I sold to a buddy that wanted to try one out. I'm not sure if I should go with the S110V or regular G10 S30V because a lot of reviews and "tests" I've read on the LW manix are very mixed, some say it's a phenomenal blade steel and others rate it lower than S35VN by a long shot. I'm wondering if people who have bad results with it just aren't sharpening it correctly since it's not an easy steel to reprofile from what I understand.

I like the lightness of the S110V model, want to try the FRCP (I love Spyderco FRN) and a huge advantage is the wire clip, the one thing that keeps the Manix and XL from being my very favorite folder is the clip position and how it rides in pocket. All of the qualities of the LW S110V are normally enough to push me over the edge and buy it but the steel reviews worry me a bit, especially since I'm not a master sharpener. I'm very familiar with S30V and that's about the only upside to the basic model M2.

Manix 2 S110V owners (and past owners), what's the verdict? Help me decide!

It's not really that bad to sharpen if you have good equipment and don't overthink it, A Sharpmaker will work fine for normal touch ups and maintenance. Now if you want to reprofile it and you don't have one of the better systems like an Edge Pro or Wicked Edge you might have some issues.

But as long as you match the factory bevels you should have no problems in general if you are using ceramics, diamonds or Silicon Carbide. it can be touched up quickly on a loaded strop with no problem generally.

I went ahead and ordered one shortly after posting. I don't cut a lot of hard materials with my folders so I'm not too worried about chipping although in my MULE I'm afraid I may hit a few deer ribs while cleaning one out.

I have a basic sharp maker and am fine touching my blades up and my buddy just told me about a local guy that'll sharpen any blade for $6 and supposedly does awesome work so that may be a good option if it's needed.

Thanks for the input, I think I read some over critical reviews on the steel from one or two guys that aren't exactly super knowledgeable on its properties.

dubya3 wrote:I went ahead and ordered one shortly after posting. I don't cut a lot of hard materials with my folders so I'm not too worried about chipping although in my MULE I'm afraid I may hit a few deer ribs while cleaning one out.

I have a basic sharp maker and am fine touching my blades up and my buddy just told me about a local guy that'll sharpen any blade for $6 and supposedly does awesome work so that may be a good option if it's needed.

Thanks for the input, I think I read some over critical reviews on the steel from one or two guys that aren't exactly super knowledgeable on its properties.

Wouldn't worry too much about the Mule Team, they are right at 60 HRC so it will more likely roll before it chips.

I doubt you will have any issues unless you try and pop out hip joints or pound it through the sternum.

Speaking of all of the above wonder what would happen if I actually attempted to pound s110v through the deer antler

sbaker345 wrote:Speaking of all of the above wonder what would happen if I actually attempted to pound s110v through the deer antler

Depends on how much you like your knife. LOL

The blade will snap more than likely.

sbaker345 wrote:Speaking of all of the above wonder what would happen if I actually attempted to pound s110v through the deer antler

You will likely break it. I am all for the aggressive testing you do but part of the trick to that is creating tests that will cause edge failure without actually destroying the knife. I think pounding through deer antler would likely be overdoing it. It's up to you though...it's your knife and I will happily look at the pictures. Come to think of it, I haven't had a chance to tell anyone "I told you so" in almost 24 hours...so go for it.

It's probably my favorite steel so far out of everything I've used. I don't fear the extra time it takes to sharpen it because when I need it to keep a working edge for long periods of time nothing else I've used comes close. Rule #1 on sharpening steels like this is don't let them get dull in the first place and you won't have to labor over sharpening them.

If a blade with thickness at 0.125" up from edge is at least 0.035" thick, then easier to baton through because antler will crack apart from wedging. Use wooden log or hammer to baton, don't use metal object. Baton with grain through a highly twisted wood is much more challenging.

sbaker345 wrote:Speaking of all of the above wonder what would happen if I actually attempted to pound s110v through the deer antler

sbaker345 wrote:Speaking of all of the above wonder what would happen if I actually attempted to pound s110v through the deer antler

I'd echo Jim and Lance on this, but thought I'd share the following thread as well, in case you haven't seen it (baton and prying):

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=63822" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dubya,

I've also gotten to the point in my sharpening where I pretty much agree with Jim on s110v and similar steels. Not too bad when working an existing bevel with appropriate abrasives and technique, but it can be a real chore if one or both of those are out of whack. Trust me, I know, lol...

Also, I would only approach the $6 sharpening guy with extreme caution!! He may be great, but I've read quite a few horror stories along those lines over the years.

Nate wrote:

sbaker345 wrote:Speaking of all of the above wonder what would happen if I actually attempted to pound s110v through the deer antler

I'd echo Jim and Lance on this, but thought I'd share the following thread as well, in case you haven't seen it (baton and prying):

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=63822" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dubya,

I've also gotten to the point in my sharpening where I pretty much agree with Jim on s110v and similar steels. Not too bad when working an existing bevel with appropriate abrasives and technique, but it can be a real chore if one or both of those are out of whack. Trust me, I know, lol...

Also, I would only approach the $6 sharpening guy with extreme caution!! He may be great, but I've read quite a few horror stories along those lines over the years.

He torqued the knife, That will do it with a hard steel. And it was almost a joke really, I'm not concerned about the blade breaking so much as the breaking the handle or causing blade play. It would take some hard hits, and I suspect it would more or less dull to where it would not cut, and I would have to hit it hard enough that either the antler or the blade broke.

sbaker345 wrote: He torqued the knife, That will do it with a hard steel. And it was almost a joke really, I'm not concerned about the blade breaking so much as the breaking the handle or causing blade play. It would take some hard hits, and I suspect it would more or less dull to where it would not cut, and I would have to hit it hard enough that either the antler or the blade broke.

For sure. Just thought you might be interested if hadn't seen the thread before. There's a vid somewhere of a guy successfully batoning with a South Fork. I wouldn't do it though...

Nate wrote:

sbaker345 wrote: He torqued the knife, That will do it with a hard steel. And it was almost a joke really, I'm not concerned about the blade breaking so much as the breaking the handle or causing blade play. It would take some hard hits, and I suspect it would more or less dull to where it would not cut, and I would have to hit it hard enough that either the antler or the blade broke.

For sure. Just thought you might be interested if hadn't seen the thread before. There's a vid somewhere of a guy successfully batoning with a South Fork. I wouldn't do it though...

I hope you mean spyderco southfork and not phil wilson... :eek: I

Yes, I should have clarified that :D

Speaking of Phil Wilson, I'm almost embarrassed by how ignorant I was when I started it, but here is a quote from Phil about A-11 class steels from a thread* I started about the Spyderco South Fork before I bought mine.

"I always say do not pry or chop with my blades but cut and slice all day. These steels are not designed for high impact resistance and are inherently weak in torsion, especially at very thin sections."

While I'm sure "brittle" is a technically accurate descriptor for this class of steels, I think it can be interpreted the wrong way, conjuring up visions of peanut brittle and fragile panes of glass. I like the way Phil puts it above.

*the thread went a bit sideways, so I'm not keen to link it, but it should be trivial to find via the quote if desired.

Ankerson wrote:

dubya3 wrote:I went ahead and ordered one shortly after posting. I don't cut a lot of hard materials with my folders so I'm not too worried about chipping although in my MULE I'm afraid I may hit a few deer ribs while cleaning one out.

I have a basic sharp maker and am fine touching my blades up and my buddy just told me about a local guy that'll sharpen any blade for $6 and supposedly does awesome work so that may be a good option if it's needed.

Thanks for the input, I think I read some over critical reviews on the steel from one or two guys that aren't exactly super knowledgeable on its properties.

Wouldn't worry too much about the Mule Team, they are right at 60 HRC so it will more likely roll before it chips.

I doubt you will have any issues unless you try and pop out hip joints or pound it through the sternum.

I have a hatchet and bone saw I use on the tough stuff. My MULE will be used just to open the chest, cut the esophagus and skin the deer. It will run into a rib and/or breast plate here and there but I used 440c and s30v for years and didn't have much of an issue other than edge holding capabilities.

I chose S110V mainly for its stainless-ness since this knife will see blood, snow, cold and warm for up to 12 hours before any maintenance/cleaning. I'm also hoping the edge will be able to easily gut up to 3 deer in a single day in the field. Deer hair is harder on an edge than most people would think.

I'm more worried about my beautiful spalted maple burl scales being ruined from blood than the edge holding up to be 100% honest :P

HI Dubya3, I think CPM S110V in the Mule Team is an excellent choice for a game processing knife. The geometry furnished in the Mule Team is pretty conservative and if used as you describe will be just fine. No problem with doing 3 animals on a trip, I have done that several times with Antelope, smaller than a deer but gives you and idea. I agree that deer hair or pig bristles will really take the edge off especially if they have been in the mud and dirt. If you cut from the inside rather than down through the hair and hide it will help. Also when ringing the hocks use the very bottom of the blade near the handle and save the belly for the other work. I like to carry a small extra fine diamond rod to touch up when I start to loose the bite. They are very light and in just a few seconds you can bring back that nice crisp bite if you need to. I recommend initial sharpening on a 600 grit or equal diamond plate or a fine SC bench stone and lube with window cleaner. I agree a light weight saw is the tool to use for the heavier work. You are right on target with that. Good luck on your hunt and let us know how it all turns out. Phil

Here's a good thread I just read over on BF. This puts much doubt to rest for me. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showt ... st-results" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;