Share your Edge| CPM S110v

[Deadboxhero]

Thanks to Spyderco we have gotten a very exotic steel widely available which is truly amazing, from our end we don't see the hidden cost and hard work on Spydercos end to fully produce such a difficult, expensive material.

Now that we have had access and experience with the steel for the past 2-3 years, lets talk about it





POST BELOW

Share your edge angles and finish for CPM s110v

1.What grit size and why?

2.What stones do you use?

3.What is your Sharpening process?

4.What do you use your edge for?

5.What is unique and what do YOU enjoy about the s110v edge in your experience?


No wrong answers, Don't be shy

just fun to see peoples experiences, Im excited to see how other people are finding what works and what they like about the steel.




1.I really like a 400 or 800 grit edge with a diamond or CBN stone, I also like a 1um diamond strop finish after.

2. I like to use bonded diamond or CBN because they leave me a more refined edge but are able to shape the carbides nicely without deep scratches and abrasive tear out.

3. I find the edge I like by making a very small burr on each side and then removing the burr with alternating passes and very light contact,I stop and fully assess my edge making sure its very crisp and the burr fully removed to the best of my ability, I then strop on loaded leather to polish the teeth.

4. I mostly use my s110v edge for utility, cutting boxes and packages. Sometimes food stuffs, Sometimes for little projects in the shop and other things that come up at work.


5. I find s110v unique in how aggressive the edge is, it grabs and bites with ferocity which is why I like a lower grit finish on this steel. When the apex is deburred and properly shaped its like a nanosaw blade with reinforced vanadium carbide teeth, It cracks a smile on my face every time I get to use it and watch it sail through material with such fierceness, it is unique in that regard.

[emanuel]

1. I like the edge finish on a 600 grit diamond plate, 12-20dps depending on the job. The edge feels very aggresive even at high grits, way different then my Super Blue, and both of these knives are at 65-66hrc. But I prefer low grit since going super fine wastes the point of having so much carbide volume, and plus the edge retention is so much better with a low grit finish. So 15 dps high polish and a 20 dps 600 grit microbevel is the way my PM 2 is sharpened, while my custom in s110v @65.5hrc with a full convex grind at 12 dps has a high polish finish, mostly because it looked like sh*t and scratchy with a low grit lol.

2. DMT diamond plate 600 grit, set of Chinese waterstones for high polished finish, alumina leather strop if needed

3. Freehand back and forth, I can only sharpen if I hold the stone in my left hand, knife in the right and do it in mid air in front of my face. That's how I learned to get my angles spot on, works best for me (similar to how Michael Christy does it)

4. EDC, I'm an office worker so it doesn't see what you would call "folder hard use". Cutting fruits on my desk, opening mail/packages, cutting cardboard here and there, food preping at home when I'm too lazy to get out my big boy kitchen knives lol.

5. s110v, s125v, they are a class of their own. They feel different to other steels, very aggresive and you can feel the high carbide volum during use. I also like how stainless s110v is, never had problems with it, even in salt water. Except maybe faster edge loss.

[Deadboxhero]

Good stuff man, this is great :)

1. I like the edge finish on a 600 grit diamond plate, 12-20dps depending on the job. The edge feels very aggresive even at high grits, way different then my Super Blue, and both of these knives are at 65-66hrc. But I prefer low grit since going super fine wastes the point of having so much carbide volume, and plus the edge retention is so much better with a low grit finish. So 15 dps high polish and a 20 dps 600 grit microbevel is the way my PM 2 is sharpened, while my custom in s110v @65.5hrc with a full convex grind at 12 dps has a high polish finish, mostly because it looked like sh*t and scratchy with a low grit lol.

2. DMT diamond plate 600 grit, set of Chinese waterstones for high polished finish, alumina leather strop if needed

3. Freehand back and forth, I can only sharpen if I hold the stone in my left hand, knife in the right and do it in mid air in front of my face. That's how I learned to get my angles spot on, works best for me (similar to how Michael Christy does it)

4. EDC, I'm an office worker so it doesn't see what you would call "folder hard use". Cutting fruits on my desk, opening mail/packages, cutting cardboard here and there, food preping at home when I'm too lazy to get out my big boy kitchen knives lol.

5. s110v, s125v, they are a class of their own. They feel different to other steels, very aggresive and you can feel the high carbide volum during use. I also like how stainless s110v is, never had problems with it, even in salt water. Except maybe faster edge loss.

[razorsharp]

I find its more hassle than its worth getting it to split hair, so I take it to either 500 or 1000 grit on Shapton glass. with a couple of passes on the 16k and a few swipes on a 0.25 strop.

[emanuel]

I'm thinking about getting a 1 micron diamond spray. I'm curious if it makes a difference to how the toothy edge feels. Didn't try this stuff yet.

[Bloke]

I sharpen S90V and S110V at 28deg inclusive with SiC stones (Gritomatic) and Windex to 400grit on a guided system.

I don’t do anything special but I avoid burrs and keep them to a minimum irrespective of what I’m sharpening. Once I have a clean apex I finish with a freshly flattened stone with three light edge leading strokes each side, then two and a single pass each side to finish. Then three or four very light strops with chrome oxide on stiff leather and call it good.

I maintain with a SharpMaker and 40deg micro bevel off medium stones. :)

[Deadboxhero]

Come on fill out the rest :D I wanna feel like I'm there seeing the action and getting a feel of the experience :D

[Deadboxhero]

I'm thinking about getting a 1 micron diamond spray. I'm curious if it makes a difference to how the toothy edge feels. Didn't try this stuff yet.

It just enhances a sharp edge and makes the Apex feel crisp and cleaner. I used to use green compond until I tried diamond, then there was no going back.

The green compound works but just doesn't make the edge as crisp as the diamond, the green seems to make a smoother edge, less bite.

[emanuel]

I'm not very fond of the green compound, the chromium oxide never felt like it was doing much to these high alloy steels. I used a lot of white compound, I believe that has aluminium oxide, works great but the particles are around 4-6 microns, so a bit rough for finishing touches on finer edges. Does the brand of diamond spray matter? What do you use?

[JonLeBlanc]

I'm not very fond of the green compound, the chromium oxide never felt like it was doing much to these high alloy steels. I used a lot of white compound, I believe that has aluminium oxide, works great but the particles are around 4-6 microns, so a bit rough for finishing touches on finer edges. Does the brand of diamond spray matter? What do you use?

One can also try diamond pastes; generally much cheaper than sprays and work just as well imo. DMT and Jende make good pastes.

[Deadboxhero]

I'm not very fond of the green compound, the chromium oxide never felt like it was doing much to these high alloy steels. I used a lot of white compound, I believe that has aluminium oxide, works great but the particles are around 4-6 microns, so a bit rough for finishing touches on finer edges. Does the brand of diamond spray matter? What do you use?

I'm a spray guy. I don't like the emulsions cause they make the leather stiff, I like to keep the "give" in my leather. I've used 10um to 0.005um. I only like the 1um, I use it after whatever stone grit I use.I use the Portland Knife House brand. Some use Hand American when it's available. Some use Ken Schwartz, some Use Jende Industries.

[Bloke]

... spray matter? What do you use?

[brainfriction]

I'm not very fond of the green compound, the chromium oxide never felt like it was doing much to these high alloy steels. I used a lot of white compound, I believe that has aluminium oxide, works great but the particles are around 4-6 microns, so a bit rough for finishing touches on finer edges. Does the brand of diamond spray matter? What do you use?

I've found this stuff to be quite good. It will probably last quite a while too.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/ri1midisp2oz.html

[The Meat man]

... spray matter? What do you use?

Ha ha! That is ridiculous! :D

[Pelagic]

1. Still experimenting. I like 325 grit diamond (DMT coarse) straight to 1 micron (or 0.5 micron occasionally). But I also occasionally do the red (600) and even the green (1200) sometimes before the 1 micron stropping (bass wood or firm leather).

All these edges turn out fine. It's far from important, but I can whittle a hair straight off the DMT 325 grit finish with minimal stropping (occasionally without stropping). However, I don't understand what grit makes the "best" use of the carbides. Since I cut rope often, 325 grit is better regardless. But I often wonder, instead of having these mountains loaded with carbides, what about little teeth (somewhere close to 1 micron) that are small enough to have the carbides themselves compose a large chunk of the tooth. For some reason I want to say at higher RC's, the mountain of steel (325 grit teeth) would be better, and at lower RC's small teeth would be better, as the carbide itself is basically the tip of the small teeth. This is probably a horribly flawed way of thinking about this, and my pondering on this issue is far from over, but I really like to experiment on my own and see what is best for certain tasks, and I like to know why it's better for that task. Obviously what you're cutting matters most. I'd rather carve wood with a 1 micron finish over a 180 grit finish, and I'd much rather cut rope with a 180 grit finish than a 1 micron finish. I realize this subject has been hashed out a million times and the answers are considered accepted and already known. I just like experimenting.

2. DMT XC, C, F, EF, diamond compound. Occasionally a DMT steel on the go. I want to get some Atoma diamond plates.

3. Back and forth motions on the coarse stone at 15 degrees until i feel a very small burr across the entire blade. If I'm unsure I will do this twice on each side. Then, edge leading strokes across the entire cutting edge with slightly less pressure: 5-7 per side first, then 2-3, then alternating. By the time i get to alternating strokes I begin to use even less and less pressure with every pass until the burr is gone. I may spend 2-3 minutes doing extremely light alternating passes. If I not stropping I can stop right there. If I strop, i prefer light passes on basswood. Never rushing, it takes less than 30 seconds.

4. Cutting rope, cardboard, zip ties, wires, various plastics, rubber hoses, duct/electrical tape, cloth, wood, etc.

5. I really enjoy the (stainlessness, and) longevity of the working edge exhibited by s110v, and especially the longevity of a coarse edge (I feel that spikes are less stable as they stand alone, while a perfect toothless edge is supported by the entire apex... So the fact that with s110v these "spikes" hold true much longer is quite pleasing). The rope I cut is so thick and abrasive that I doubt REX 121 could make a half dozen cuts without dulling (luckily i carry a serrated knife as well for the rope). s110v can usually make it through a 12 hour shift and keep right on going while my coworkers struggle with dull knives.

[blues]

Great thread! :cool:

[tps3443]

I just sharpened my Military S110V to 36 degrees inclusive on a guided system. I started on very well broken in 200 grit diamond stones, after I created a thin 18 DPS beautiful looking even bevel, with nice looking scratches too I started with loaded strops on the knife at the same angle this removed any burr left on the edge, and smoothed out the the scratching to a nice factory look.

^ And that was it! It is ferociously sharp! A very toothy edge, that just bites in to anything. And shaves like a straight razor. It wants to do more than shave though, it’ll scalp your limbs if your not careful.

I love this toothy finished edge.

This is probably the sharpest I’ve gotten S110V, in such little time. 10 minutes if that.


I really want the 400 grit stones now. I’ve gotta get em! I think 600 is to high, it really polishes the edge to a shine.

[Pelagic]

Lately I've been using 325 grit.diamond or CBN, then briefly stropping with 30 micron diamond powder dry on leather to ensure burr removal. So much bite!

[Surfingringo]

I'm almost reluctant to respond to this thread. My take on this steel is pretty different from most folks here and it makes me wonder how I can get such different results from the majority of people. I don't doubt the data or the sharpening skill of guys like Deadboxhero and Pelagic and many others here but I don't doubt my own either. At the end of the day, if I have to choose between someone elses observations and my own, I have to go with what I see, not what I hear.

I typically sharpen this steel somewhere between 12-15 degrees per side. Sometimes I use the Sharpmaker to set the bevels, sometimes I freehand and sometimes I use my KME. I seem to get the same results with all three methods. The steel seems no harder to grind than other steels with diamond stones and there is nothing tricky about setting and cleaning up a bevel. What I notice though is that at any given grit, s110v and s90v will not reach quite the same level of sharpness as some other steels. As an example, lc200n, m4 and cruwear (and many other steels) will all quickly and firmly bite into the hair on my head on contact, straight off a 300 grit stone. S90v/110v given the same treatment on the same grit will bite but not as readily. I have to take s90/110v up to 600 grit to get that level of bite. By that grit though, the other steels will now be treetopping arm hair, where s90/110v will not. I have to take it to 1000 or 1200 to get it to that level, but at that grit, the others have now started to whittle hairs, etc. For me, s90v/s110v are always one step behind in sharpness/apex width at any given grit. The result is, in order to get s110v to the same level of sharpness, I have to take it one step higher in refinement...which is kind of the opposite of what I'm looking for in a steel.

Another observation I've made that runs contrary to popular opinion is that the steel takes a LESS aggressive edge than many other steels at any given grit. My Waterway in lc200n for example will have a FAR more aggressive and toothy edge when finished at 600 than my s110v knives. Both will be extremely sharp but the lc200n will bite more readily and firmly into beard hair than the s110v AND will have far more tooth. That's a lose lose for s110v in my book.

Add into all that that the s90v/110v class steels are a little bit fussier to work with when chasing high levels of sharp and you've got a no go for me. I don't hate the steels and I totally understand why some folks love them. They are great for folks who don't want to sharpen very often and are ok carrying a knife with a moderately sharp (or moderately dull) edge for a long time. There are even knives where I would favor these steels, such as a fillet knife. A fillet knife (or a skinner) can be TOO sharp sometimes. Sometimes right after I have resharpened, it is very difficult to skin fish without cutting through the skin. I kind of prefer working with a fillet knife that has lost that top 10% of its sharpness. A steel like s110v would make a lot of sense for me in a knife like that. In a folder, EDC, or general purpose knife though, the steel just doesn't do it for me. Lots of drawbacks and no benefits given the way I use and sharpen my knives. To each his own. :)

[JD Spydo]

I sharpen S90V and S110V at 28deg inclusive with SiC stones (Gritomatic) and Windex to 400grit on a guided system.

I don’t do anything special but I avoid burrs and keep them to a minimum irrespective of what I’m sharpening. Once I have a clean apex I finish with a freshly flattened stone with three light edge leading strokes each side, then two and a single pass each side to finish. Then three or four very light strops with chrome oxide on stiff leather and call it good.

I maintain with a SharpMaker and 40deg micro bevel off medium stones. :)

Bloke you are not the only one I've heard that uses Windex for a stone lubricant. Why might I ask is the properties of Windex ideal for abrading and honing? There is so much debate out there on what to use on benchstones and whetstones and I'm curious as to why the Windex or even kerosene for that matter>> because I have a good friend who uses kerosene on most of his stones.