All About Pocket Knives

Posted this in the Case sub but thought I'd drop it here for those who don't visit there often but might be interested.

I saw the Case S35VN knives online and though it's a definite upgrade from Trusharp S35VN just doesn't get me excited.

While I was cruising around Shepherd Hills site the other day I ran across this. SH didn't have any so I went looking and found them at Deadwood. Of all the supersteels I love CPM20CV and have dreamed of a custom with it for the blades but my knife budget isn't that big. Out of the box the knife is tight with no wobble and good w&t and very little spring gap that you really have to search for to find. After I got the burr off the blades they all cut very smoothly and it will be a while before I put my edge on it. Oh yeah, full flat grind on all blades.

Right now it's only available in the 18 and 54 pattern but I really hope they expand the range a bit and include a 75 at least.

I have a Spyderco Jester in CPM-20CV that I bought in 2021, and use it regularly as my "around-the-house" knife and occasionally as the fifth-pocket "small knife" with my regular EDC. It still isn't dull! By comparison, I have to touch up the VG-10 Ladybug monthly, and sometimes, with a day of heavy work, I have to touch up 1095 and 420HC knives.

I'm glad Case is experimenting more with premium steels. While 1095 serves me well, I may try this one myself.

I don't know much about CPM20CV but it's good to see Case using something other than TruSharp, which I'm not a fan of. Have to say I'm very pleased with my Buck with S35VN, which is another U.S. made steel from Crucible that Case is now offering. (I know you said you're not a fan of it).

After reading your post I did some reading up on CPM20CV. Seems it holds an edge longer but is more difficult to sharpen than S35VN, whereas S35VN is tougher, less likely to chip or break. https://www.knifeart.com/s35vn-vs-20cv.html

They all have trade-offs, depending on what you value more in a knife. I'm a big fan of the older tried-and-proven 440C. It's good to see some of the newer "super steels" getting used by more affordable brands. And now that I've finally learned how to sharpen them I'm learning to appreciate them!

Ken

I do love 1095 and the 440/420 steels especially for their ease of maintenance. But anymore I have a DMT diamond sharpener in my bag anyway instead of an Arkansas stone and have found that even when the 20CV needs touched up it isn't hard to do in the field with the DMT. The hardest part of 20CV ownership is establishing that initial edge, 1095 or 420/440 only take minutes to reprofile to my preferred 15 degrees per side while the 20CV takes a lot more patience but less upkeep after the fact.

Either way they all get stropped regularly as much for the meditative repetition as for maintenance.

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:58 pm I don't know much about CPM20CV but it's good to see Case using something other than TruSharp, which I'm not a fan of. Have to say I'm very pleased with my Buck with S35VN, which is another U.S. made steel from Crucible that Case is now offering. (I know you said you're not a fan of it).

After reading your post I did some reading up on CPM20CV. Seems it holds an edge longer but is more difficult to sharpen than S35VN, whereas S35VN is tougher, less likely to chip or break. https://www.knifeart.com/s35vn-vs-20cv.html

They all have trade-offs, depending on what you value more in a knife. I'm a big fan of the older tried-and-proven 440C. It's good to see some of the newer "super steels" getting used by more affordable brands. And now that I've finally learned how to sharpen them I'm learning to appreciate them!

Ken

I do have a couple of S35VN knives and there is nothing wrong with them at all. I just prefer 20CV and as to side by side sharpening of S35VN and 20CV I can't tell the difference honestly when I use my diamond plates.

Don't get me started on 440c. Fantastic and very underated steel nowadays. I dream about GEC making more patterns with 440C. Heck I even enjoy the old 440A Camillus and others used, can get it amazingly sharp and resharpens so easily when needed.

Couple of things I find interesting on this version.
First the blade is full flat ground but you can see that it is more like machine cut than belt ground. I would have liked it a bit more had the blades been hollow ground but I'm definitely not complaining.
Second the pattern number on the blade doesn't match the handle material or box. Makes me wonder if they changed their mind on handle material after stamping.

10 for scale material is off the charts. My 20CV Benchmade has the same kind of pattern in the metal.

Rotten wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:29 pm Couple of things I find interesting on this version.
First the blade is full flat ground but you can see that it is more like machine cut than belt ground. I would have liked it a bit more had the blades been hollow ground but I'm definitely not complaining.
Second the pattern number on the blade doesn't match the handle material or box. Makes me wonder if they changed their mind on handle material after stamping.
PXL_20230320_214417920.jpg

10 traditionally has been used for Micarta (G-10) covers. I’ve seen cases in the past wherein Case had stamped a batch of blades for use in a certain pattern (and stamped the blades accordingly). The left-over blades were used in some short-runs (club knives, prototypes, etc) having handle covers different than the stamp. As usual with Case and other cutleries, “waste not want not”. I’m going to guess your knife is an example of that.

Ken

Thanks for posting, this thread is a most interesting and informative read.