I know its a black and white question to a grey situation. I'm basing my answer off of what i expect out a of knife in the situation i am mostly in. They both have their qualities that have been discussed ad nauseum. What is your majority of the time answer?
Of course carbon steel - easy to sharpen, very strong and holds an edge long enough. I am not saying that 1095 is the best steel, but it is far better than any stainless in my opinion.
I honestly cant pick one over the other definitively. What I would prefer would vary by situation. If I'm just carrying it for work tasks(electrician) and around my suburban concrete jungle... I'll take the edge retention of S35. If I'm leaving the cities and going camping, hiking, etc... I'll take my trusty 1095 because I know I can beat the hell out of it if I need to. I've got knives in a lot of different steels, I carry one folder and one fixed everyday, and I enjoy sharpening when my blades need it. I do have to admit, my 1095 E3 has been sidelined for work by my S35 version. I tend to rotate that'un and my Spydie Mule Team in PD1(pretty much CruWear) steel for work.
Exactly. Right tool for the job. Thats the reason i chose 1095. For most of my uses its the right steel. However i get tired of having a stack to butcher and having a stack of knives on hand. Im hoping an s35v will stay sharper longer. It should.
I failed to notice the "majority of the time" part of your question... seeing as I'm using my blades more for work than anything else.... I guess s35 wins out. Edit* I'm also not an idiot who grabs his knife to go pry sh*t open, etc. But I do cut/strip cable and wire with it if need be. Edit 2* though I did drop my s35 E3 on thursday. It didnt break, Jeff. But now it has me wondering what would happen if I threw it at my boss...?
I added that later as i got to think about it like you. How does one choose? Its like having three different hammers. They all hammer but certainly a sledge is better for sledging.
For me...it's too early to tell...the S35vn that we have beat the brakes off of is still razor sharp. (The one that didn't break) To be honest, I have been VERY impressed with the S35 and how sharp it has stayed...I just need to use it more so I can get some hands on experience touching up the blade. I'm weird in that I actually like the process of convexing the edge and then putting a mirror edge on the 1095 blades...it's weird but my grandfather first began to teach me to freehand sharpen a blade when I was probably 7 or 8....I'm sure there is some kind of weird emotional tie to that experience as to why I like to sharpen my knives so much.
Most members don’t have an S35vn Esee yet to make this a good vote. In a few years they will and will love the steel. It’s not hard to sharpen as say s30. It responds to a strop very well.
I grew up using a lot of Buck knives in their 440, those always fit the bill on my uses for cleaning deer and smaller game/ducks. Getting my first Esee gifted to me and experiencing Rowen’s 1095 and what it can handle changed the game for me as to what tasks I can do with a knife and what it can take. It’d be hard d for me to give up 1095 for the majority of my uses after proving to myself what it can handle. That said I’ve only sharpened and done some minor cutting with S30V and S35V in folders my friends have so I’ve got zero long term comparisons to go on. As a hunter I do have an interest in S35V, and either want a Xancudu or even more so hopefully an AGK IN S35V.
I've never used a knife with s35v, or care to own one at this point. That may change in the future, but the only super steel I'm interested in and yet to get my hands on is 3V. Other than that, 1095 does everything I ask it to do with ease and is easy to maintain. Can't ask for much more than that. I have a bhk feather stick in 01, and I'm still testing it out to see what I like/dislike about the steel. Honestly, I think it's more about the knife design and edge geometry then the steel itself. Other than edge maintenance of course
With a good stone like a Norton India, sharpening any common steel is a breeze. Just most stainless steels do not cut as agressivly and do not reach the same level of super sharpness as regular carbon steel. Of course there are exceptions and there are some stainless steels like VG10 , that can become very sharp with zero effort, but in general, for me, carbon wins, unless the task just demands a stainless blade, like a fishing boat, for example.
I honestly have no experience with S35V whatsoever. However, I use 1095 all the time, and it has yet to let me down. Personally, I love the stuff. And believe me, I'm not easy on my blades. For me, I see no need to change.
...... you could make those sliders out of pool noodles and they would be every bit as effective., the Land Rover wont make it to the rocks to slide on so they are never gong to get tested.....
The votes are changeable. If you change your mind you can change your vote. It will be interesting to see how things change, if they change, with time and use of these knives. Thanks all!