This is a review of the Spyderco Para Military 2 in S45VN. There’s discussion on the steel and the build of the knife. The video also documents a sharpening of the knife.
Overall an excellent review! I think most people really appreciate your effort as far as putting out quality content but don't realize the amount of work that goes into each video, hope you keep it up man. 👍
Recently picked up a PM2 in S45VN and so far, I’m loving it Haven’t put it through its paces , nor taken it to a stone yet, but some stropping on 3 & 1 micron diamond emulsion seems to be doing the trick with some light daily use. So far so good. Thanks for a great video ! 🤘
Thank you for a great rundown on this steel. I skipped this knife due to Spyderco releasing so many knives lately. It's getting tough to keep up. Thank you again.
Man I was hoping you would put this one out!! I wait like a kid at Xmas for your content my brother!! Im really really loving my s45vn...these scales I really enjoy. Cheers my friend!
Thank you for such a practical review! I don’t own any super steel knives yet, so I only have other people’s opinions on them, and it’s far too rare to find a knife channel on RU-vid that goes over how well a knife actually cuts.
I just got my s45vn Chris reeve knife in the mail. It’s a large 31 and my first reeve knife. I’m in love! I can’t wait to have a proper edge out on it.
I am so glad you mention going back to DMT plates to sort out issues. Any time I’m having a strange result on other stones I always go back to my trusty (well worn) DMT coarse stone. I can always adjust and fix my errors on that stone for some reason. Glad I’m not the only one.
Hey Michael. You led me to a Rex 45 PM2 , then to Travis, which led me to purchasing some gifts for friends, which gave me the opportunity to acquire a Rex 45 Burnt Orange Shaman , my grail which I didn’t know would be my grail. Thanks brotha. Gotta put good out to get good back. Slànte Mhath.
As always Michael you did outstanding job! Your knowledge and experience really comes out in your videos and I was thinking about getting this S45 VN but ended up passing on it. Hopefully Spyderco comes out with more PM2’s With the steel. Hope you have a great weekend!
I find the same effect with progressing through diamond plates. I'll often start one plate coarser than I might need to get what I've anecdotally found to be an advantageous cumulative effect in the final sharpness. Interesting to hear you mention that.
I totally ran into the same thing with the OCB stones. Chasing that polish made the edge really high. I liked the progression with the 3k though. Nice job
If I start having an issue getting a bevel set or inconsistent scratch patterns I go to DMT plates and they always come through. I also think s30v is underrated, my sage 5 and mini freek outperform every knife I own in s35vn. Great stuff, thanks for the review
Dear Mr Christy I just heard about your chnl.and subd..Great job on the video.I am one of the rare duck's that really appreciates the rust resistant qualities of some of theses steels.Summertime they rust in my pants gotta keep an eye on them.Winter time had them rust in pocket camping with pants on floor.Keep up great work
Great review. And great lesson on the steel comp, funny thing is I like Aus8 because I can sharpen it so easy . (I know I know cheap steel but I still like it ) But it will break the tip easy a good D2 done right is nice . I have tons of knives in s35vn and it’s hard to sharpen but seems to be a great steel ounce sharp I’m looking forward to try out this new s45vn . Great video bro Wow . Your a beast at sharpening.
I’m genuinely surprised to hear someone doesn’t like s35vn especially because it’s always been a pretty up there steel for most reviewers (including myself) but this is a perfect example of everyone having different experiences with knives and steals
ive had a couple really good heat treated models in this steel but for the most part ive had many knives in this steel that seem very underwhelming but i can say theyve all been easy to sharpen no problems with the burr or anything
I won't be cutting any cardboard but I will be opening fertilizer bags, cutting bands on pallets of bricks, cutting zip ties, reaming pvc pipe, and whatever other mundane cutting tasks my job requires. I've already ordered a PM2 in S45VN so I really hope it holds up.
This video saved me 158 bucks lol. I am feeling a burnout with all the pm2s in my collection, the scales were of interest to me the most on this offering. S35vn will always have the overseas stigma of a ti frame lock flipper on bearings in which I'm not a fan of. I am enjoying s90v on my military so I opted for a s90v manix instead. I'm sure there will be more s45vn offerings in the future I can check out. If the pm2 goes to a lightweight format like the para 3 has we may see s45vn as the standard based steel choice. S45vn is a very new alloy so heat treatments can evolve over time. We are seeing k390 runs in seki models now so the options are numerous.
Thanks Michael really enjoyed this talk. I'm fairly new to hand sharpening and use the dmt and venev stones myself and I was pleased to hear you say you get the burr and move on as that is my routine now. As for s35vn I can agree although I've a medford midi marauder and the edge retention on it is outstanding far beyond any other knife I have. I have cut carpet and most every other medium. Just wondered if you tried his s35vn. Atb paddy 👍☘️😃
great video michael , shame i don't know you personally , as you could teach so so much to close friends , and to just have one or two knives sharpened by you would be awesome, thank you for sharing and take care ian uk.
Completely agree with your steel observations. Nice Job. Have used S30V for years, also found no love for s35vn. Oddly enough, I'd take VG10/N690 over s35vn.
I really like the texture and have high hopes for S45VN. My Spydercos with S35VN have been decent work knives, But ZT and Kizer (S35VN ) have definitely underperformed!
Just to bounce back on what you said about CRK's s35vn, I agree with you, I've often found that this steel usually underperformed on my sebenza from 2012 (HRC 58-59). I think currently CRK treats it at 59-60 so it does have a slightly better wear resistance than the pre-2015 generation, but still not fantastic. I also tend to like S30V but have been disapointed with my experiences with s35vn...
This is off topic but every time I watched your videos your smooth deep voice always reminded me of someone I couldn’t figure out, but now I realized you sound like an American accented Clive Owen. 👌
3% vanadium makes me think of cpm 3v, I wonder how any improvement as far as toughness would effect the makeup of the blade in comparison to actual 3v. I really enjoyed that one
Hi Micheal, hope you're doing fine! I have one question: You often said there are certain steels you would usually go with non diamond abrasive / mirror polish finishes. How would your typical coarse finish do with those steels? I'm especially curious if you run into problems with slicing aggression. I find that every amount of stropping usually makes the edge feel like glass on those steels. Sharp (often hair whittling), but no slicing aggression. Thank you for your videos!
I had a specific question that you may be able to help me with concerning the sharpening of a ceramic-bladed knife. Would like to discuss further, if able.
If I was Sal I'd stop listening to "us" in the community, the next 3 years well see alot of knife companies dissappear. My guess is ZT/ Kershaw Benchmade
Great review. Can you say if you prefer s45vn, M4 or 20cv? I'm struggling to pick between these three steels and can only afford one.. Also, any more words on how you like the s45vn vs the S30v now?
i always looked st S45VN as a solution to a problem that either doesnt exist, or has already been solved. A moderately "better" (superior edge retention) version of S35VN already exists... its called S30V, and people have been shitting on it like crazy the last few years, for no reason at all. S30V is a great steel that performs much better than people give it credit for. Its a high-end super steel, by every reasonable parameter. A similar thing is happening with SPY27. Sal himself has said, on the Spyderco forum, that SPY27 is an attempt at a US version of VG10. VG10 gets shit on all day long, SPY27 gets love. I get it, though. Latest and greatest is always the best, but maybe the latest and greatest should actually be NEW. Ive never had any S35VN i loved. I had a Ferrum Forge example that had crazy rusting issues, something that ended up being a common problem, i guess. Then, since i figured the issue with that S35VN was the company, i bought a sebenza in S35VN and, while rust was not an issue, i found it inferior to my Bg42 sebenza (a model ive had for 20 years, now). Both of those experiences, coupled with the seemingly endless onslaught of virtually nameless, faceless Chinese companies cranking out Ti/S35VN framelock folders at 58 to 59 HRC ad nauseam, ive never had any love for S35VN, and i generally find something unique to love about every steel i get in hand. Dont get me wrong, im all for as much selection as possible, and i totally respect spyderco for making the crazy high end steels available at affordable prices. Another great video! No other youtuber gets my undivided attention as quickly as you. Thanks Michael. Curious to hear your thoughts on the most recent spyderco catalog reveal....
Eyedea315 you hit the nail on the head. I have never really liked S35VN & I love S30V and get great performance from it. I never quite understood why S30V gets crapped on. 30 years ago I would have killed for a steel like S30v when all we had was 440 or AUS8 and the like.
I had to double check that i didn’t write this comment. I agree with everything said 100%. People are going to bitch about s30v to the point that spyderco stops using it, and that’s going to be a sad day because it’s a great performer. You’re right, people complain about s30v because it’s not the latest and greatest, and another factor is that they don’t actually use their knives. If they did, they’d see that it performs well. Instead, they parrot the same old “s30v is chippy!” rhetoric that is so tired and played out that I can’t describe it. I’m going to sound extremely critical and possibly pompous here, but I don’t mean it that way..... I wish the dudes who parrot this BS, and only use their knives as fidget toys would simply just get out of the hobby. They do more harm than good IMO. I know that the more people we have the better, but these people are doing a disservice to the community IMO. If you don’t actually use your knives for anything other than cutting open the box your new flippy toy came in, then please don’t postulate about steel performance. That’s where I stand on it. When I see people praise s35vn I slightly roll my eyes, but when I see people praise s35 and in the same breath talk about how terrible s30v is I totally check out. I can’t stand it.
Correction: SPYDERCO VG-10 gets shit on all day". Other companies do a better job hardening VG-10 and its great. It just needs to be about 60 Rockwell.
@@lenzielenski3276 Thank you! The steel is not the issue. The issue is the heat treating by various companies in the industry. All my Japanese (by Hattori) made Cold Steel san mai III VG1 blades have all tested between 58.4/61.3 HRC and the same goes for my AUS8a Japanese (by Hattori) made blades (I have 8x in total). Some names in the industry are better than others when it comes to the guarantee of the HRC they quote actually being what you are getting. You would think (if you listen to RU-vid'ers) that a lot of these higher-end steels are made by morons who know nothing about the chemical composition of steel and the characteristics you can expect by changing that chemical composition. That is not the case. If the blade you have is not doing what you expect then you should get it tested. If the HRC comes back at 53/54 then you need to get onto the company that made and heat treated that blade not CPM. People have shit on S35vn for a while now. I have 2x blades in S35vn. One by CRK and one by SOG ... they both claim that the HRC is 59/50. My CRK came up at 59.8 and my SOG tested at 61.1. I guess I was lucky. Some of you have S35vn that claims to be 59/60 and is actually 54/55 ... good luck with that! But who is your issue with ... CPM or Spyderco/Benchmade et al? If I want to know how good steel is for a certain application I do not go on www.bladeforums.com or any other similar site because all you will find are weekend warriors who claim that 56,000 posts on a forum are the equivalent to a P.h.D (jaw-breaking yawn). If I want to know I go to where chefs hang out because they put their blades through hell every-fucking-day. www.chefpanko.com/choosing-your-knife/
I've watched many of your videos and I noticed you dont implement any Arkansas stones in your progressions. Any thoughts on black and translucent stones?
I just picked up the PM3 in red digital camo with black hardware. I cant put it down. Of course I have many but there's just something about this one that does it for me.
i have found s35 to be hit or miss. Hinderer and millit seem to have it down. But I agree with you for the most part. Really has no stand out qualities. Super Gold baby! all day
Hi Michael, I really appreciate your great videos. Excellent information and quite meditative as well. I am about to get a set of Atoma Diamond plates from 140 to 1200 grit for repairing / shaping the edge. Already got a fine Spyderco benchstone (about 2500ish?). Do you think it is a too big step in between the finest Atoma and the Spyderco? To replicate your great hair-whittling edge, do I need something in between the Spyderco and the strops? Which diamond spray / compound do you recommend?
j killa it’s not too big of a step if you’re looking for sharpness, and not aesthetic finish. You might need a 4 mic compound, but you’ll definitely want a 1 mic compound.
@@michaelchristy4982 Thank you very much for your reply. I was able to get shaving sharp edges with the Atomas and stropping already, still working on the hair-whittling. Gonna add the DMT EEF, I am already curious about how the scratch pattern will compare to the Spyderco fine.
good to hear you are liking the steel. mine is still in the mail. also glad to know that the factory edge is hair spltting. never had a knife that sharp before, its going to be a benchmark for when i do my own freehand sharpening. a couple questions though, why did you leave out the spyderco UF in your progression? and did you get the 4v pm2 from SNK?
Ryan Ennus no 4V PM2 for me... I’m just not that quick on the draw. As far as the progression, it’s always good to keep changing things up and looking for improved results.
Quick question also. When you carry your knife for a month straight to put it through its paces do you strop it regularly or dont touch the edge for as long as you can? Just curious. I strop after each day but I'm wondering if I should have to or if that could effect edge longevity.
Hey Michael. Have you ever used Arkansas stones? I know they can’t handle super steels well, but they sharpen 440 and 1095 good for me. That would be a really cool video considering your level of skill.
How do you like the new venev with the 2k? Worth getting if your happy with the f800/1200 OCB older version? Or am I missing out? Great video like usual. Got a s45vn pm2 coming Monday
You make great videos. I think it's wild how they are currently offering S30V, S35VN, and S45VN simultaneously. I agree it is time for Reeve to upgrade S35VN. I just got an Inkosi. I had been carrying a M390 Para 2 and a M390 BM 707 for some time. The ability of M390 to resist edge deformation in the small folder tasks I use a small folder to do compared to S35VN is...massive. So here we are, having seen Para 2/3 releases in S30V, S35VN, S45VN, BD1, CTS-XHP, 20CV, 204P, M390, K390, 4V, 10V, M4, CruWear, BG-42, S90V, S110V, 52100, Elmax, Maxamet, REX45, and probably some others I missed. It's enough where picking just one is a full time job. Of the steels they have offered, which do you think are the best candidates to become standardized offerings? Is S45VN the optimal candidate to replace the current S30V base?
Bg42 was only in the military. Its never been in the pm2/para3. BD1 has never been in either. Pretty comprehensive list, though... lol. The only steel i know you missed, off the top of my head, is 20CP. It was in a very early pm2 sprint run, (i think the 2nd sprint run, after S90V, in 2011. Im sure ill be corrected, though) BD1N is in the para 3 LW, But thats a vast improvement over BD1. Shame the name is so similar, im sure people overlook it because of their experience with BD1. My ronin 2, and manix 2 in bd1 were pretty disappointing, with edge retention about 20 - 30% less than VG10, while my SE para 3 has edge retention around 20 - 30% better than VG10, definitely approaching my experience with S30V SE.
Zac Paul I don’t think Spyderco is going to replace S30V anytime soon, but I’d really like more offerings in K390 or 10V. I was glad to hear about the K390 Endura coming.
@@michaelchristy4982 Your videos and words inspired me to just buy a K390 PM3. I'll probably buy a K390 PM2 as well. I'm looking forward to it! I'm wondering if I can get a nice blue patina on it by cutting up some hot-but-still-slightly-raw chicken like on my 52100 and Super Blue kitchen knives. Thanks for the videos!
So I'm right with you on the CRK S35VN. Just can't stand the steel...feels lifeless to me. Just received this Spyderco model and tossed it in my pocket today. Factory edge seems angry aggressive and I love it. Like you, mine was hair splitting from the factory. Any update on your end since you've had it for awhile now?
Have you tried any other knifes in S35VN? Your experience with the CRK is opposite of mine with this steel. I've got a White River Ursus 45 and it sharpens well and keeps a hair shaving edge for a long time.
I guess you already touched on it but for clarification do you feel there are any specific differences between the sharpening feel/experience of spyderco's s30v vs s45vn or basically they respond about the same?
I have to disagree with you on the S30V because I have a Para 3 and Manix 2 in it and neither would hold an edge like my S30V BM’s do. Idk could be me but doesn’t seem like I touch my BM’s up as much as I did the spydies. I just bought a para 3 in black G10 and S45vn today and I pray it holds a better edge than my last one. I just got a S90V PM2 so I’m curious to see how both are
Do it yourself. By the time you have paid shipping and sharpened 4x blades, you could have all your own kit! My brother taught me hand sharpening when I was a kid on oilstones and I used to get some sharp edges ... but you will never get a superb edge by hand simply because you can not maintain the same angle 100% of the time. I switched to a KME system because a friend had one ... I learned to use it and then realised it had shortcomings and ended up after trying a few systems I got my Hapstone V7. I hardly even think what I am doing now once I have set my angle but I end up with edges like these ... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AJWJUR8AKu4.html The edge is at 3min 15sec.
When s35vn first came out I said exactly what you just said about it. It’s a lackluster performer and doesn’t really do anything well at all. Especially edge retention. I was absolutely crucified for it because people just assume “15 more VN’s it’s gotta be better!” To this day people still assume s35vn is “better” than s30v for some reason. I just don’t get it. I haven’t found it to be better in any way. So glad CRK is swapping to S45vn.
@@michaelchristy4982 sorry but I just got into edc knives (well mainly sharpening them myself) I’m looking to upgrade my Walmart setup (Smith’s 4” diamond combination stones) and am wondering what the difference between a water whetstone and the DMT diamond stone plates you used? I’m very new to sharpening and only practice on $5 Walmart knives... I’m not that good yet, but I feel I’m getting better, I’m starting to understand my mistakes and my angles are getting more consistent. Just wondering if a DMT fine or extra fine diamond stone would benefit me in the future as I plan on getting the Spyderco Kapara. Also, I’ve noticed some strops are a harder leather compared to the softer suede... is the softer leather better taking the burrs out or is the compound more relevant? Nice video btw 👍
So I’ve got an odd question for you... sorry in advance. Where do you get the hair that you use in the cut tests from? Yourself, your significant other, you buy it? And more so, have you found some peoples hair to be more susceptible to cutting than others? I’ve been into sharpening for years now but unfortunately tend to keep a short hair cut. I noticed with one of my Girlfriends, her hair seemed to cut and whittle a lot better than my previous exes, even though I feel like I’ve come a long way as a sharpener in that time. And on the rare occasion my hair is kind of long enough to try it with, I can never seem to get it to whittle or cut very well, and this is across multiple knives and steels and techniques that normally give me good success. I’m very tempted to get one of those Edge Up sharpness testers as a more objective means of edge testing, especially since I’ve been on a dry spell with the ladies to donate hair for the past while. I wonder is you have any opinions on that tester as well, or if maybe I’m looking down the wrong sort of path.
Random Guy everything I use comes from the wife. I have heard people talk about thinner hairs being harder to deal with, but I haven’t run around testing this.
How has your edge held up over a while? I bought a pm2 2 weeks ago. It’s complete junk. The edge rolled twice. I was able to fix it by stropping, tells me it’s soft. And has a chip. I have only cut open boxes at work and one time, cut weedeater string.
I have a shaman in rex 45 ground at 44 degrees inclusive, and when I run it through some wood, I notice dulling after just a few cuts. The wood is harder than pine but not hard like cherry. Any ideas why this is happening? And if I should send it off to be heat treated professionally?
Have you sharpened it? Or is it the factory edge? It’s possible that the factory edge is a little burnt. Sharpen it once or twice and it should take care of it. Also, unless you plan on being really rough with it, you can drop that angle down a little bit. 44 is very obtuse.
M390 from Bento Box Knives. The standard S30v is no slouch either. The cpm m4, cpm 4v, cpm 10v and cpm Cruwear are all excellent non stainless models as well. I have a cpm Cruwear and 4v and they are excellent performers. I carry an m390 Pm2 every day.
Let’s be honest. There’s no noticeable difference between 35 and 45 ... MAYBE slightly better edge retention at most on the 45... but again in field use probably not enough to be noticed ... also everybody in the comments mentioning other companies and their blade in 35... REALLY need to realize companies cut corners to save money and the steel isn’t the most important aspect , it is the heat treat of said steel. S35 differs GREATLY from company to company .. you need to find a company such as chris reeve who does S35 the right way, that’s a true representation of the steel, and not for nothing s35 is probably the most balance steel out of them all. It isn’t the best in any 1 category , but the trade off is you get pretty damn good results in just about every category... with certain other steels like 3v ... you might have the super toughness to it, but have fun keeping the rust off the thing. Just my 2 cents.
callofduty60 being honest, there’s a very noticeable difference between 35 and 45. 99% of my exposure to 35 was with a Sebenza from CRK. 35 is pretty tough for a stainless, but that’s all it has going for it, and I never find toughness to be an issue with the folders I carry. Because of all that, I find 45 to be a welcomed change on the Sebenza.
