Best S30V/S35VN Knives Under $100 in 2020 Available at KnifeCenter

hey everyone David C Andersen here coming at you from the KnifeCenter and today we're taking a look at the best EDC pocket knives that you can get for under a hundred bucks that feature S30V or S35VN steel two alloys that ushered in the modern super steel era let's check them out so made by a company called Crucible S30V is one of if not the first alloy specifically developed for use in knives and it's made using a method called powder metallurgy essentially this builds up the steel from a powder form that's then sintered together rather than from a melted together ingot like a conventional steel this allows for a more uniform distribution of elements on the molecular level netting gains on edge retention and toughness over conventionally prepared steel now some early treatments of S30V gained a bit of a reputation perhaps unfairly for being prone to chipping at the edge suffice it to say that reputable manufacturers have nailed down the heat treatment these days and it shouldn't be an issue but if you are worried about it you'll want to go with an S35VN folder considered a bit of an upgrade over S30V edge retention ought to be very nearly as good as s30v with a noted increase in toughness especially at the edge now even though a lot of what I just said only scratches the surface of what makes these steels what they are I do apologise for a bit of the the mumbo-jumbo here at the front but in layman's terms in either case both of these steels represent very high performance with a long lasting edge and you don't have to shatter your bank account these days to afford a knife using these great materials this first knife is truly a bargain we've got a full sized folder made in America with an s30v blade for about 50 bucks this is the Bear Ops Rancor II flipper of course you are gonna see a few compromises on this knife to get to that price point for instance the handles are stainless steel they're a bit on the heavier side and the design doesn't exactly look premium but it is very nicely thought out you can open the blade with the flipper or the thumb studs and the action is quite good for this price range because it's aided by ball bearings and the pivot to keep things nice and smooth the handle is a pretty generous size not overly large and it's nice and comfortable with a liner lock inside and the reversible tip up pocket clip nests in a little pocket on the end of you can see the backspacer sticking out here at the back to form the lanyard hole and it's made from black G10 which is a nice little touch the Bear Ops Rancor II is a solid affordable flipper with world-class steel at one steal of a price pardon the pun now before we get into some more full-sized folders I've got a pair of smaller non-locking blades to show you first we've got the Spyderco Dog Tag designed by Serge Panchenko and the Lold Steel Lucky One slip joint these are great low profile socially acceptable options that don't skimp on performance the dog tag is essentially a friction folder we've got a single piece G10 handle on one side with a chisel ground s30v sheepsfoot blade this is a great box cutter or small utility knife priced at just over 60 bucks the handle has a detent bar that provides some retention when the blade is opened and when it's closed it provides some retention there as well to keep it from slipping open and thanks to that chisel grind and what is essentially an integral g10 back spacer the edge is neatly tucked away against the handle for safety it's got a pretty distinct look too whether you got it open or closed and even on the back the G10 is made to look sort of like carbon fiber this knife is easy to carry in the pocket especially in that fifth jeans pocket or as a true dog tag around the neck thanks to that small hole here so you can wear it around your neck with a ball chain or the cordage of your choice now the Cold Steel Lucky One is the modern take on your Grandpa's knife but it's even fit for the modern gentlemen now with a narrow S35VN blade and carbon fiber handles comes in at about 65 bucks for the single blade model here but you can also get a twin blade model with this plain edge as well as a second serrated edge blade and that comes in at about $78 as you can see we've got a trio of broad shallow finger grooves here and the knife fits very nicely in a three finger grip and it even has a little bit of contouring to the scales to keep them comfortable and on top of that it's crazy lightweight this knife is only 0.7 ounces you won't even know it's there until you need it and with the thin blade stock it should cut like a laser and of course it comes razor-sharp Cold Steel's knives offer some of the best factory sharpening out there now even the action on this knife is superb it's got nice walk-and-talk that makes using it a pleasure it's got a definitive half stop for safety opens and closes with a really nice snap and the knife even has a pocket clip to keep it from floating around in your pockets it's handy especially at the end of the day because this knife is so light it'd be easy to forget to take it out of the pockets before you stick your pants in the laundry now since we're talking about cold steel I should mention that they offer a bunch of models with S35VN and honestly they all could have earned a spot on this list got the American Lawman the Broken Skull series and the Ti-Lite are all examples but narrowing it down to just one we had to give it to the Code-4 series these knives feature narrow aluminum handles and your choice of blade shapes you've got tanto spear point or the clip point you see here each about three and a half inches long and priced at about $90 this is a very nice feeling knife it feels rugged and premium at the same time and thanks to that slim construction it's even gonna carry very easily especially given the amount of blade you actually get at S35VN blade is hollow ground again with a great edge it's got a nice satin finish with horizontal grinds on the flats of the blade the handle has a bit of a drop that brings the blade points slightly down and housed midway along the back is the release for their Triad lock this is operated just like a traditional lock back but thanks to the addition of a stop pin as well as a few other internal improvements it's gonna last even longer as the mechanism wears in and it makes for an incredibly strong system thanks to that lock which works the same from either side of the body the dual thumb studs and the pocket clip for each side of the knife this is a great recommendation for ambidextrous use as well this knife definitely has a lot of attitude and it's sort of menacing even though as I said it does feel a little bit premium at the same time but what if you want something more of a gentleman's knife in that case you might want to take a look at the Kizer Sliver a unique looking executive knife with a hollow ground S35VN blade coming in at 80 bucks at this point in time what's nice about this long narrow blade shaped like this is it's gonna be able to get into and around places where the broader blade of that Cold Steel just won't fit and it has a nice stonewashed finish which is going to wear nicely over time and it pairs well with the anodized and milled aluminum handles which are available in a few different colors now this knife is more right-hand bias than previous designs because we've got a single position pocket clip as well as an inset liner lock which is executed very nicely and it keeps the look nice and clean from the top down speaking of clean this is gonna be an easy one to keep that way thanks to the barrel spacer construction holding the scales together it's gonna be easy to blow or rinse out if lint or other detritus gets caught up in there so everything so far has been an imported knife but the american-made stuff can get in on the action too and the first is an updated pair of classics the Buck 110 Folding Hunter and 112 Ranger in their Slim Pro iterations both are available with S30V steel and your choice of G10 or micarta handles now in addition to the steel upgrade the clip point shape has been modified slightly from the original knives now it has more of a straight clip rather than the more scooped-out look of before but the biggest news is the addition of dual thumb studs for ambidextrous opening and a deep carry pocket clip which is reversible combined with the slimmer handles these are perfect for modern EDC especially when you consider their price from eighty to ninety bucks right now and still made in the USA whether you take the 112 Slim Ranger Pro with its three-inch blade which is a great size most anywhere especially more urban areas where you don't need too much extra length or the 110 with its three and three-quarter inches of steel for the bigger jobs out there both are great choices now it's not the only S30V Buck that's worth a look their American-made Vantage Pro series of flippers are solid performers as well and they range from the 70 to 85 dollar range depending on which size blade you choose I've got the large one here with about a three and a quarter inch blade but it's also got a small one that's a little bit over two and a half inches long both of them have a broad drop point shape hollow ground with a flipper tab now this is not the crispest flipper out there we don't have ball bearings in the pivot for example but they tend to be tuned pretty well these days and flip quite easily whether you've got it open or closed this knife has a graceful shape to the handles and they're made with molded nylon with a contoured g10 inlay on both sides which is very comfortable to grip this knife also has what's probably my favorite deep carry clip in the business it mounts from the tail of the handle so it truly nestles deep in your pocket and it's reversible for carry on either side I don't have one in front of me but another S30V Buck worth checking out is the Sprint Pro with burlap micarta handles this flipper does come with ball bearings is still us-made and comes in right under a hundred bucks right now for that same price you could also get one of our favorite Gerber knives of recent years they also American-made Fastball flipper although the shape of this knife isn't revolutionary it is an excellent EDC design that's executed extremely well you get a stonewashed S30V blade that pairs with grey or green aluminum handles although a black stonewashed blade on black handles is also available for just a few dollars more just a little bit above that hundred dollar mark so what's really great about this knife so for one thing it's a nicely sized classy everyday carry it's got a blade length of three inches and a nice wharncliffe shape with an acute tip it makes it an aggressive cutter for light to medium duty tasks day to day secondly the action this is a ball bearing equipped flipper and they took a lot of care to ensure that the action is tuned perfectly for snappy and satisfying action it feels really good the steel is also really good and this is a really great option for urban everyday carry especially for those of you folks in the office it looks a little bit fancier one might be able to consider this a gentleman's knife but it's not so fancy that you're gonna be afraid to use it next up is an impressive knife in this segment that packs a lot of features into the price range that we're looking at the SOG Terminus XR with S35VN blade priced at about $85 this is a great catch-all recommendation for an EDC pocket then first reason that three inch blade as I alluded to a little bit earlier is an important length if you live in certain knife restrictive locales and the g10 handles with carbon-fiber overlays are not overtly tactical looking but they still provide you with a good amount of grip for your day-to-day needs second reason this is an ambidextrous knife again thanks to the reversible deep carry pocket clip as well as SOGs XR lock which is their entry into the cross bar lock shop this goes through both sides of the handle so you can actuate it with either hand very easily and it keeps your fingers out of the path of the blade too which is always nice and the third reason this knife has three different opening methods for those of you out there who appreciate a good fidget we've got dual thumb studs for opening from either side as well as the flipper which is tuned quite nicely as well as the wrist flick in conjunction with the use of the XR lock the fact that they're able to put all of this together in a knife that's about 85 bucks that's built as well as this knife is is very impressive to me all right I think all of these have been very good knives but nothing so far has been a titanium frame lock flipper which is about the most widespread form factor in the world of premium knives today because normally that combination of titanium and S35VN gets to be above that hundred dollar price point that we're looking at but we do have one knife that just barely squeaks in the Factor Equipment BIT flipper now admittedly this is a bit of a novelty knife with a 1.8 five-inch blade of S35VN but it's built just like more expensive and larger knives got a really nice two-tone anodization on the handles the sort of blue and gold look as well as a milled titanium pocket clip not a simple folded over clip the frame lock keeps the small blade nice and secure and it's even got a lock bar insert that ensures the face of the lock bar is gonna wear it very nicely over time you're gonna have a nice consistent lock up and it even has a small over-travel arrester to keep you from pushing the lock bar out too far which especially on a smaller knife like this is definitely appreciated because it would be easy to flex that too far if you're getting a little out of control then thanks to a set of ceramic ball bearings in the pivot this knife even flips pretty well the BIT flipper is definitely something that puts a smile on your face and it's still a capable little knife for when you need to cut something now for a bonus pick I've got one more thing for those of you out there who are not watching this video too far in the future a knife that used to be nearly 200 bucks but now comes in just under a hundred since we scored a great closeout deal and we're passing on the savings this is the Boker Plus F3 designed by Jesper Voxnaes this is an incredibly robust folder this design features a 5 millimeter thick S35VN blade that's about 0.2 inches or there abouts and it's got a heavy stonewashed finish and a shallow hollow grind this is backed up by a handle with a G10 front scale and a stonewash titanium frame lock on the back this is a knife that competes very well against other noted hard use folders such as the DPX Hest and it's a heck of a lot of knife for the price but once they're gone they're not gonna be back so if you want one you don't want to wait so that's it for our list of the best S30V and S35VN folders that you can get for under a hundred bucks what were your guys's favorites is there something you like better make sure to let us know in the comments and if you want to get your hands on any of these knives we'll make sure to leave links in the description that'll take you over to KnifeCenter.com and make sure you're signed up for our knifeRewards program while you're there because the only thing better than a new knife is free money to spend on your next one I'm David C Andersen from the KnifeCenter signing off see you next time

Channel: KnifeCenter

Views: 130,359

Rating: 4.9031391 out of 5

Keywords: KnifeCenter, Knife Center, Knifecenter.com, folding knives, cpm-s30v under 100, cpm s35vn under 100, best knives, super steel under 100, best knives 2020, crucible particle metallurgy, sog terminus xr s35vn, cold steel code 4, gerber fastball, buck slim pro, kizer sliver, buck vantage pro, bear ops rancor ii, spyderco dog tag, cold steel lucky one, factor equipment bit flipper, edc knives, edc knives under 100, knife center, best knives under 100, folding knives 2020

Id: 7fVBNdxsi5c

Length: 14min 19sec (859 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 03 2020