M390 and S110V are two premium quality steels that are used in the highest quality knives. These two steels can get quite expensive. You’re going to spend a lot of money on them, so it would only make sense to know which one is better.

Here is the short answer:

S110V, when compared to M390, is going to have better corrosion resistance and better edge retention. However, M390 is easier to sharpen than S110V, and M390 is tougher and harder. Other than edge retention and corrosion resistance M390 and S110V are pretty similar.

With the short answer out of the way, we can take a more in-depth look at each steel, what makes each steel good, why one steel is better than the other, and what the best knives are in each steel.

S110V

S110V is a steel known for being an excellent high-end steel. Its best attribute is that it has great edge retention.

S110V is considered a premium steel, but it is more of a specialty steel. S110V has great edge retention, but not great qualities anywhere else. Because S110V has such great edge retention, it is best used for slicing jobs instead of chopping jobs.

S110V’s biggest downside is that it is hard to sharpen. So while your knife will stay sharp for a long time, when it does eventually go dull, it will be very hard to resharpen.

Here is what S110V is made of:

• 2.8% Carbon 
• 15.2% Chromium
• 2.2% Molybdenum
• 9% Vanadium
• 2.5% Cobalt
• 3% Niobium

All those components each do different things: The carbon increases strength (it’s important to note that at high levels, carbon leads to brittleness, which means easy chipping and breaking), the chromium increases corrosion resistance, the molybdenum increases hardenability (which basically means that it’s easier to harden, and thus easy to manufacture), and vanadium improves wear resistance and strength. Cobalt increases the overall effect of all the company of the steel and niobium increases the steel’s hardness.

M390

M390 is considered to be a premium quality steel. This is because M390 is a steel that performs well in almost all aspects that you can measure a steel with.  

The biggest upside to M390 is that it is a premium steel that is going to work well for all knife tasks. M390 best excels at keeping an edge: M390 is known for having some of the best edge retentive abilities of all the steels out there. Overall, M390 is very good steel and not a bad choice for a premium steel.

The biggest downside to M390 is that it is very hard to sharpen. Because M390 is very good at keeping its edge, it is also very hard to resharpen. The other downside to M390 is its price. M390 is a glorified super steel and has a reputation for being the best steel money can buy, which is not always the case. But because of the idea that it is the best steel out there, M390 is very expensive.

Here is what M390 is made of:

• 1.9% of Carbon
• 0.7% of Silicon
• 0.3% of Manganese
• 20% of Chromium
• 1% of Molybdenum
• 0.6% of Tungsten
• 4% of Vanadium

Tungsten, similar to vanadium, reduces grain size of the steel, which improves wear resistance and strength.

Which steel is better and why?

Now that we have taken a close look at each steel, what they are made of, what their best attributes are, what their downsides are, and what they are made of, we can see which one is better.

When it comes to edge retention, S110V is a better steel. S110V is known for being one of the most, if not the most, edge-retentive steel you can get. However, because it is one of the most edge retentive steels, it is also one of the hardest to sharpen.

M390 generally is a better all-around steel when compared to S110V (except in edge retention), with the trade-off being that M390 is more expensive. While M390 has slightly better toughness and all-around performance, it may not be worth the extra price when S110V is pretty similar.

Our favorite knives in each steel

Now we can look at what our favorite knives are in each steel to make your decision on what to buy easy.

Spyderco Native 5 – S110V

The Spyderco Native 5 is a lightweight carry knife that is perfect for EDC or backpacking. It has an FRN (fiberglass reinforced) handle making it lightweight and durable. The Spyderco Native 5 also has a thumb hole opening design making it nearly impossible to snag your pocket when you draw your knife.

Check out this knife here (link to Amazon)

Benchmade Bugout – M390

The Benchmade Bugout is a super lightweight, smooth-opening knife that is near perfect for backpacking and hunting. The Bugout weighs just over 2 ounces so it won’t weigh you down when you have to do a lot of walking. This knife has Benchmade’s super smooth-opening AXIS locking system, ensuring an easy opening every time.

Check out this knife here (link to Amazon)

Conclusion

S110V and M390 are pretty similar steels. S110V is going to have better edge retention but will be harder to sharpen. And while M390 is a better all-around steel and is more balanced, it will be more expensive and, quite often, not worth the extra money when compared to S110V.