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Whats a better every day cuttin steel for utility purposes aus6 or 154cm? I apologize if this has been asked before. Thanx in advance!
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? about these 2 steels.
- Thread starter Bladeswinger
- Start date
depends on what you need... 154cm offers better edge holding & will most likely be more expensive, aus6 offers ease of sharpening & better corrosion resistance.. but a lot depends on the heat treat so which knives were you looking into? what will the knife be cutting? do you have the means to sharpen it yourself?
154CM will hold an edge much longer than AUS6 for almost any application. But AUS6 is less expensive. For an everyday knife, you have to weigh the price vs. performance.
Read about steel here...(Joe Talmadge Steel FAQ)
http://www.edcknives.com/pdf-files/Steel_v2.pdf
(Sorry I keep posting Joe's faq as this PDF, if there was a better way to point to it I would do so.)
Read about steel here...(Joe Talmadge Steel FAQ)
http://www.edcknives.com/pdf-files/Steel_v2.pdf
(Sorry I keep posting Joe's faq as this PDF, if there was a better way to point to it I would do so.)
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Wow dude, you mighta picked the wrong forum to ask about AUS-6.
There's about 17,000 members here and about 16,990 of'em are, shall we say, not very fond of AUS-6A.
I personally would pick the 154CM over 6A any day, regardless of purpose. It's just an all around bettersteel to work with.
There's about 17,000 members here and about 16,990 of'em are, shall we say, not very fond of AUS-6A.
I personally would pick the 154CM over 6A any day, regardless of purpose. It's just an all around bettersteel to work with.
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QUOTE depends on what you need... 154cm offers better edge holding & will most likely be more expensive, aus6 offers ease of sharpening & better corrosion resistance.. but a lot depends on the heat treat so which knives were you looking into? what will the knife be cutting? do you have the means to sharpen it yourself?
I was looking at the Timberline mini pit bull. I thought it was a nice little knife design for just everyday cuttin chores. Nothin heavy of course but they come in the aus6 steel. I know cold steel uses it for some of their folders and i would guess that they (CS) could properly heat treat it. I would figure Lightfoot would heat treat it just as good at least.
I was looking at the Timberline mini pit bull. I thought it was a nice little knife design for just everyday cuttin chores. Nothin heavy of course but they come in the aus6 steel. I know cold steel uses it for some of their folders and i would guess that they (CS) could properly heat treat it. I would figure Lightfoot would heat treat it just as good at least.
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QUOTE Wow dude, you mighta picked the wrong forum to ask about AUS-6.
There's about 17,000 members here and about 16,990 of'em are, shall we say, not very fond of AUS-6A.
What's the reason behind that???
There's about 17,000 members here and about 16,990 of'em are, shall we say, not very fond of AUS-6A.
What's the reason behind that???
Well I don't know about that. Greg Lightfoot probably has nothing more to do with that knife than the design. The quality of the HT will all be on Timberline to get right.
I would really prefer 154CM for an everday use type knife. Basically the 154CM will be more expensive, keep an edge longer, but be a bit harder to sharpen. AUS-6 is the cheaper steel, it will sharpen up nicely and easily, but will lose that edge quicker than the 154CM. I don't carry any kind of sharpening equipment with me regularly, so I prefer a knife that will hold an edge a bit longer. I have found that just using a knife thorught the day and touching up the edge when at home works well. As long as you maintain the edge well I doubt that you will ever notice that the 154CM is any harder to sharpen.
I would really prefer 154CM for an everday use type knife. Basically the 154CM will be more expensive, keep an edge longer, but be a bit harder to sharpen. AUS-6 is the cheaper steel, it will sharpen up nicely and easily, but will lose that edge quicker than the 154CM. I don't carry any kind of sharpening equipment with me regularly, so I prefer a knife that will hold an edge a bit longer. I have found that just using a knife thorught the day and touching up the edge when at home works well. As long as you maintain the edge well I doubt that you will ever notice that the 154CM is any harder to sharpen.
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Thanx for the explaination guys!
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AUS 6 is an ok steel just a shade above 420HC in ranking based on my experiences with it. Although some of the CRKT knives have it and seem to hold their edge a little better than the other stuff I've had made of it.
154CM is a 'premium' grade of steel and will outperform the AUS6 by a wide margin. I say this based on my own experience and from reading numerous reports on this topic.
154CM is a 'premium' grade of steel and will outperform the AUS6 by a wide margin. I say this based on my own experience and from reading numerous reports on this topic.
AG Russell has Joe Talmadge's article at his website, if you don't want to/can't download the pdf file. http://www.agrussell.com/knife_information/knife_encyclopedia/articles/steel.html
-Bob
wolfmann601
Gone, but not forgotton. RIP Ira.
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For the kind of every day knife use I EDC for 154CM/ATS34 work very well.
I rarely use a knife hard enough anymore to notice any difference between 154 and S30V, however I always notice the difference when compared to AUS 6A steel.
I rarely use a knife hard enough anymore to notice any difference between 154 and S30V, however I always notice the difference when compared to AUS 6A steel.
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AUS6 is, well, how to put this delicately, ....er....soft. There, I said it. We are men here (mostly). Soft is not good for men. Especaily for steel obsessed knife men.
But seriously, even with good heat treat, AUS 6 will remain soft as compared to properly heat treated 154CM or ATS34. While I have a couple knives with the AUS6 and AUS8 blades, I own them because they're cheap enough that if they dissapear from my checked baggage on an airplane ride I won't be heartbroken. My early production KErshaw Vapor lives in my shaving kit so I always have a useable knife when I get to wherever the airplane is taking me, but after a couple days on the road doing sales rep stuff (opening boxes, cutting packing tape) I find it noticable duller. If you're like many of us and always want a razor in your pocket, AUS6 will dissapoint. AUS8 is a bit better, but still not up to 154CM.
Many knifemakers and collectors/serious users consider 154CM to be the entry level into premium steels. It's not quite as tough or hard as S30V or D2, doesn't have the cache of S90V or Talonite, but makes a damn fine knife blade. From the knife makers I've spoken with, many of them prefer it over really high tech blade materials because of it's balance of performance, cost and ease of working it in the knifemaking process. It grinds and finishes well and holds nice edge.
Of the dozen knives in my EDC rotation I have one talonite, one D2, one VG10, one CPM440V, two S30V and six 154CM/ATS34 knives. Then there's the AUS6 Vapor and AUS8 Cold Steel Voyagers that are the travel knives. I think this mix gives me a good cross section and 154CM certainly seems to make the grade IMHO.
John
But seriously, even with good heat treat, AUS 6 will remain soft as compared to properly heat treated 154CM or ATS34. While I have a couple knives with the AUS6 and AUS8 blades, I own them because they're cheap enough that if they dissapear from my checked baggage on an airplane ride I won't be heartbroken. My early production KErshaw Vapor lives in my shaving kit so I always have a useable knife when I get to wherever the airplane is taking me, but after a couple days on the road doing sales rep stuff (opening boxes, cutting packing tape) I find it noticable duller. If you're like many of us and always want a razor in your pocket, AUS6 will dissapoint. AUS8 is a bit better, but still not up to 154CM.
Many knifemakers and collectors/serious users consider 154CM to be the entry level into premium steels. It's not quite as tough or hard as S30V or D2, doesn't have the cache of S90V or Talonite, but makes a damn fine knife blade. From the knife makers I've spoken with, many of them prefer it over really high tech blade materials because of it's balance of performance, cost and ease of working it in the knifemaking process. It grinds and finishes well and holds nice edge.
Of the dozen knives in my EDC rotation I have one talonite, one D2, one VG10, one CPM440V, two S30V and six 154CM/ATS34 knives. Then there's the AUS6 Vapor and AUS8 Cold Steel Voyagers that are the travel knives. I think this mix gives me a good cross section and 154CM certainly seems to make the grade IMHO.
John
Nick Hyle said:
That may be true, but It could be that pdf --> nicely formatted HTML is a pain. I've mentioned several times that it should be updated in our FAQs here. I think it's either:
1. Folks including Joe are too busy. (Understandable)
2. Since this version is 2002, It may be worthwhile for another update before bothering to switch versions (which leads us back to #1).