Al Mar ?

R

ram38

Joined
Nov 21, 2005
Messages
127
Hello everyone,
What is the deal with AL MAR knives ? They are AUS8 and yet sell like they
are 154CM or S30V steel knives. What is the attraction ? Maybe I need to
get one to see.

Thanks,
Ram
 
Yeah, I think it's an aesthetics thing. I've never held one, but damn, don't they look nice?! They always remind me of a folding Henckels paring knife; you know the one.

I haven't bought one yet, but will the second I see one in an actual store and not just online. Probably a Hawk or Osprey, or maybe an Eagle.

You're right about the price vs. steel type thing though... Seems funny they're 'just' AUS8. I've got a Twitch I that's AUS 8, and have no complaints about it, but it doesn't get hard use (like it even could, given it's size), and I'd rather be getting a better quality steel for the $100+ that some of the Al Mar's I like are going for.
 
Yes, I have noticed that Al Mar's Sere is also discussed here alot.
I was just wondering why an Al Mar S.L.B. would sell for $100+ new
and about $65 used when it's just AUS8, same steel my CRK M16-T
has and it cost me $20 used. I am not bashing Al Mar, just trying to
see why a AUS8 blade would bring that type of money when all I have
seen is AUS8 is used on low end knives.
 
BIG fan of Al Mar blades. Have a hawk (gentlemen's EDC) and just recently bought a Nomad. Great features all around, and the knife just feels solid. Very sharp blade out of the box. Highly recommend any of their products.
 
I have recently bought a Golden Talon Eagle. Nice knife, fit and finish is excellent, feels good in the hand. I will definitely be looking at other Almar knives in the future.
 
The only one I've seen is the S.E.R.E. folder; and for me, holding a S.E.R.E. folder is an experience all it's own. The only thing I've held that was nicer was a custom.

I had a chance to handle a green micarta handled S.E.R.E. back in the late 1990's at the San Francisco Gun Exchange. Fell in love with it, wish I'd bought it. I was going to jump on it at Christmas, but got laid off. (Life is stinky that way, sometimes.:( ) The guy showing it to me said he took it out of the case at least 3-4 times a week to show it to customers. At the time, it was around $125., and he said they sold ok at that price. They didn't sell a lot, but they did sell, according to him.

I've owned Bucks all my life, and never had a problem with them, and most of mine have been in their standard 420. If Buck can work its magic with cheap 420, then Al Mar Co. must be doing something right with AUS8. Opinions vary, though, as far as steel goes.

Guess you'll just have to buy an Al Mar and see for yourself . . . ;)

thx - cpr
 
The Nomad and both SEREs are VG10 and well done VG10 at that. The F&F on every Al Mar I've seen is top notch for a production company and better than some customs I've looked at. Their CS was very good to me when I called with a question and others have reported same when they've called or had to use their W&R.

Personally, I don't have anything against AUS8 the way that they use it (Osprey, Hawk, Eagle, etc.). These are light-to-medium duty EDC knives. AUS8 can take a really sharp edge and hold it for a while under that kind of use, and it's pretty corrosion-resistant, making it more care-free than some other blade steels.
 
ram38 said:
Hello everyone,
What is the deal with AL MAR knives ? They are AUS8 and yet sell like they
are 154CM or S30V steel knives. What is the attraction ? Maybe I need to
get one to see.

Thanks,
Ram
Click to expand...


Yes, I thought about this for a while too. AUS 8A is not a simple steel like 1095 which is cheaper, but then if you look at the knife makers in the US, a lot of them don't use expensive steels, it is the heat treatment which finally decides on the quality of the knife. Even 1095 made by certain knife makers are pretty expensive too. AUS 8A has more elements in it than 440C. I bought a Falcon talon blade, fit and finish is excellent, the blade is beautifully shaped and it is extremely light, probably around 1 oz, so it wouldn't pull your pants down. I wanted to buy the Eagle talon too but they were out of stock.
 
AUS-8 is junk. I don't get it either. I avoid AUS 6 and 8 like the plague.

I had a Falcon. Great knife save two issues. One, it was AUS-8. Two, it seemed rather stiff. It was hard to get it to close one handed. Like like a blade that opens and closes smoothly with little effort.

The Al Mar Shrike on the other hand is in a class by itself. It is the smoothest folder I have ever owned and I have owned a wheel barrow full of folders. It is also VG-10 and comes razor sharp and seems to stay that was for a long time.
 
On some of the folders in AUS8 that are made in Moki, the handle materials can be pricey (wood and pearl) so using AUS8 rather than VG10 probably keeps them at a more reasonable price. The workmanship on those folders, like the Osprey or Hawk or the new 4" models, is excellent and while it might be nice to have them all in VG10 I'm perfectly content to take them in AUS8. No, it's not a super steel, but it's adequate and they're beautifully made knives. I completely understand folks who don't want to spend over X dollars for an AUS8 knife, but I'd offer that one may not wish to sell them so short just based on the steel.
 
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