AUS 10A Better than ATS-34, 440V ?

DaveH

DaveH

Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Messages
12,249
Got a new Cold Steel catalog and in it is says that AUS 10A is a better performer than steels like ATS-34 or 440V.

Here's my questions:

- I've never had a knife with AUS 10A, anybody have experience here?

- What does "performer" mean in the statement used above, is that including price, not including price, edge holding what?

- Why is the word "like" used, why not just say it's a better performer than ATS-34. Is the distiction important?

DaveH, sometimes steel snob
 
I got the same catalog. I won't say here what I think about it for several reasons.

smile.gif


 
Cold Steel makes knives that favor toughness over edge holding. They will need sharpening more often, but the blades won't snap under stress as easily as other steels. I don't have any experience with AUS 10, but the carbon and chromium content is pretty similar to ATS-34's. My guess is that it will have slightly inferior edge holding but more ductility.

Of course, if you use a knife in ways that ductility would be important, than you might be better off getting a fixed blade.

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Simon Yu

"I look at it this way. If things get much worse I'll be too dead to care."
 
Cold Steel has a history of promoting their products as "better" than other company's products. I believe that they previously stated that AUS-8 was better than ATS-34, which leaves you to wonder why they bothered to upgrade.

I haven't tried AUS-10, but it looks like it would be a good steel. Whether or not it's "better" than other steels is mainly personal preference. I do like VG-10 a lot though, and it looks like AUS-10 is very similar to VG-10 on paper.
 
I would describe Cold Steel's alloy choices as favoring sharpness over edge holding. Their original stainless choice, AUS-8, is very fine grained and gets sharper than other alloys I've used, but it dulls more readily than some others. AUS-10 is similar, but has a higher carbon content and can achieve a greater hardness. I rate it superior for sharpness. I haven't really stressed my AUS-10 Junglee Marshall enough to rate edge holding yet. AUS-10 can be hardened up to about 60 RC like ATS-34. The big differences are that ATS-34 has a lot more molybdenum than AUS-10, while AUS-10 has vanadium and ATS-34 doesn't. Moly makes steel hard to sharpen, vanadium seems to help.


[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 04-27-2000).]
 

Personally, whenI see "AUS....", I turn the other way. Just too much disapointment with that series of steels.

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KSwinamer

Atheism....A non-prophet organization
 
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