Aus 8 How Does It Rank?

CRKS

CRKS

Joined
Feb 24, 2006
Messages
1,280
I think I have read information stating that AUS 8 was a Taiwan patented / proprietary steel. How would you rank it in the following list.

I have an Idea how I would rank it, I would like other peoples opinion. Also If your response is opinion please state that or if your statement is an from research please state that also.

Phil I hope you can share some info. on this, your knowledge is greatly respected.

Please list in the order of #1 being the best.

440, 440C, 420, AUS 8, 1095, 0170-6C, Plain old High Carbon,
154CM, ATS34, S30V.

There was a discussion at the show last weekend, I just want to know where I stand on the steel.

Tom,
Chestnut Ridge Knife shop
 
Considering only stainless steels that I'm familiar with, I'd place it like this:

from low to high:
420J2, AUS4, 440A, 420HC, 440B, AUS8, 440C, ATS34

Sorry I can't back that up with evidence like cutting and sharpening demos. It's based only on knives I own, and is influenced by how each knife of each steel type is finished and treated.

-Bob
 
Yes , that's about where it belongs in the list. I've had a Cold Steel stainless Master Hunter in AUS-8 .That's one of the most practical hunting knives I've used .My test is to do an entire deer ,dressing,skinning, complete butchering with the knife .That steel holds up very well for that....Remember of course that proper heat treating is the second part of the equation.
 
I'm with Bob on that, I put AUS-8 at 440-B on his list, like the order too.
WOOK
 
Tom,

Best is a loose goal! Assuming we are talking edge retention on small to medium sized folders, not large fixed blades choppers, then......

All the following is OPINION, & theoretical. I have not done any comparison testing to speak of. Lets all remember to do a good test like that would require using identical knives with identical edge geometry in the different steels!

Also, I don't think it necessary to compare stainless to carbon. Apples to oranges!

I think Bob W has nailed it:

420J2, AUS4, 440A, 420HC, 440B, AUS8, 440C, ATS34 then S30V

154CM & ATS34 can be considered the same.
First 4 on the list may be so close as to be acedemic? ( although I have never played with AUS4).

And very well said mete!!!
"Remember of course that proper heat treating is the second part of the equation."
Thanks for saving me the trouble of ranting on heat treat.
 
First 4 on the list may be so close as to be acedemic?
Click to expand...
I'm not so sure. Buck uses 420HC and it seems to be worlds better than the bottom-end 420J2 and AUS4. I think it's even better than 440A, at least it has the potential to be.

But looking at adjacent steels, is AUS4 noticably different than 420J2? Or is 440B noticably different than 420HC? I don't think so.

-Bob
 
Thanks for adding in the S30V and 154CM. I wasn't confident enough in my knowledge to attempt to rank them. The other common stainless that I purposely omitted is the Sandvic 12C27. Anyone?

-Bob
 
I remember seeing on the History channel that Buck has an elaborate heat treating procedure for their knives. Can anyone corroborate?
 
felixXJ said:
I remember seeing on the History channel that Buck has an elaborate heat treating procedure for their knives. Can anyone corroborate?
Click to expand...

Buck uses the cryo treatmant on their blades and that is why their 420hc blades have always performed so well. I think everyone uses this now, unless it's cheap imports! As far as aus 8a is concerned the best blades using this steel have always been from Seki Japan.
 
Camillus made a change in the CQB1 from the AST34 to the 154CM Buck also followed this change (a couple of years after Camillus did) in there Alpha Hunter line. Buck changed there 276 and 277 Alpha hunter from the ATS34 in 2005 to the 154CM in 2006 and 2007 models. There general statement for both steel type is this: Excellent edge retention, good corrosion resistance, Harden to a standard Rc 59-61. When the question comes up about “why did they do this?” I don’t have a good answer. Phil shed some light on the fact that they can be considered the same. Does anyone have a reason why they did that?

Also the statement felixXJ made triggered another thought about why Buck dropped down from the ATS34 / 154CM in the 276 and 277 to the 420HC in the 278 and 279 Alpha Hunter? It seems as though Buck likes the 420HC, they use it in allot of there knives. Is it because of their heat treatment process?

Many of the Camillus knives are listed as High Carbon Stainless. An older catalog lists the Yello Jaket series as 440C and the 2006 catalog Yello Jaket is listed as the High Carbon Stainless. Did the steel change or are they just making another reference the 440C?

Tom
Chestnut Ridge Knife Shop
 
Tom,

Given the fact that ATS-34 & 154CM are almost identical, the change was probably due to the fact that the 154CM is made in the USA, ATS-34 is made in Japan. For the Camillus reasons, the CQB1 was to be sold to the Government, so totally made in USA was important.

As to Buck's changes, obviously I can only speculate.
420HC costs less than half of what ATS-34/154CM costs.
420HC can be blanked, ATS-34/154CM must be laser cut (alot more expensive!)

The Camillus changes were due to what was available from domestic steel mills. I'm not sure when 440C was used (might me a typo/lie!).
Used to be 440B, then 440A. I don't think even 440A is available in coil anymore, so it is now prpbably 420HC.
 
Cold Steel's AUS8 in its Voyagers is excellent IMHO. The vanadium content makes it a very good edge holder -- maybe not quite as good as ATS-34 or VG-10, but a bit easier to resharpen. Excellent corrosion resistance as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top