AUS-8 steel - who makes it best?

Ankerson said:
Cold steel does it better than anyone else.
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I was going to pipe up and say I like how Cold Steel does it. Takes a good edge easily, pretty good balance of stainless, toughness etc.

It is like most steels. If the heat treat is done well, you will have a decent steel. If it is done wrong, you have poor performance, and will seem like a bad steel to the user.
 
I have three Benchmade's in AUS8 that are all craptacular. Total garbage, each and every one. Might just be bad luck, but damn those blades suck, or to put it more eloquently, they do not take a good edge and what edge they do take they cannot keep.

But hey, maybe it's just me. I was, after all, dumb enough to buy two more after buying the first.
 
Yes I've always been pleased about the performance of my Cold Steel Aus8 blades. Aus8 often gets bagged on in this era of super steels, but I find it plenty capable and is effortless to resharpen.
 
AUS-8 is a pretty good steel. It can be sharpened up pretty easily and will hold that edge reasonably. All of my CS knives in AUS-8A take a spectacular edge and hold it well. I also have to say the AUS-8 in the RAT 1 is fantastic. In carrying and using both the Recon-1 and the Rat-1 I have found their edge "durability" to be about the same, but would say the Rat-1 holds an edge a little longer. I think this is due to the geometry of the blades. Hollow ground versus full flat, drop point versus tanto etc etc. I have actually seen the use of quite a few recon-1s. They all held an edge very well. My BIL has a serrated version that he has beat on mercilessly. I have watched him use it to re-stock an AK-47. He was using it as a pry bar, screwdriver, hammer, punch and a cutting tool. A few minutes with me and a cheapo diamond stone and it was back to hair popping sharp. The beauty of the AUS-8 (either RAT or CS) is that they are not that expensive, they perform well, you don't have to worry about messing it up and they will take an edge easily. As long as you are reasonable in your expectations and reasonable with your knife use its pretty damn good. This goes for any knife and any steel.
 
PNWJoel said:
I have a SOG Trident Tanto with AUS-8 steel that I honestly find underwhelming performance wise. It doesn't seem to hold an edge well and also seems to accumulate a lot of dings on the blade from not very hard work.
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Sounds to me like you would be happier with a better steel.




Big Mike
 
Bigfattyt said:
I was going to pipe up and say I like how Cold Steel does it. Takes a good edge easily, pretty good balance of stainless, toughness etc.

It is like most steels. If the heat treat is done well, you will have a decent steel. If it is done wrong, you have poor performance, and will seem like a bad steel to the user.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's a good steel that's not all that expensive and will do the job, easy to sharpen too.
 
I've had great relationships with any and all cold steel aus8 I have ever owned, my sog flash 2 has great aus8, I had a rat 1 folder for a while, man that glad was wicked full flat ground razor aus8, good stuff. My seal team elite hold a fantastic edge in 8a, oh and the CS SRK! Aus8, whole knife made in Japan,love that blade.
 
Cold Steel, no doubt. The AUS 8 on my AK47 holds up well, gets super sharp and the knife it's self is a bad mamba jamba:

[video=youtube;yMfZDZlBasc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMfZDZlBasc[/video]
 
My Recon 1 is my first AUS-8 to really test, though it dulled, it never dinged. I have no problem with cold steel's AUS-8.
 
without a doubt cold steel. out of the box they are by far the sharpest knives i have used, just my opinion though
 
What degree would you suggest is best to keep the blade angle ? I heard 22° each side is good for the Recon Tanto !!
 
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