AUS 8A Vs N690

Unbreakable

Unbreakable

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Wondering what the general opinion is on these two steels especially when stacked up against one another. I only own one knife in N690 and so far it's been a performer. I've owned several knives over the years in AUS 8A (Mostly Cold Steels) and found it to be a wonderful steel. The reason I ask is that for some stupid reason I want an SRK in AUS 8A as a backpack knife... But I already have a Benchmade Offsider limited that I use and it works quite well. So I was just wanting to hear some opinions on the two steels.


Also, I got the Offsider for dirt cheap.... yet Extrema Ratio knives (Which are made of N690) go for a good bit of money. Any idea why such a difference when the steel is the same? I doubt Benchmade does a crappy heat treat... the lines are clean and well made... I don't see it. Is there something special about the Extrema Ratio knives?
 
I like N690 but only have it on one blade. Cold steel does a good job on AUS8 but its IMO not even close to N690. I also won't buy any more cold steel for personal reasons.
 
N690 seems to be a "regional" steel - I know it is what Fox cutlery in Italy used when making the limited-production Spyderco Volpe. basically what i've heard is that it falls somewhere between like, AUS-8 or 440C and VG-10 as far as edge retention goes. I don't HAVE a knife with n690 so take that as you will.
 
I have tested both N690 and AUS8 cutting manila rope in side by side comparisons. In my testing I found N690 to have similar edge retention to VG10 and 154CM.

N690 is has much better edge retention than AUS8. I find that N690 takes as keen an edge as AUS8 with hardly any increase in sharpening effort.

N690 has the same chromium and Carbon levels as 440C but N690 also has small almounts of Cobalt and Vanadium that improve the steel and give it superior properties to 440C.

It is made by Bohler in Austria. IIRC, Razorsharp, who is an engineer for competitor Sandvik, said that N690 is only made in the Austrian Bohler plant, but is available world wide through Bohler's distribution system.

Lovely stuff. One of my favorite steels.
 
Unbreakable said:
Also, I got the Offsider for dirt cheap.... yet Extrema Ratio knives (Which are made of N690) go for a good bit of money. Any idea why such a difference when the steel is the same? I doubt Benchmade does a crappy heat treat... the lines are clean and well made... I don't see it. Is there something special about the Extrema Ratio knives?
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The price difference is not due to cost of materials but rather a difference in marketing, design, and target market.
 
knarfeng said:
The price difference is not due to cost of materials but rather a difference in marketing, design, and target market.
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Ah gotcha... so Extrema Ratio gets to charge the Tacticool price. I was wondering about that... because the Offsider is .20" thick whereas ER knives are around .25" so we're really not talking a great deal more lateral strength since you get to a point of deminishing returns with that type of thing. And the Offsider has been a hell of a knife and for the money I think it may be the most knife for the money I've ever owned. In the begining it took a funny edge... I believe the bevel was uneven and it cause an edge that would shave on one side but not on the other... but after a little use and a few sharpenings... it's even and cuts like a freakin laser now. Could just be that I got used to it or was having off days the first few times I sharpened as well.... But since it is the only knife I've had a problem sharpening in 10 years... I blame the knife LOL.
 
samhain73 said:
N690c is much more like VG10.
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Nuff said then. VG10 is some good stuff. However... what would say the characteristics would be of a VG10 like steel in a large fixed blade when faced with chores like light chopping, batoning, and such. I know in a smaller package like a Spyderco VG10 makes for a hell of a utility blade for small blade chores but am curious as to it's nature in the higher impact demands of a larger fixed blade. Much like the opinions I've read that D2 is not as good as A2 in a high impact chopper however can be a much better performer in a smaller utility application. Not even sure if this is true... but I've read various opinions that lean in that direction.
 
knarfeng said:
I have tested both N690 and AUS8 cutting manila rope in side by side comparisons. In my testing I found N690 to have similar edge retention to VG10 and 154CM.

N690 is has much better edge retention than AUS8. I find that N690 takes as keen an edge as AUS8 with hardly any increase in sharpening effort.

N690 has the same chromium and Carbon levels as 440C but N690 also has small almounts of Cobalt and Vanadium that improve the steel and give it superior properties to 440C.
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Yes... I've read that it's basically a refined version of 440C (Which has always been a good steel IMHO). If it mirrors 154CM at all then that's more then I could have hoped... I love 154CM. Again... what would your opinion be of such a steel in a larger fixed blade application though. Where it might encounter more impact or stresses than a smaller folder or fixed utility blade?
 
I have less knowledge of stainless steels suited for impact. I have always looked to carbon steels and alloy steels for such usage.

I would guess that N690 would be less suited for heavy impacts than something on the order of AUS6 or 440A. But I have no direct usage data.
 
I have N690c in my TOPS Thunder Hawk and I have to say the steel seems to be on a par with at least VG10. Takes a wicked sharp edge and once you strop it to get rid of the wire edge it is about as scary sharp as one could ask for. Lasts a good long time too and doesn't seem to be to much affected by oxidation over long periods of time, you know where the edge will just get a bit duller without heavy use. keepem sharp
 
N690 is a basically an European version of the VG-10, and might even be better than that. It is a very fine stainless steel. Much superior to AUS-8, they ain't even in the same class that's for sure.
 
Interesting discussion. However, which steel is better for field use? The ability to remain sharp is important. However, AUS-8 is a great all-around stainless steel. It's tougher than harder stainless steels, it folds instead of chipping, and it's easy to resharpen. It really depends on what you want out of the knife. I don't know much about Böhler N690 Cobalt, but I returned a VG-10 knife because it's too brittle and chippy for my purposes. Like I said, it depends on what you value in a steel.
 
This thread is from 2008 but the question could still come up. While AUS-8 feels more obsolete to me in 2022, it is still used in various budget knives . The Rat 1 and 2 remain popular and they seem to do one of the better heat treatments on AUS-8. Meanwhile, N690 is used in various European knives. Bradford Guardians in N690 can be had for less than the super-steel versions currently on their site. While Kizer seems to have moved to 154CM as their entry-level steel, lots of their Vanguard knives are still available in N690.

AUS-8 wins on toughness. It's no 14C28N but it is relatively tough for a stainless steel. Otherwise, N690 tends to offer better edge retention and better corrosion resistance. People often compare N690 to VG-10, probably because they both contain cobalt and tend to have similar edge retention. While not as tough as AUS-8, VG-10 can be a little tougher than N690 while N690 can have slightly better corrosion resistance. Personally, I like N690 as a basic EDC steel.

As always, the heat treatment makes a huge difference on how well a given steel will perform. Another thing to remember is that factory edges are often poor indicators of how a given steel will perform. Heat from grinding can degrade the steel along the edge, leading to poor edge retention or chipping. Performance often improves after a few fresh edges, though the depth of this effect can vary.
 
I very happy with N690. No complaints here!!! Todd Begg and the two Andre's from South Africa used it pretty exclusively till a few years ago..... Tells me all I need...

Aus-8 is ok stuff...Like a Timex takes a lickin' and keeps ticking....Nice an easy to resharpen!!
The older Al Mar blades used this alot....Since its a Japanese steel the have the heat treatment pegged perfect...
 
Thanks for all the insight into these steels. Not many companies are selling good AUS-8 survival knives right now. Survival Lilly is about the only company I know that makes a decent one. Cold Steel used to make their SRK in AUS-8A with a flat grind. They stopped making it years ago. And after the sellout to GSM Outdoors, I don't trust Cold Steel anymore. Oddly, many companies make AUS-8 and AUS-10 folding knives, but not fixed blades. Honestly, like most people on these forums, I really don't need anymore knives! That said, most of my knives are very nice high carbon steel knives. They're far more durable than stainless knives. But, that's the thing. They aren't stainless. It would be nice to have just 1 nice stainless blade that's very tough for stainless steel. I recently got a deal on a fixed blade in CPM-3V. It's an excellent steel, but it's only partially stainless. And while it holds an edge forever, it's apparently very difficult to resharpen in the field, because the steel is so tough.
 
Unbreakable said:
Nuff said then. VG10 is some good stuff. However... what would say the characteristics would be of a VG10 like steel in a large fixed blade when faced with chores like light chopping, batoning, and such. I know in a smaller package like a Spyderco VG10 makes for a hell of a utility blade for small blade chores but am curious as to it's nature in the higher impact demands of a larger fixed blade. Much like the opinions I've read that D2 is not as good as A2 in a high impact chopper however can be a much better performer in a smaller utility application. Not even sure if this is true... but I've read various opinions that lean in that direction.
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Fallkniven has used VG10 in its survival knives for a long, long time, and I can't remember any indication that it wasn't suited to their knives.
 
DDDYLN said:
Thanks for all the insight into these steels. Not many companies are selling good AUS-8 survival knives right now. Survival Lilly is about the only company I know that makes a decent one. Cold Steel used to make their SRK in AUS-8A with a flat grind. They stopped making it years ago. And after the sellout to GSM Outdoors, I don't trust Cold Steel anymore. Oddly, many companies make AUS-8 and AUS-10 folding knives, but not fixed blades. Honestly, like most people on these forums, I really don't need anymore knives! That said, most of my knives are very nice high carbon steel knives. They're far more durable than stainless knives. But, that's the thing. They aren't stainless. It would be nice to have just 1 nice stainless blade that's very tough for stainless steel. I recently got a deal on a fixed blade in CPM-3V. It's an excellent steel, but it's only partially stainless. And while it holds an edge forever, it's apparently very difficult to resharpen in the field, because the steel is so tough.
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As a general rule, high toughness blade steel doesn't make a knife harder to sharpen, that comes down to the wear resistance (which presents itself as edge retention). Some of the toughest steels out there like 80CrV2 an 5160 are stupidly easy to sharpen, in fact CPM-3V is decently easy to sharpen as well, it's when you get to the super high wear resistance steels of the world like M390, S-90V, etc that you start to have a rough time with sharpening.
 
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