Aus-8a

euroross

euroross

Joined
May 19, 2008
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Hey guys what can you tell me about this steel? I know this has been around for a long time and alot of newer steels have come out, but is this an OK choice? Thanks, Ross
 
Steel quality generally (but not always) correlates to price. AUS 8 is probably okay for lower and lower/medium end knives, IMO.
 
Properly manufactured a knife with an AUS-8 blade will give good corrosion resistance and it will be easy to maintain the edge.
It is not a highly wear resistant steel, but I agree that it gives highly satisfactory service for general purpose use.
 
It's a pretty good steel if it's heat treated well, definitely good for general EDC use. It's pretty corrosion resistant and really easy to sharpen, it just doesn't hold an edge as long as higher end steels. As Locutus said though, quality is relative to price. I would say for something under 50 or 60 bucks it's a good steel.
 
It's a very fine grained steel, so it will take a very sharp edge. When heat treated well (think Beretta/Moki) its a darned good steel for the price. When done poorly (think any number of cheap makers) it's blah at best.

One of my most used knives, a Beretta Loveless Hunter is AUS-8. I can completely disassemble 2-3 deer with it before it needs resharpening. That's plenty good enough for me.
 
Thanks guys canes across a blade made by ?Gryphon? For 75. Just questioning its durability and edge holding. But I think it's heat treat is good. May be wrong.
 
I used a Cold Steel Master hunter for a number of years as my prime hunting knife .It was one of the most practical knives I've had .Easy to sharpen yet held an edge well.
 
euroross said:
Hey guys what can you tell me about this steel? I know this has been around for a long time and alot of newer steels have come out, but is this an OK choice? Thanks, Ross
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Depends on what you are doing and what you like in a knife edge.
AUS 8 has no carbides, so it gets razor sharp and holds that razor edge a decent amount of time. But, because it does not have carbides, it doesn't have great wear resistance.

So, if you were going to cut cardboard or some other abrasive medium all day, AUS8 would probably not be what you want. But if you were cutting meat or flesh, it would likely do just fine.
 
I've found AUS-8 to be a very decent steel for my EDC uses. It sharpens up easy, takes a great edge, and has decent edge retention. I've used AUS-8 on SOGs (Flash series and Twitch), Cold Steel (Lawman), and KaBar (Dozier Folding Hunter). I have had it roll pretty badly while cutting a tin can (not opening it, but cutting the side walls of the can itself), but that's not really typical usage.
 
euroross said:
Thanks guys canes across a blade made by ?Gryphon? For 75. Just questioning its durability and edge holding. But I think it's heat treat is good. May be wrong.
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Which one?

I'm finding more and more that the steel type matters little, what is important is the heat treat. I have had AUS 8 knives that were terrible and AUS 8 knives that were fantastic. Same with ATS34, 154CM, D2, etc.

I have an ATS34 Gryphon and it shows some of the best fit and finish I've ever seen. It even has a divot in the blade from where each one is hardness tested after heat treating, an excellent quality control measure.

I would guess a knife from the same factory, in AUS8, would be great.
 
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