AUS10a Steel?

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Dr Rez

Dr Rez

Pisser of the Couch
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I have not been able to find all that much info on this steel, other than its composition seems to be very similar to that of vg10. I am looking to purchase a stainless chef knife and many of the options have aus10a rather than the vg10 i am used to.

What is your experience with this steel, and have would you say it performs in comparison to stainless steels like 154cm/vg10.? I have a few knives in AUS8 which are not bad by any means but the edge retention is rather lacking.
 
AUS 10 (10A): A high-carbon (1.1%) stainless steel with greater toughness but less corrosion resistance than 440C thanks to the addition of vanadium and the subtraction of chromium from the alloy.

On Japany.com they consider it slightly tougher than 440C difficult to sharpen does not take a great edge and has good retention.

From the reviews I found people seem all positive about the steel. I have no experience with it but it is certainly a good Japanese product.

you can poke at this tread if you want https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/aus-10-vs-vg10.668017/
 
AUS-10 is similar to VG-10 in that it is a ~1.0%C steel but with lower chromium than 440C. The lower chromium means lower corrosion resistance and wear resistance but higher toughness, hardness, and edge stability than 440C. If heat treated well it should be a fine choice.
 
Before VG10, Aus10 and ATS34 were the top Japanese steels. Some claimed Aus10 was better than Ats34. Spyderco had a Native in it for years, marketing it as a premium steel. I think Cold Steel used it as ther premium steel in a few knives. I'd trust it.
 
Dr Rez said:
I have not been able to find all that much info on this steel, other than its composition seems to be very similar to that of vg10. I am looking to purchase a stainless chef knife and many of the options have aus10a rather than the vg10 i am used to.

What is your experience with this steel, and have would you say it performs in comparison to stainless steels like 154cm/vg10.? I have a few knives in AUS8 which are not bad by any means but the edge retention is rather lacking.
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I have a knife with an AUS10 blade. It's edge retention is similar to that of VG10 or 154CM, assuming all are hardened to the same Rockwell and assuming the edge profiles match up. A definite step above 440C and AUS8, a definite step below S30V.
 
knarfeng said:
I have a knife with an AUS10 blade. It's edge retention is similar to that of VG10 or 154CM, assuming all are hardened to the same Rockwell and assuming the edge profiles match up. A definite step above 440C and AUS8, a definite step below S30V.
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Knarf I always look forward to your responses! You dont know how many old threads Iv pulled up researching things and used your answers.

ALso thanks for the reply everyone else as well, good to know, had no idea it was sooo similar to ats34.
 
My wife's job is basically a prep cook and after trying the much recommended Victorinox Vibrox handled chef knife, and we were both greatly let down by the blade steel. She would bring it home for me to resharpen what seemed like every other day. I tried a few different sharpening techniques and edge angles, but it just wasn't great. I searched for another chef knife that would fit in our budget and ended up finding a Wallop brand japanese knife for about half off retail. The blade steel is AUS10. We have been incredibly impressed! I sharpen once a week, and even then it is just a minor touch up. I just ordered another knife from the same company, with the same steel, again for about half off of retail. So this is only my experience with one knife, from one maker, but AUS10 has been extremely good to me!
hVGrfy2.jpg
 
bralexander said:
My wife's job is basically a prep cook and after trying the much recommended Victorinox Vibrox handled chef knife, and we were both greatly let down by the blade steel. She would bring it home for me to resharpen what seemed like every other day. I tried a few different sharpening techniques and edge angles, but it just wasn't great. I searched for another chef knife that would fit in our budget and ended up finding a Wallop brand japanese knife for about half off retail. The blade steel is AUS10. We have been incredibly impressed! I sharpen once a week, and even then it is just a minor touch up. I just ordered another knife from the same company, with the same steel, again for about half off of retail. So this is only my experience with one knife, from one maker, but AUS10 has been extremely good to me!
hVGrfy2.jpg
Click to expand...
Nice looking knife. Is that a damascus pattern?
 
bralexander said:
My wife's job is basically a prep cook and after trying the much recommended Victorinox Vibrox handled chef knife, and we were both greatly let down by the blade steel. She would bring it home for me to resharpen what seemed like every other day. I tried a few different sharpening techniques and edge angles, but it just wasn't great. I searched for another chef knife that would fit in our budget and ended up finding a Wallop brand japanese knife for about half off retail. The blade steel is AUS10. We have been incredibly impressed! I sharpen once a week, and even then it is just a minor touch up. I just ordered another knife from the same company, with the same steel, again for about half off of retail. So this is only my experience with one knife, from one maker, but AUS10 has been extremely good to me!
hVGrfy2.jpg
Click to expand...
I actually ended up purchasing a Shun Kanso 8" which comes in aus10. Not here yet but very excited to see how it performs.
 
Dr Rez said:
I actually ended up purchasing a Shun Kanso 8" which comes in aus10. Not here yet but very excited to see how it performs.
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That's a nice looking knife! Let us know how you like it.

My other Wallop knife came in and it is a beast! 8.5" chef in AUS10-

CGPoTf8.jpg
 
Dr. Rez said:
I have not been able to find all that much info on this steel, other than its composition seems to be very similar to that of vg10. I am looking to purchase a stainless chef knife and many of the options have aus10a rather than the vg10 I am used to.

What is your experience with this steel, and have would you say it performs in comparison to stainless steels like 154cm/vg10.? I have a few knives in AUS8 which are not bad by any means but the edge retention is rather lacking.
Click to expand...
Dr. Rez, I am Dr. Mark. Depending on the cash you desire to lay out, AUS10A seems to be about average steel for an EDC. I am not a metallurgist, not any kind of expert in the field, but merely a long term enthusiast with an extensive collection. Depending on your purpose, the frequency of use, and the heat treatment process, it should serve you well. I find AUS10a steel in manufactured knives. If you are a collector, it should be fine. I prefer mid to high-end knives since I am in the field and require top performance so it would really not benefit me. I have a 6" Cold Steel Rajah folder with AUS10a, and for a $100.00 knife, it is a fine addition to my Cold Steel collection. Light to medium tasks should work well for you.
 
Mark A Lovell said:
Dr. Rez, I am Dr. Mark. Depending on the cash you desire to lay out, AUS10A seems to be about average steel for an EDC. I am not a metallurgist, not any kind of expert in the field, but merely a long term enthusiast with an extensive collection. Depending on your purpose, the frequency of use, and the heat treatment process, it should serve you well. I find AUS10a steel in manufactured knives. If you are a collector, it should be fine. I prefer mid to high-end knives since I am in the field and require top performance so it would really not benefit me. I have a 6" Cold Steel Rajah folder with AUS10a, and for a $100.00 knife, it is a fine addition to my Cold Steel collection. Light to medium tasks should work well for you.
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He was talking about kitchen knives
 
It always puzzles me that here on BF where folks are so knowledgeable (and sometimes even apparently obsessed over..lol) various steel types that the erroneous terms Aus6A, Aus8A, Aus10A are still used.
The correct term is Aus6 or 6A, Aus8 or 8A, or Aus10 or 10A.
According to the maker of these steels, Aichi Steel Corp, they are all annealed. In Japan they are called A6, A8, A10 respectively.
Decades ago Cold Steel started the "Aus8A" misnomer, either unknowingly by error, or deliberately as it sounded "cooler".
Of course making up all sorts of names for steels is far from uncommon.
 
KenHash said:
It always puzzles me that here on BF where folks are so knowledgeable (and sometimes even apparently obsessed over..lol) various steel types that the erroneous terms Aus6A, Aus8A, Aus10A are still used.
The correct term is Aus6 or 6A, Aus8 or 8A, or Aus10 or 10A.
According to the maker of these steels, Aichi Steel Corp, they are all annealed. In Japan they are called A6, A8, A10 respectively.
Decades ago Cold Steel started the "Aus8A" misnomer, either unknowingly by error, or deliberately as it sounded "cooler".
Of course making up all sorts of names for steels is far from uncommon.
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According to Aichi Techno Metal Fukaumi Co Ltd, on their website, they list this steel as AUS 10, and they specifically put it in the AUS sub catagory of Stainless Steels made specifically for knives, scissors, pocket knives, medical equipment and machine parts.

http://www.atm-fukaumi.co.jp/en/service_en/stainless
 
If we're bringing this thread back from the dead, might as well clear things up. AUS-10 is basically AUS-8 with more carbon.

I often see people say that AUS-10 is like VG-10. It might be better to say that it's like AUS-8 with VG-10 levels of carbon. VG-10 is different in that it has cobalt, more chromium, and more molybdenum. VG-10 has a nice balance of properties including good corrosion resistance. AUS-8 is only "okay" on edge retention and corrosion resistance. I'd imagine that AUS-10 has slightly worse corrosion resistance than AUS-8. I have limited personal experience with AUS-10 but edge retention seems better than AUS-8. Is the edge retention on par with VG-10? That's harder to say. I imagine that individual heat treatment and edge geometry will be the deciding factor between those two.

Perhaps someone who has more EDC and use time with AUS-10 could help us out with more information. In the meantime, here is a chart comparing the composition of AUS-8, AUS-10, and VG-10.

http://zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=AUS-8,AUS10,VG-10&ni=4005,875,4001&hrn=1&gm=0
 
Chronovore said:
If we're bringing this thread back from the dead, might as well clear things up. AUS-10 is basically AUS-8 with more carbon.

I often see people say that AUS-10 is like VG-10. It might be better to say that it's like AUS-8 with VG-10 levels of carbon. VG-10 is different in that it has cobalt, more chromium, and more molybdenum. VG-10 has a nice balance of properties including good corrosion resistance. AUS-8 is only "okay" on edge retention and corrosion resistance. I'd imagine that AUS-10 has slightly worse corrosion resistance than AUS-8. I have limited personal experience with AUS-10 but edge retention seems better than AUS-8. Is the edge retention on par with VG-10? That's harder to say. I imagine that individual heat treatment and edge geometry will be the deciding factor between those two.

Perhaps someone who has more EDC and use time with AUS-10 could help us out with more information. In the meantime, here is a chart comparing the composition of AUS-8, AUS-10, and VG-10.

http://zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=AUS-8,AUS10,VG-10&ni=4005,875,4001&hrn=1&gm=0
Click to expand...

The only reason I brought the thread back was to ammend the false information in the closing post of the thread. I wasn't actually searching through the blade forums archives, I was doing some research on AUS-10 getting the composition details, because I have a blade arriving tommorow in AUS-10 (Cold steel counter point XL) and I was figuring out what type of edge to put on it when it arrives.
Then I noticed this forum post left off with incorrect information, so I thought I would add to it with what it actually says on Aichi's website regarding how they catagorize their AUS steels, as it might be helpful to people google searching AUS-10 when they come across this thread like I did on google.
I don't have any experience using AUS-10 myself, this will be my first knife in this steel. Seems like 440C with added vanadium, most people seem to put it int he same ballpark as VG-10 when it comes to edge retention fromt he limited edge retention tests i've seen performed.
 
Londinium Armoury said:
The only reason I brought the thread back was to ammend the false information in the closing post of the thread. I wasn't actually searching through the blade forums archives, I was doing some research on AUS-10 getting the composition details, because I have a blade arriving tommorow in AUS-10 (Cold steel counter point XL) and I was figuring out what type of edge to put on it when it arrives.
Then I noticed this forum post left off with incorrect information, so I thought I would add to it with what it actually says on Aichi's website regarding how they catagorize their AUS steels, as it might be helpful to people google searching AUS-10 when they come across this thread like I did on google.
I don't have any experience using AUS-10 myself, this will be my first knife in this steel. Seems like 440C with added vanadium, most people seem to put it int he same ballpark as VG-10 when it comes to edge retention fromt he limited edge retention tests i've seen performed.
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That's reasonable. It's the same reason I responded. You're right that these old threads show up in Google search results. This place was a regular resource for me that way long before I became a member. We're doing a public service here. :)

BTW, here is the same chart with 440C added. Note that the graph goes by the maximum values when ranges are given. 440C has more chromium and ideally has more carbon. It also seems to have a pretty wide range in performance based on heat treatment. I've had some decent knives in 440C over the years. Lately, I've only had 440C in low-tier budget knives like the QSP Parrot where it performs more like 8Cr13Mov.

http://zknives.com/knives/steels/st...US10,VG-10, 440c&ni=4005,875,4001,&hrn=1&gm=0

I hope you'll post back with your experiences on the new knife in AUS-10.
 
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