AUS6 blades

C

cds1

Joined
Jan 24, 2004
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Hi, guys. What do you think about buying knives with AUS6 blades if they are being purchased primarily for self-defense? I have been avoiding AUS6, but I wonder if it really makes much of a difference for my purposes. My carry knives only rarely see actual use, and then nothing more serious than opening UPS packages.

Regards,
cds
 
Welcome to the forums, cds1!

I don't know diddly about knives for that sort of use, but, with a sharp edge, the knife only has to be harder than the target. I've seen the good people at Cold Steel stick knives made out of 400 and 420 series stainless steel into all kinds of materials harder than human skin and most clothes, so AUS-6 could easily be used for making a weapon.

You may want to look for several other lines of protection before resorting to physical force and edged weapons, though. Many who target others for armed robbery tend to have interesting and currently incurable bloodborne parasites in their systems. That's right, micro-cooties. Fists and sharp objects magnify the likelihood of becoming a blood buddy and being exposed to micro-cooties. Sure, there are legal and psychological reasons to make physical force your last line of protection, but it's just not cool to think about being shacked up in the big house with a crippling dose of suicidal depression (there's not only more than one way to skin a cat, but there are hundreds of ways to avoid having to do so).

Moving on to knives as non-weapons, my brother uses a CRKT Kiss in the Dark knife as his EDC. I get to sharpen it and it went months before he asked me to work my vile magic on its edge.
 
Go for it - AUS 6 is great, despite what some may say. It may not hold an edge for as long as the expensive stuff, but I'm willing to trade fast easy sharpening for edge life.
 
I'm willing to bet that very few folks could tell one steel from another when doing simple everyday cutting tasks (like opening packages, cutting string or tape, sharpening a pencil, ect).

I also think the blade and handle design are more a factor than the blade-steel.

Allen.
 
AUS-6 isn't bad, it just isn't much compared to something great like D2 or 154CM. It works fine for SD or EDC, it just requires more frequent sharpenings.
 
"I'm willing to bet that very few folks could tell one steel from another when doing simple everyday cutting tasks (like opening packages, cutting string or tape, sharpening a pencil, ect)."

Funny enough my grandfather was a master at that, having worked in the steel industry his entire life he could usually tell one from the other just from sight.
 
I have found the AUS6M in the CRKT range of knives an excellent steel for the value compared to the up market steels. I sharpens well and steels well. Most butchers knives are made of steel not far removed from AUS6 and they get a fair amount of use and would only be put on the stones once a week with steeling in between so it should suit the purposes you describe.
 
I use all the knives that I carry for minor daily chores
I don't really carry one for self-defence.
ATS-34 and AUS8 I can get razor sharp.
Just the way I like it!
With AUS6 or AUS6M I cannot seem to do as well.
This could be because of the way I sharpen though, maybe.
Just my 2 bits.
 
Other than 420, I have no problems with any particular steel. I have several folders in AUS6 and find them to be good cutters and easy to sharpen. Ultimately, SD is in the abilities of the individual rather than the knife they're carrying or steel it's made of for that matter. . .

Dayuhan
 
I have had so much trouble with spot rusting with aus6 on CRKT products, I avoid them completely.
 
AUS6 has enough carbon and chrome in it to be a good steel given the proper heat, temper, and geometry. Probably fine for your stated uses. Way better than what was used to conquer the Steppes.
 
I'm pretty sure I could guess which blade is AUS-6, if it's anything like the AUS-6 used in my Spyderco knife. AUS-6 will be the one that chips, rolls, gets dull quickly, and has the tip break clean off under the slightest pressure. If it's serrated, like my Spyderco is, the serrations will break clean off just from allowing the edge to contact the table while slicing deer sausage.

On the other hand, if you think a weapon used to defend your life should be more than the bare minimum quality, there are plenty of much better options out there. For instance, ATS-34 and 154CM are not really affected by bone, and will barely be dulled from moderate force thrusts that even strike concrete.

Otherwise, I still have to agree that steel type should be about the last thing to worry over, behind important things like training, awareness, edge geometry, etc.
 
I'll have to be one of the people that are not too happy with AUS-6. I only have one knife with it (CRKT) so it might just be a lemon. But as above, it never gets really sharp, the edge rolls and it always has rust spots if I carry it for a couple of days.
 
IMO it is easy to tell the difference if you use the knives a while. My CRKT M-16z and Stiff KISS, both in AUS 6, dull very easily though they are also easy to sharpen. My AUS 8 knives from CRKT, Spyderco, and Cold Steel are reasonably easy to sharpen and hold an edge much longer than my knives in AUS 6. My two Buck knives in 420HC also hold their edges longer than AUS 6 but not as long as AUS 8.
 
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