aus8--aus8a

totkst1

totkst1

Joined
Oct 14, 2016
Messages
437
just curious why nobody I talk to seems to like this steel. I own personally and carry two knives made from this and seems to be easy to sharpen relatively and hold an edge well enough for my use? probably chasing a rabbit that is worn out from running a few times and if so I apologize but I am new and curious
 
Well obviously tons of people like it, or there wouldn't be so many knives made out of it. :)
 
Welcome. If you are new here, how do you people dont talk about it or like it?

They do here on both counts, by the way.
 
people I talk to not on this forum specifically. a few other forums I participate in they have not had such a good opinion of it if it wasn't a super steel.
 
could be. I carry a Ka-bar mule 3050 and a Ontario Utilitach II every day and I love both of them but both are Aus-8 and at this point in time I don't see spending a fortune on anything different when the service I get from these is so good
 
totkst1 said:
could be. I carry a Ka-bar mule 3050 and a Ontario Utilitach II every day and I love both of them but both are Aus-8 and at this point in time I don't see spending a fortune on anything different when the service I get from these is so good
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I agree. There are more factors that go into a steel being good than high cost or how new and "sexy" it is.

Remember, not long ago steels like 440C and D2 were "super steels." Its a marketing term.

AUS-8 holds and takes a good edge, its easy to sharpen back up, and it doesn't cost a fortune. To me that's "good." Very good actually.

Some folks are hard line steel junkies and like to have and try the newest steels...that's cool.

And some other folks just buy what they are told to buy. :D
 
any specific issues you guys know of I should watch out for that I wouldn't already be looking for. ie don't sharpen with low angle or too high of an angle?
 
totkst1 said:
any specific issues you guys know of I should watch out for that I wouldn't already be looking for. ie don't sharpen with low angle or too high of an angle?
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I wouldn't go with too acute of an edge angle, but really I think that is true with all but the most "exotic" of steels.

But say you do go with an acute angle that doesn't hold up....then with AUS-8 no big deal to fix it. Its forgiving.
 
I rarely listen to people who think that their way is the only way LOL. sometimes it is the only way but finding that out for myself usually sticks with me a bit longer
 
It's not one of today's super steels but I like that. Much easier to sharpen and if you aren't extremely hard on your knife it will stay sharp long enough. And it's relatively inexpensive and stainless enough for my uses. I wouldn't complain about it and enjoy it. Just another choice in a land of compromises.
 
Of course AUS8 is a good steel, there's a reason so many high-value blades are made out of it! I've personally found that some AUS8 is better than others, depending on which company does the final preparation and heat treat. My RAT 1 folder takes a fantastic edge, and keeps it long enough for that blade's philosophy of use. I've even been able to shallow out the edge angle quite a bit on that blade with no marked increase in tendency to roll. I've had less luck with SOG's version- the twitch II that I carried for a while required frequent touch ups, and would form micro-rolls after a few pulls through cardboard. I like AUS8 in an EDC folder, but for anything else like wood prep, carving or hard use I'll take a carbon steel or one of the "super" stainless steels that are so prevalent today. For slicing a bit of cordage, cardboard, or lunch items however, AUS8 does a great job and is really affordable. Blows 8CR13MOV out of the water IMHO.
 
AUS8 is fine, but I expect the knife to be less expensive than one with a better steel.
It is not a magick steel like some would have you believe though.

Some say it won't chip easily, but I have had edges chip-out with pretty big chips.
It is pretty rust resistant...unless it is bead-blasted. Then it rusts pretty well. ;)

For a steel choice on a cheaper knife though, it is fine.
It is a "name brand" steel at least, so you know what you can expect pretty much.

There certainly are steels that are tougher, more wear-resistant, or less likely to rust, but you could end up paying a bunch more depending on what blend of characteristics you want.
 
The biggest thing I would watch out for are knives from cheaper/no name companies. Many cheaper knives claim to use AUS8 and they might. But they don't hold an edge well, will roll easy, and seem butter soft. Almost certainly because of a bad heat treat though some probably are mislabeled to take advantage of a well recognized alloy.

An AUS8 blade from a reputable company with a good heat treat can be surprisingly good. But with what is available these days I don't think I would personally spend much more than $30-35 on a knife with AUS8 blade steel.
 
I have about 75$ tied up in both these above total. At this point in my budget that is about the most I could shell out at the time. 30-40$ each purchases. Want a zero tolerance and a benchmade at some point folder wise and need a new bush knife but the budget isn't there yet for those
 
For me, it seems to depend on the heat treat of the manufacturer. SOG is not popular here, but the old Flash I have takes and holds a great edge, same for the Ontario Utilitac. Had a CRKT Kaspar and
Apache many years ago that were so bad as to turn me away from AUS8 for a long time...
 
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