Cold Steel AUS8 vs Emerson 154cm

AUS-8 is not even in the same class of steel as 154cm. That being said, Coldsteel does know how to put an insane edge on their knives. The edge won't last as long as 154 but is easier to bring back than 154. This will all depend on your sharpening tools and skills. The Japanese made a good middle of the road steel when they made AUS-8A, Coldsteel capitalized on this with great success. For the price though the Coldsteel is hard to beat whereas Emerson has a hardcore loyal following and they use what works for them. In the end it all comes down to what you are willing to pay for the level of performance that you want.
 
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Emerson runs their 154cm rather soft, the CS AUS8 will probably hold a better edge.
 
It would depend on the actual knives compared as CS grinds their edges pretty thin......
 
I love cold steel aus8, and high hollow grinds on some of their knives.Checked out some Emersons , and might get one(commander).
 
As everyone has said, since there are so many variables involved, like HT, geometry, etc., your question is meaningless.

Said it before and I'll say it again...do they do 6th grade science nice fairs anymore?Controlled experiments? If you had the same knives, with only one variable, the type of steel,then you could start comparing edge holding.
 
I have seen no major differences between them in practice, since Emerson runs their 154 so soft. Do keep in mind that sharpening Emersons may be different from what you're used to, since they have a chisel edge (even if they have a V grind).
 
I find my Emerson Persian (reground to a symmetrical convex edge) holds its edge a bit better than my AUS-8 Cold Steels (Voyager, Recon, American Lawman, Talwar and so on). But the difference isn't huge and when my Persian still had its factory chisel edge I found it lacking precision for some cuts.

I've said some mean things about Cold Steel in the past, but I've got to admit they are getting a lot out of AUS-8.
 
In extended use I notice my Emerson has the slight advantage, but I'll cheerfully use either one. I tend to prefer the edge geometry Cold Steel uses, though.
 
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