different kinds of blades

O

osvaldo

Joined
Feb 25, 2000
Messages
229
Hi,
Could anyone explain me the differences betwen AUS6, AUS8, ATS55, GIN1... Spyderco blades? I have a Delica AUS 6, a Calipso AUS 8 and a CO PILOT ATS-55.
Thanks.

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"Sea el cuchillo el que cae sobre el melón, o el melón el que caiga sobre el cuchillo, el que siempre sale perdiendo es el melón".
Un abrazo desde España.
Osvaldo.
 
Hi,
Thanks for the link. But there I cannnot find how of the differents alloys is ideal or better for a blade. And if all the alloys are good, why Spyderco use differents?

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"Sea el cuchillo el que cae sobre el melón, o el melón el que caiga sobre el cuchillo, el que siempre sale perdiendo es el melón".
Un abrazo desde España.
Osvaldo.
 
Osvaldo,

Here's another link you might find helpful:

http://www.bladeforums.com/features/faqsteel.html

Sal Glesser has told us that there are no "bad" steels; there are only steels that are more or less useful for a given purpose. Basically, it's a matter of what you value in a knife blade. Do you want a steel that will get really hard and be resistant to wear? Or would you rather sacrifice wear resistance for the sake of toughness? How important is corrosion resistance? Are you willing to sacrifice some edge holding ability in order to have a knife that will not rust in salt water?

Comparing AUS-6, AUS-8, and ATS-55 (three of the steels you mentioned), I think you'll find that AUS-6 is the most rust-resistant, but it will also need to be sharpened more often. ATS-55 will hold an edge longer, but will rust more easily (I believe; I've never tested this myself.) AUS-8 is probably somewhere in between.

The easiest way to get a general sense of which steel will give you the best edge retention, just look at how much carbon there is. Carbon is what makes steel hard. It is also what makes steel brittle and prone to rust. So there is always a trade-off.

Any of you who know more about steel than I do, please correct me if I have my facts wrong.

I hope this helps.

Hasta luego,
David Rock

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AKTI Member # A000846
Stop when you get to bone.
 
Thanx David, appreciate the help.

Also Osvaldo, some steels are more expensive. Is "price point" important?

We also like to experiment with new steels to learn for ourselves. Spyderco was first to use CPM in production. First with ATS-55. First production VG-10.

Sorry if it seems confusing, but I think David summed it up quite well. Making steel is like baking a cake. Keep in mind that heat treat can make or break the steel. A good steel with a bad heat treat will be a bad blade.

sal
 
Hi,
Sal, David, thanks for the clarification.
See you again.
Hasta pronto, amigos.


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"Sea el cuchillo el que cae sobre el melón, o el melón el que caiga sobre el cuchillo, el que siempre sale perdiendo es el melón".
Un abrazo desde España.
Osvaldo.
 
As far as I can tell, the steel is good if the blade has a hole in it
biggrin.gif
 
Yes, Sal and David, I would generally agree with you about the compromises in knife steels, but for the CPM steels. It seems to me that the rules with which we are familiar go out of the window when we are dealing with these. CPM440V is 2.15% carbon, which should, by rights, be cast iron, but isn't. It should, by right, rust, but doesn't. It should be brittle, but isn't, etc. It is all rather like the old story about how aeronautical engineers in the 1940s decided that the bumblebee couldn't fly, but forgot to tell the bumblebee, so it kept right on flying.

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Walk in the Light,
Hugh Fuller
 
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