how does ats 55 compare to oh,say, 440 or ats 34?

This has been discussed many times before. Just use the search button for the alloys in question.

Basically, ATS 55 was an attempt to make ATS 34 less expensive; they decreased the Mo to 0.6%, and added 0.4% Co and 0.2% Cu. It was not a particularly successful experiment. You may also wish to check Joe Talmadge's steel FAQ.

Walt
 
Disco Stu

Disco Stu

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Woah there Walt! I've been very impressed with my Endura's ATS-55 blade. Holds an edge very well, easy to sharpen...etc. And I believe there are some others out there who will agree with me.

I will however say that before my Spydie fever, my previous experience with blades steels was limited to the 440's and AUS's.
 
One thing that I have found with ATS-55 is that it's corrosion resistance is pretty low.

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I have a plain Edge Drogonfly with a ATS-55 blade. Compared to the knives I make in ATS-34 the ATS-55 sucks real bad. I carry the Dragonfly everyday. It dulls real quick. But it´s a neat knife and I like Spyderco

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[This message has been edited by ansoknive (edited 03-19-2001).]
 
Marion weird that resistance thing. I found exactly the same thing. On paper 55 aught to resist better than 34 but in my experience it does not. However I have found the edge holding of 55 to be every bit a match for 34 and a little tougher. A friend of mine in the first week of owning my Serrated Endura 98 cut a tin can in half and made a square bit of metal to heat... something
wink.gif
And no it was not hard drugs! And I was not aware at the time what he was upto and I did not inhail! LOL! Anyway, the edge was damaged, but much less than I expected. I stopped carrying on a daily basis when I noticed the rust even when protected. Two other blades on me at the time suffered from no rust, one in ATS-34 (Gerber) another in 8a with a glass bead finish (CRKT). All three were treated once every three days with Marine Tuf Cloth.

W.A.

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I definitely wouldnt say it sucks. I've got the ats 55 delica, and though the steel is a bit brittle (due in part to the heat treat) it is a very serviceable blade. takes a very nice edge, and holds it respectably. that's just my humble opinion. i'm sure i dont put it through what some do, but i'm not particularly nice to it
 
One of the trade offs of ATS-55 verses ATS-34 was reducing molybdenum concentration. This makes the alloy easier to sharpen, but should not reduce its edge holding all that much. I think that you probably observe more edge holding differences between these alloys due to differences in blade grind and heat treatment than simply from alloy differences.
 
I think its a good steel for the price range of the knives that are made with it. The edge holding and toughness are not bad at all. They jsut aren't as good as some of the new super steels. It sharpens very easily even though it holds its edge a reasonable long time.
I never had trouble with corrosian resistance either. I carried a delica in ATS55 into the gulf of mexico with me during a vacation and only had very minor surface spots that could be rubbed off. The majority of them were on the rough spots like the spine.

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I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer... but I've got the sharpest knife in the room.
 
I carry both the Spydie Endura and the SOG X-Ray Vision on a daily basis, one in my left pocket and the other in my right. ATS-55 vs ATS-34. I'm guessing that it's more to do with the surface treatment, but the ATS-34 blade (in "bead-blast" finish) is giving me a little bit of trouble in the up keep with some small rust spots and a lot of discolouration. Of course they had both had to contend with me sweating like a hard-run horse in steamy Singapore and in the wonderful Perth summer.

BTW, does anyone know if SOG is using real bead-blast on its Visions or is it really sand-blasted?

On the side of cutting, I have not noticed any differences in cutting ability nor edge holding in everyday use. I probably use the Endura a little bit more because of the full plain edge, but neither has had to have a full on sharpening yet, just some touch-ups with a tungsten carbide "steel". BTW, I use it for slicing fruits like apples and oranges, cutting sandwiches, whittling and opening mail.
 
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