How much can AUS8 steel take?

[coloradowildman]

It seems to be a good larger woods blade, the newer saber grind model is more front heavy so its better at lopping off limbs and such, I did medium hack and whack with it (I call it medium some other people seem to call it hard). For steel on wood it seems to do fine. I brought a SAW (one of the most important survival tools) along to cut the more bigger offending woody botanicals, and it split them fine for the fire. It can carve...but the rubber hilt can get in the way. For Wieldinessy, well its a bigger blade with a heavier front end than the hollow grind one, but it depends what you want to use it for, remember its a big blade and for doing little twiddle things it would be some what unwieldy. The tip I don't bash my tips in to things to test them, but the hollow grind one did fall from fridge to tiled covered concrete floor and had a slight bend at the tip. No breakage. I'd class this knife like a BK9, jack of all trades and master of a few. The rubber hilt and its "Guards" can get in the way for smaller jobs, buts its curved blade makes it a bit better cutting it seems. Like the BK9 I find its more of a multi-tool in the woods, and can step up and do heavier things if needed.

For fighting and deterrence I think the hollow ground is better, its literally flashier (better and psyching some one out), better balanced making it faster in the hand. But remember, you got not no real guard, the longer blade may help against shorter knives is my guess on things.

The hollow ground is better at carving due to thinner blade. But then this larger knife with a saber grind, I find it can carve as well, just the hilt gaurd gets in they way and subhilt makes things odd some times. But I can live with the latter, I usually pull out the Recon 1 for dittle whittling and such. (fancy wancy fu fu feather sticks). I like the Aus8A CS Marauder (saber grind one ) for its durability and able to a lot of jobs, and in wet environments/snowy/moisturerich not having to have to baby the knife to protect from rust is a really big plus!

And finding out in this thread, that Aus8a is awesome, made me glad I could get two saber grinds while I can. (really it should be Aweful! As having some Awe is not as good as being full of Awe! So it should be AWEFUL! RIGHT?)

Cool, thanks for the info!

 

[Pacifica]

As a decade-long employee of SOG knives, back in the day when they were made in Japan and the USA, I have a unique perspective on AUS-8. We worked extensively with the Navy Seals, Devgroup and Rangers on R&D. Contrary to popular belief, the SEAL, SEAL-PUP, Trident and other military issued knives are rarely, if ever, used as weapons. They are tools for cutting, splitting, hacking, etc. They are the ultimate multi-tool. When using these blades as a working tool, you need the best balance of durability, edge retention and ease of sharpening. The last is most important because so many high-speed steels hold an edge well, but really need to be sent back to the factory for a truly sharp edge. AUS-8 has consistently been the steel of choice by all military end users for this balance. Takes a licking, and it is easy to quickly put the edge back on. Do not buy into the "strongest, hardest" discussion. If you are using your knife, AUS-8 is a remarkable steel.

 

[coloradowildman]

As a decade-long employee of SOG knives, back in the day when they were made in Japan and the USA, I have a unique perspective on AUS-8. We worked extensively with the Navy Seals, Devgroup and Rangers on R&D. Contrary to popular belief, the SEAL, SEAL-PUP, Trident and other military issued knives are rarely, if ever, used as weapons. They are tools for cutting, splitting, hacking, etc. They are the ultimate multi-tool. When using these blades as a working tool, you need the best balance of durability, edge retention and ease of sharpening. The last is most important because so many high-speed steels hold an edge well, but really need to be sent back to the factory for a truly sharp edge. AUS-8 has consistently been the steel of choice by all military end users for this balance. Takes a licking, and it is easy to quickly put the edge back on. Do not buy into the "strongest, hardest" discussion. If you are using your knife, AUS-8 is a remarkable steel.

Pacifica, thank you for sharing this. This is why I think that all of the crying that has led to AUS-8 being eliminated by manufacturers is tragic. Strictly from an outdoor perspective, I think AUS-8 is the best survival knife and working man steel ever made. It's as close as you can get to 1095 for ease of sharpening and edge holding while being stainless for low maintenance use. Once you go to AUS-10, it gets harder to sharpen. My most coveted knives now are discontinued AUS-8 blades, because I know that soon, knives with this steel will all be gone (followed closely by Ontario 1095 blades, etc).