my Cold steel aus8 knife holds edge longer than Spyderco endura vg10...

L

lonestar1979

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Mar 2, 2014
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Did anyone encounter this, but my Cold steel Code4 in aus8 holds edge longer than my endura vg10.The Code4 gets sharp little easier too, and I tested and compared both knives,and Code4 just cuts longer without getting dull.Love both knives but this surprises me little,vg10 is considered better steel....
 
I'm not an expert on the subject by any means, and in my personal experience have yet to come across two different stainless steels with dramatically different properties.

But I do have a ton of experience with this type of thread and so will start you off with a condensed version of what you are likely to hear in more detail when the true experts do chime in:

-Steel Chemistry
-Heat Treatment
-Edge Geometry

Not one of those is any more important than the other two.

Spyderco is generally regarded for getting heat treat right but also for having thin blades and grinds. Cold Steel is known for tougher, heftier knives. I would not be surprised if the Code 4 has much wider edge geometry and therefore will maintain a working edge longer than the slicer-oriented Endura.

If all you do after getting a mirror edge is slice phonebook paper, then which performs better?

Filleting sashimi?

Opening sacks of cement mix?

Cutting drywall?
 
What Justsomedude said.

I will add that in my experience, blades with easier and tougher to "put an edge on" properties, usually require different techniques to sharpen. A steel that takes an edge quickly and easily will usually not have as long of wear resistance (assuming the same geometry as stated above). Not that it's bad, just different. Sometimes there is an advantage to being able to quickly redo an edge.

Tougher steels may require a little more work to get beyond the basic "hair shaving" burr that will round or break easily upon actual usage. This can be mistaken as a shorter life, when in reality the edge was just not finished to begin with.

I'm not discounting any of the OP's personal experience because I do not know his sharpening abilities or history. Just some things I've seen from some newer to sharpening.
 
Cannot comment much as I don't own any Spyderco VG10, but I've always thought that CS did a very reliably job on their HT. Their older 440c offerings had great qualities.

Aus8 not my favorite but it does take and hold an edge well.
 
Spyderco's VG-10 has always seemed (to me) a bit too soft to live up to the capabilities of the steel itself, and usually has disappointed me somewhat. The steel is only 'better' if the manufacturer takes advantage of what it can do, via heat treat methods. As compared to VG-10 from other makers taking it higher in hardness, I'm not surprised to hear that Spyderco's isn't holding an edge as well. I've noticed it's pretty easy to roll the edge on it, or leave very tenacious burrs from sharpening. Heat treat will almost always make a greater impact on edge-holding than the chemistry of the steel alone.


David
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Spyderco's VG-10 has always seemed (to me) a bit too soft to live up to the capabilities of the steel itself, and usually has disappointed me somewhat. The steel is only 'better' if the manufacturer takes advantage of what it can do, via heat treat methods. As compared to VG-10 from other makers taking it higher in hardness, I'm not surprised to hear that Spyderco's isn't holding an edge as well. I've noticed it's pretty easy to roll the edge on it, or leave very tenacious burrs from sharpening. Heat treat will almost always make a greater impact on edge-holding than the chemistry of the steel alone.


David
Click to expand...

I agree on all points David; and I've used different Spydies in VG10 for years to validate it. :thumbup:;):D
 
I really should read more carefully.. or not drink beer while posting! Thanks for being civil about my error Jonny. :)

BTW, how are you so accurate when clearly drinking more than me? (Avatar picture) :P

Brian.
 
Many try and say that Spyderco runs their VG-10 at HRc 60 but I find that a hard pill to swallow. I sharpen a lot of Japanese Kitchen Knives and with many thousand of those being Tojiro DP. It would be awesome if Spyderco had their VG-10 sourced from Tojiro. Laminated VG-10 at 60-61 has very nice performance.
 
Obsessed with edges,youre right........although I love Spyderco knives their vg10 isn't better in my opinion than Cold Steels aus8 or Benchmades 154cm.I do not cut just paper, not paper at all.........but test it in real world! Paper cutting doesn't mean nothing to me,and I know how to sharpen really well!CS aus8 has always performed really well.I have Endura and Delica in vg10 but edge holding is nothing special.Spyderco Moran I got seems to hold edge much longer.....probably Has better heat treat......and is harder than Endura and Delica!...............
 
Really coming to appreciate CS recons in either aus8/xhp config. and Totally agree with you all on the vg10 being soft ,it really is kind of disappointing-wish Spyderco would offer an "exclusive" heat treat that really pushes the boundaries in edge retention(besides the Farid in ankersons tests)-even if it meant no warranty protection.....but I know I am just dreaming.
 
In addition to all that has been said, it could be a micro wire edge causing the edge issues with vg-10. While i dont own any, it is often said around here that vg-10 can have a pesky burr removal problem.

To relate, i used to have the same problem with cold steels aus8. Micro wire edges i didnt even know were there. Id spend forever getting the damned thing hair popping sharp, then cut a piece of string and end up with it dull as butter.

Until i learned how to handle the steel with my particular abrasives, i just assumed aus8 sucked, and everyone who said it was good was wrong lol. Now that i can sharpen it cleanly, it actually performs great.

Maybe your vg-10 situation is similar.
 
It is not the burr ,geometry or sharpening,but seems that vg10 is little soft.My Spyderco Moran in vg10 holds edge much longer than either Endura or delica!
 
I think Im getting Endura in zdp189 , and few more Cold Steel knives in aus8 as theyre on sale now.Excellent knives for price.......their aus8 is very good!
 
I'm yet extensively testing CS AUS 8, but have just recently started on Spyderco VG-10. Learnt that it is not easy to make it sharp to the level I like.

David (OWE), as not to derail the burr thread, and here seems a more appropriate place to discuss, wouldn't Spyderco more recent VG-10 be improved in HT? They are known to be continuously improving and I guess all these praise on their VG-10 might be true? My Endura is SG, so it might be of older batch. Wouldn't that be?
 
my endura and delica are ffg,theyre not hard to get sharp,but they lose sharpness rather quickly.On the other hand CS aus8 is even easier to sharpen and touch up with just couple swipes on ceramics,but holds edge longer!
 
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