what brands do a bad job on heat treating aus8 steel or any steel?...

[jbmonkey]

i was doing a bunch of googling of aus8 steel. seems to be allot of threads out there saying such and such brand does a bad job or takes short cuts on heat treating, and allot of agreeing posts? so is there a known list of models from brands that are consistent with lesser quality heat treat? cause i am confused big time. i figured there was only one way to heat treat any given version of steel. the right way or the wrong way....is there shortcuts that can be taken and such, and are there brands who do this to offer lower priced and still decent enough knives for the average user?

is the price point the biggest indicator of good heat treat and materials for a novice or nonsteel expert? i was thinking that but buck offers the paul bos heat treat setups on it's 420hc and other steels and at low dollars.....so it can't just be price, or is that all there is? i also realize attention to details and such dictate pricing, but i am looking for an easier way to figure out good knife, with good heat treat, from good brand, and how it's done out there by all of you? is it as simple as just known info floating out there that brand x's heat treat is bad don't buy from them? thanks in advance.....

 

[The Mastiff]

CKRT. Compare theirs with Aus 8 in an Al mar.

I had an AST34 S2 knife from these guys and the steel was always rolling, even during sharpening. Then the burrs flopped and were very difficult to remove.

I've had ATS 34 in knives that were excellent, burred very little and cut like a razor.

 

[kreole]

There are definitely good and bad heat treats, both in general and in respect to how you might use a knife. Heat treat influences toughness, edge holding, even how rust resistant it is--every property of the steel. Why might a heat treat be poor? Time and thereby price are factors. Expectations of the customers by the company are also a factor; for instance, some companies run their blades softer than some consider necessary so that they will take more abuse, and the trade off is shorter edge holding. I recently read one knife company started putting thicker edges on their knives because customers were abusing them and blaming the steel. People on a knife forum are, in general, going to treat a knife with more reverence than the average person, so in those cases, you'll see some "bad mouthing" on the forum about that brand for making those type of choices. The company with the thicker edges, despite being well respected, were slandered a bit for that.

Yes, you definitely can't just go by price. The Buck knives heat treated by Bos, as you cite, proves that, being cheaper knives with excellent blades. The best thing to do is look up reviews of both brand and model. That is why I initially came to this forum, and that's part of the reason I'm still here . I would (almost) never buy a knife without knowing the brand, and not knowing the brand, I would not buy it without reading some reviews.

(I can't answer the question about Aus8, sorry.)

 

[jbmonkey]

Good info. Thank you Sirs.