Whatcha' think of AUS-8?

USAFSP

USAFSP

Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Messages
2,357
I just bought a CRKT Pro the other day. It is not the best knife in my collection but is by far my favorite now. CRKT used AUS-8 for blade steel. How does that stand up to daily chores? I cut some boxes and stuff like that and it is still just as sharp as it was when I first picked it up. I will be using it as a Duty Knife, so there is a potential to see some hard cutting ie. cutting through screen doors, seat belts, thick clothes, candy bar wrappers Etc. Does this steel rust easily? The only other experience I have with this steel is with CS products but it is probably not heat treated the same. Any help would be appreciated.
 
You know some people don't seem to like AUS-8, saying that is a "cheaper" steel. I have a couple of Cold Steel products made with that material and I can sharpen them to razors edge. It holds an edge ok, afterskinning two deer with an AUS-8 blade, it was pretty dull. But, only a couple of swipes and it was back to being sharp.

I have a couple of friends that have some CRKT M-16 series knives and they swear by them. The only other knife I have in that steel (I think:confused: ) is a Timberline Kelly Worden which is my duty/work "thrash around" knife and it holds a great edge. From what I have seen its a pretty durable steel that sharpens well, and has pretty good rust resistance.

Just my two cents

Merry Christmas and be safe out there
 
I'm the owner of a few Cold Steel Voyagers in AUS8, and I've been quite satisfied with them.

Tough to rust, but it will in the worst of conditions. Mine etched with rust along the flat part on an overnight backpacking trip in constant rain and exposure to desert mineral salts. In comparison, my parkerized gun turned almost completely orange in its holster, so the AUS8 faired well comparatively.

Edge retention during wood whittling was fair in comparison to the harder temper of a Benchmade ATS34 knife that stayed sharper somewhat longer. What was nice about the AUS8 was that after using it until it couldn't cut well anymore, I used a plain old chef's steel to stand the edge back up and it was shaving sharp again. This works quite a few times before actual sharpening is neccessary. (Hint: if it's really been used hard, begin by lapping along the chef's steel with the knife upside down to grab the folded back edge. Then, finish normally with the blade down for final truing).

Good luck with you new knife, and let us know how it fairs.
 
It is a good steel. Holds an edge good enough...I am very fond of my Calypso Jr. with Micarta handles and AUS-8 steel. I use it all week long and each weekend just run it on my Crock Stix 4 or 5 swipes each side and presto, shaving sharp again. Non of my AUS-8 blades have shown signs of rusting. It is im my opinion a respectable steel and performs well. I can get my AUS-8 blades extremely sharp with little effort.
 
I have a few knives made out of AUS-8(A) steel, and there is NOTHING "wrong" with that steel. ALL of my AUS-8 blades are sharp as razors, stay sharp pretty well, and are very easy to re-sharpen when needed.:).
 
IMHO, AUS-8 is a perfectly good knife steel. Sharpens easily, takes an amazing edge, and holds it reasonably well. The only knife I've ever gotten sharp enough to cut the tops off hairs when run parallel to the skin is my Spyderco Toad, which is AUS-8.

Since I don't have any problems with any of my knives rusting, I really can't comment on AUS-8's properties in that area.
 
As someone with more metallurgical knowledge will describe, aus8 is very similar to 440c! IMHO it is a great steel and a great choice for stain resistance and edgeholding. It, or 440c, is one of my favorite steels in sub-$75 folders!! CRKT, Spyderco, Gerber, Timberline, etc. are both making good use of it in their Taiwanese folders.
 
One of my EDC is a CS Voyageur in AUS8. I don't use it terribly hard, so a few swipes on a Sharpmaker and it's always back to shaving sharp again. I've got no complaints against the steel in my experience with it. IMHO it's an acceptable stainless steel for cutlery (assuming proper heat treating) at an affordable price.
 
If I was looking at a $300 knife, and it had 8A steel in it, I'd be disappointed. But if it was a $40 knife, I'd be almost relieved if it has 8A in it. Among the steel choices available for lower cost knives, 8A is one of my faves. 8A takes a screaming sharp edge, which is its primary advantage versus the other low-cost competitors. I don't hesitate to buy a lower-cost knife with 8A in it, I like the stuff for this class of knives.

Joe
 
I have used knives with AUS8 blades and think they are good knives. AUS8 does not rust or stain easily, but will do both if not properly cared for. This is not the best knife steel out there, but when properly heat treated it is far from the worst.
 
AUS-8 is a really nice steel, as others have stated it's on the order of a 440C. It's not one of these wonder steels:rolleyes:,but that does'nt mean it's a bad steel either.
 
AUS8A is a fine EDC steel, it's not to be confused with the supersteels like 440V, 420V, D2, M2, VG-10, BG-42 etc. but I find the AUS8 of my Outdoor Edge Magna has served me quite well for the remedial chores I put it through... it however didn't survive being dropped tip first on a tile floor (my bad!), i've gotta send it into OE now to get a tip back on it :(

Ah well, don't go nuts over the hype, AUS8 is a fine steel, not the greatest, but not half bad either.
 
I like AUS-8 for medium duty chores since it takes a particularly fine edge and sharpens easily. For the tasks that you list it will work very well. If you do much cutting on harder or more abrasive materials you may want something a bit harder. I particularly find BG42 to stand up to heavier use well. Buck makes customized versions of their classic 110 lockback that can be ordered with a BG42 blade. This would be my choice for heavier work. Another upgrade for heavier work would be one of the Spyderco models with a VG-10 alloy blade. For more money you could look at a Benchmade with an M2 alloy blade. Any of these would cut through more tires than AUS-8.
 
I haven't had any problems with any of my AUS-8 blades. They take and hold a very good edge and have not shown any rusting problems. IMHO, the steel is very under-rated. I would not hesitate to purchase other moderately priced knives using this steel.

As Joe Talmadge stated, if I'm going to spend a few hundred $$, then I'll opt for a more exotic blade material.
 
I carry Cold Steel Voyagers in Aus-8 and I don't have any problems whatsoever out of this steel. It takes a good edge, and while it doesn't hold it as long as some of the "super" steels, it is very easy to restore on my Spyderco sharpmaker. One thing I really like about this steel is Cold Steel's heat treatment of it. I use my Voyagers for everything at work, and in cutting open boxes, I have ran into (literally!) everything from metal staples to nails. I have had other knives that would chip or break when encountering obstacles like these. My Voyager seemed to just roll the edge over. A quick trip home at lunch, five minutes on the Sharpmaker, and I had a hair-popping sharp edge again! For me, this is a very good steel in a very good bargain of a knife!

Flinx
 
I have several knives in AUS-8A (which I believe corresponds to 440B more than 440C), and for the most part I have no complaints. In fact, my Big Country Camper is 8A, and I really like this knife for around the camp chores, it's easy to sharpen and it holds a pretty good edge, although not nearly as well as one of my Busses.
 
IMHO aus8 is the best of the non premium stainless steels, very tough, stain resistant and holds a very good edge (better than 420HC, 425M, 440A but not in the same class as ATS34 or VG10).
 
I'd say that Aus-8 is the workingman's friend in better knife steels.
I like it alot for my users. It's good stuff it is, mate.
 
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