WTF is AUS-4 steel?

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FirstFreedom

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Jul 21, 2004
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My CRKT Alaska Carcajou is listed as "AUS-4", shown as 55-57 HRC. After researching, including carefully reading the outstanding BladeForums sticky on blade steels by Mr. Talmadge, I find no mention of this steel. Lowest in that family is AUS-6. So just *how crappy is* this knife's steel? Is it lower in edge retention than even 420 steel, or what? Anyone know?

http://www.crkt.com/carcajou.html

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368828


P.S. This would be a cool knife if it had decent materials used.
 
It's my understanding that aus 4 is better than 420 but it's still nothing to write home about. If you go to the crkt website there is a breakdown of the different steels and their components. the problem, I think, is that aus4 is a little lower in carbon than is deemed needed. fwiw I've got a crkt with aus4 and so far i have no complaints. give it a chance you might like it. later, ahgar
 
AUS-4 is probably fairly equal to 420HC. It has around .4% carbon and 14% chromium. It also has some manganese, silicon and nickel. Unlike other AUS steels, I don't think AUS-4 has any vanadium.
 
My experience with AUS6 steel is that it can't hold an edge for very long, that is, if you can get one on it in the first place.

AUS4 steel is a cut below AUS6. I'd be happy using that as steel for a butter knife...not much else, though.
 
FirstFreedom said:
My CRKT Alaska Carcajou is listed as "AUS-4", shown as 55-57 HRC. After researching, including carefully reading the outstanding BladeForums sticky on blade steels by Mr. Talmadge, I find no mention of this steel. Lowest in that family is AUS-6. So just *how crappy is* this knife's steel? Is it lower in edge retention than even 420 steel, or what? Anyone know?

http://www.crkt.com/carcajou.html

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=368828


P.S. This would be a cool knife if it had decent materials used.
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My theory is this, last year CRKT announced they were going to start using some variety of 420 on many of their knives, some of them popular sellers. I have a feeling the customer response was less than enthusiastic. they probably got emails and letters about the down grade in quality. Their soloution is to just call the 420 steel aus4.

I have yet to meet anyone who has ever heard of aus4.
 
My favorite. Takes an edge well. And if you like sharpening, this steel is for you. My only problem is that it is dull even after silcing through a thick fart.
Just foolin'. It's junk.
 
On a knife that sells for $20.00 to $25.00 like the Carcajou, AUS-4 is probably a fitting steel.
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Kershaw can put Aus 8 in their Antelope hunters, Camillus Aus 8 (corrected, was under impression it was 154CM) into their Cuda EDC, and even Smith Wesson 440C in their folders, all at that price. Why do you accept less from CRKT?
 
IMHO... there's nothing inherently wrong with AUS-4 stainless steel. If heat treated properly, it does what it's supposed to do for as long as it's supposed to do it given appropriate maintenance. I think we can agree that other steels are better, but AUS-4 has it's place in the world of cutlery. Remember, too, that the type of steel used for a blade is only one component of a knife's price. All other components must be considered (workmanship, handle material, customer service, etc.). It may not be fair to compare one $25 knife to another $25 knife.
 
m_calingo said:
My experience with AUS6 steel is that it can't hold an edge for very long, that is, if you can get one on it in the first place.
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I have a Hissatsu and a First Strike, both in AUS-6. The First Strike takes a great edge, but the Hissatsu has proved impossible so far.

I also tried to sharpen a Gerber money clip POS thing for a friend, also alleged to be AUS-6. I could barely get it sharper than new.

No less than AUS-8 for me from now on, unless I like the knife for other reasons.
 
GoodGuy said:
If heat treated properly ...
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Most of the "softer" stainless steels can actually be much harder than they are usually ran, you only need 0.4% carbon to get 60 HRC. They are just not soaked hot enough to get it dissolved into the austenite. For a lot of cutting, the performance of those knives can be radically increased by adjusting the edge profile and choice of finishing grit, easily pushing them past "better" steels with stock edges.

-Cliff
 
All other components must be considered (workmanship, handle material, customer service, etc.)
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The only thing I can think of is that prehaps more of CRKT's saleprice goes to the designers, as opposed to the generally generic designs of the other knives at the same price level. I don't think you can make a statement that the workmanship, handel material, customer service, etc. of CRKT is better in any revelant fashion.

There is nothing tragically wrong with the steel from a thereotical pont of view. From the hardness graphs, you can get 65-66 with 0.4 carbon, right? But in practice...
 
kel_aa said:
... you can get 65-66 with 0.4 carbon, right?
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About 60 if you can get it dissolved in the austenite, and you would likely need a fast quench and cold treatment.

-Cliff
 
What's austenite, and what does it mean to "dissolve" the steel in it? Actually dissolving, or another meaning?
 
kel_aa said:
... I don't think you can make a statement that the workmanship, handel material, customer service, etc. of CRKT is better in any revelant fashion.
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Agreed. I didn't mean to imply "better"... just "different" and, as we all know, "different" impacts pricing.
 
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