Aus6 Aus10 Vg10 440c

E

emann

Joined
Apr 27, 2005
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What is the best steel of these four for a knife blade, AUS6, AUS10, VG 10 or 440C? Are all of them alright or should I avoid any of them? Also is SV30 better then all of these or about the same as any of them? Thanks.
 
Somewhere around here there's a steel FAQ but I'll give you my two bits. Much of it depends on what you intend to do with it. It you're living working in a humid or salty place you might want something really stainless like 12C27 or H1. If you're looking for a big chopper carbon steels like 5160 or O1 reign supreme. For a smaller slicer S30V is the current belle of the ball although M2 and D2 have stong followings as well. But even with the supersteels there are tradeoffs, mainly price. Hope that helps.

Frank

P.S. out of the ones you listed I'd probably go with VG-10 like the Spyderco
NativeIII but the 440C Benchmade uses in the Griptilian is still a good steel.

P.P.S. Here we go http://www.bladeforums.com/features/faqsteel.shtml
 
AUS-6 is the softest and tends to be used in cheap knives regardless of whether it fits the style of knife. It makes some sense for a large stainless steel knife, for small knives it is OK, but it is second-rate. AUS-10 and VG-10 are very similar. They are comparitively hard stainless steels that sharpen pretty easily to fine edges and hold the edges a lot longer than AUS-6. These are good all around choices unless you want to use your knife as a crowbar. 440C is in the same class as AUS-10 and VG-10, but sometimes doesn't take as fine an edge. Here is a link to Joe Talmadges "Steel FAQ":
http://www.usenetbot.com/viewtopic/182421/Knife-Steel-FAQ-updated
 
Out of the steels you listed IMO AUS6 is not worth considering in the same company as the others. 440C is the Old Timer of stainless steels and when properly heat-treated is an excellent steel esp., if you are looking for corrosion resistance. AUS10 and VG10 are new kids on the block and make an excellent cutlery steel. AUS10 does not seem to be as popular with makers as VG10 but I have a Blackjack Slick in this steel and I would rate it just above 440C but behind VG10 which has a fine grain and this steel is well utilized by Spyderco. On paper S30V is better than all of them but when it comes down to the nitty gritty the average knife buyer may not see the difference between it and VG10. It has better edge retention but is harder to sharpen.
 
S30V, D2, M2, CPM-420V/440V, CPM-3V/10V seem to be the top six supersteels these days. Among them, M2 and the CPM stuff is fairly rare. M2, D2 and S30V hold edges very well (probably about in that order), but S30V is more stainless, and possibly a little less brittle ("tougher").

VG-10, ATS34/154CM (basically the same, one's Japanese, the other is USA), ATS-55, VG-10, A2, AUS8, AUS10, 440C, and a few others I'm forgetting, are all great stuff and will treat you well. Most have their own little niche of what they're good for, depending on toughness, edge-retention, stainlessness, hardness, ease of sharpening, large/small blade applications, etc.

The "more common" steels like 5160 (Ranger knives use this), 1095 (Kabar uses this), O-1, W-1, and the beat-around stuff like what Becker Knife and Tool uses, Swamp Rat Knife works uses, and Busse Combat uses, are all mostly for their decent edge-holding but their ability to take a real beating and not snap in half, chip their edge off, etc. These are all also good stuff, just depending on what you need it for. You wouldn't make a scalpel out of 5160, but you wouldn't make a machete out of M2.


You'll find fans of everything out there, so find a few knives you like and if you want opinions on them, post em up, we'd all be happy to weigh in.

There are a lot of steel faqs/guides out there, take a look around. Even just on this forum :eek:.



Sorry to talk your ear off :p

_z

EDIT: In more direct response to your question, yes AUS6 is kinda junky for anything but a beater knife. AUS10 is rare, I only recall one knife (Cold Steel tri-fold or whatever it's called) that uses it. S30V is typically the best of all worlds for a user, so I'd reccomend that to start. But don't limit your search by steel, find what you like then see what it's made of.
 
Wouldn't M2 be ahead of D2 as far as edge holding? It contains tungsten which helps with wear resistence. I think I've seen people say M2 can also be hardend more than D2 without negative results.
 
Yes, M2 is better than D2, with about the same "toughness," both fairly low.
 
emann, z537z has the best idea. Pick out a few knives and post them and we'll tell you what we think.
Walter

PS Welcome to the Forums!
 
The best steel for a knife is a function of the steel itself, how well the manufacturer heat treats and shapes the blade, and what kind of environment and work it's meant for.

Even the latest high-tech steels can have drawbacks, like expense and difficulty in working them, so manufacturers often stay with older, better-understood steels that have a history of performing well beyond the ordinary demands of their customers.

Steels are either (high) carbon or stainless. The older, carbon steels will tend to take a great edge and hold it, and perform well under stress. Stainless was developed to reduce rusting but only recently have stainless steels been able to close in on carbon steel's quality.

This is a good thread on Blade Steels - Quick Definitions.
 
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