Hardness vs Wear Resistance?

[Folderguy]

440C and AUS8 are enough different that, if it is really 440C and not mislabeled 440A, then it's a pretty sure thing that the 440C will outperform the AUS8. All other things being equal.

What confuses the issue more than heat treat is blade geometry. Blade geometry has more impact on the force necessary to cut than alloy or heat treat does.

Given the same steel, which should be expected to be "better," as far as slicing is concerned? Will a hollow ground blade or a full flat grind blade, both of which have convex edges on them, perform equally?

 

[me2]

That depends on the depth of cut and overall geometry. For shallow cutting, edge angle and edge thickness matter more than the type of grind. Also, either grind can be thick, thin, or in between. A hollow ground knife with an edge thickness of 0.0325" will not cut as well as a full flat ground knife with an edge thickness of 0.005", no matter what kind of final edge is on it. The reverse is also true.