visual different between rajah 3 bd1 and aus 8

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nicktheman

Joined
Jul 4, 2010
Messages
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I just got a rajah 3 from ebay seller and the knife itself has no marking of what kind of steel it use like the voyager and the box name and barcode cover with sticker of new item no. and new barcode. Is that common or sign of fraud?
 
These are either Aus8A being sold as BD1, or old stocks without the BD1 markings. I have one of the Rajah III labeled as BD1 without marking, still have no idea whether it's real.

Not that you will see a noticeable difference in real use, but I would look for the one with clear marking, just for peace of mind.
 
I find the Carpenter CTS-BD1 to have more of a shiny finish than the previous Aus-8A.

This is most likely due to more chromium content.

This is on the stone-washed or tumbled finish versions.

I also find the CTS-BD1 to have much better corrosion resistance and it takes a finer edge too.
 
I have a Rajah 2 that is supposed to be BD1, but who really knows, if you buy it from a private party on BF? There is the same problem with the old Voyagers. I have seen sellers claim that their unmarked blade is VG1 on more than one occasion. There is a resale difference between AUS8, and VG1/BD1. I feel like I need to keep these because I can't really prove what steel they are. I didn't think stamping the blade with the steel type was cost prohibitive for $70-$150 knives. Thanks for the confusion, CS! :thumbdn:
 
GCG199 said:
I find the Carpenter CTS-BD1 to have more of a shiny finish than the previous Aus-8A.

This is most likely due to more chromium content.

This is on the stone-washed or tumbled finish versions.

I also find the CTS-BD1 to have much better corrosion resistance and it takes a finer edge too.
Click to expand...


I have an Aus8 Rajah 3, and a BD1 Rajah 2. I initially agreed that the BD1 seemed shinier, but when I put them side by side, I really couldn't tell the difference. I'll bet that different blade batches comes out slightly different, as well.
 
1000 times this, I agree 100%

I've had problems with both old and new folders because of unmarked blades
 
Wouldn't the logo have been changed on the BD1 blades? IIRC the logo change was coincident with the unnecessary steel change.
 
I thought the BD1 version is stonewhashed and the Aus 8 version is bead blasted. My Rajah 2 and Voyager says BD1 on the blade with the newer cold seel logo.
 
The first generations of the Rajahs, Spartans and Epadas had bead-blasted blades of Japanese Aus-8A.

The main problem with the bead-blasting is that it opens-up pores in the surface of the blade, which allows moisture to get trapped in there.

This creates serious rust and corrosion. Which in turn a lot of people complained about. To fix this, they switched to stone-washed finishes. This was officially announced in the 2014 Special Projects paper catalog. The pictures of the .PDF 2014 catalog show this too.

They have also been inconsistent with the markings on the blades being updated with the steel type markings and newer 2015 Cold Steel logo.

I have a 2015 Spartan and Code 4 that have the Carpenter CTS-XHP blade steel marked on the ricasso (base of the blade right before the edge on the front-side of the blade).

(This is the way Spyderco usually marks their blade steel types on their knives.)

With the 2015 logo revamp, they put it on the backside of the blade with the steel type underneath it. Along with "Taiwan."

The original Japanese Aus-8A that Cold Steel used for almost three decades was officially phased out on most knives in 2015. With the exception of the Tuff-Lites and Finn Wolf folders and various fixed blades still using it now.
 
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