Here's a little information to start with: http://zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=440A%2CAUS8&ni=510,874&hrn=1&gm=0(The steel names have links to more info about the steels.)(When people say 440, they invariably mean 440A. If it's 440C they will be eager to say so, as it's more expensive. That said, a knife in 440A will be tougher than a knife in 440C, so a better choice for a hard use knife.) I would expect AUS8 to have finer carbides, and therefore a finer best case edge, but frankly, a proper heat treat trumps the other variables here anyway. With proper heat treat both steels make fine knives and are very widely used.tl;dr: 440A and AUS8 aren't the most dissimilar steels.
I'm a complete idiot when it comes to the subject but I can tell you I really dig LM's 420HC for my uses. It's easy to keep sharp if you touch it up every now and then
Specifically which quality of stainless is ideal for hunting or camping purpose??
Here is a micrograph of different steels which I hope illustrates what I'm trying to explain. The light areas are carbides, the dark steel. Do note the nice, homogeneous structure and small carbides of the powder steels. A8-mod is too low in chromium to be stainless, but this also avoids carbides. (INFI and A8-mod has about the same amounts of carbon and chromium.) I think this is a very striking illustration of why CPM 3V has superior impact resistance to D2, but at the same time it illustrates why the extreme use guys choose alloys much lower in chromium and carbon.The carbides are hard and brittle, while the steel is tough and (in comparison) soft, and the carbides therefore lowers the strength of the steel, while adding to its wear resistance. The diameter of the carbides also obviously affects how a fine edge will behave and be shaped.
Quote from: dipti on July 21, 2014, 05:39:17 PM Specifically which quality of stainless is ideal for hunting or camping purpose?? I think some of the previous replies might have already brought this subject home, even with the same steel and same use, if the blade grind/bevel angle/shape/thickness/hardness/heat treat is different, the outcome might be different.For more modern 'super' steel, I do like CPM 3V on longer outdoor blade I use(5"+), which I do have the tendency to baton wood with it if I need to. CPM 3V has very high impact resistance (twice as much as A2 and 3 times more than D2 on paper), and it also has some corrosion resistance although not at the level of stainless.http://www.crucible.com/eselector/prodbyapp/tooldie/cpm3vt.htmlOther than that, my requirement for 3-4" blade, so as long the steel has good durability, not too difficult to sharpen, good corrosion resistance and can be used to scrap with ferro rod. For example, Bushcraft survival is a Mora knife with coated carbon steel, and it really did serve me well.
Hi SteinarThank you so much for contributing such a valuable post to my thread. This information is so much in detail that now I am curious to know more about the categories of steels with depth knowledge of compounds and mixtures.
My AUS8 blades stay just as sharp as my 440C blades. There have been some complaints regarding the Secure-Ex sheath that comes with your SRK. Many people have noticed the blade getting noticeably duller each time they remove the knife.
Stain less steel should not stick to magnet but my multi-tool did stick, why?
The handles, while still stainless steel, may not be the same grade of stainless as the blades and might be nominally non-magnetic. The act of folding the stainless steel sheet can cause the steel to become magnetic.
The only stainless steels I have EDC experience with is 8cr13mov and 420HCUnfortunately I didn't carry the 420 blade long enough to dull it on cutting apples, but so far I do prefer the 8cr13 despite my comparison not being completely fair....I firmly believe for all there entry level to midrange stainless steels the heat treat, blade design and grind are more important than steel type.