4116 Stainless steel and Japanese AUS 8?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Cold Steel and some other knife makers use this Krupp German 4116 Stainless Steel for blades. I have read mixed reviews. One person claimed it is used on cheap kitchen knives and scalpels but others have done field-tests and claim the knives made from it are good (Examples: Cold Steel Leatherneck fixed blades, other low priced fixed blades). What do you all think of it? Is it okay?

Also, what do you think of the Japanese AUS 8 stainless they use on some of the knives, like the current Voyagers and others?

[The Mastiff]

I have one blade in 4116 and find it competent but pretty mediocre. Not much wear resistance, decent toughness for stainless and pretty good corrosion resistance.

Aus 8 I've used in I can't count how many blades. I've seen it perform well, and very lousy. Generally the old Japanese Cold steel Aus 8 knives performed well. Likewise Moki made knives are heat treated well. Other knives I've tried it in weren't as good. Like anything else it depends on how many corners you cut to save money.

Joe

[_centurio_]

Cold Steel's Aus8 is very well heat treated in my opinion.

[RanCoWeAla]

I stay away from all the Chinese steels like AUS 8 .

[jabba359]

I stay away from all the Chinese steels like AUS 8 .

Good thing AUS-8 is Japanese then, and not Chinese!

[Ookami]

The performance of 4116 (or more precisely 1.4116) depends on good heat treatment, much like any other steel. With optimum heat treat it is easy to sharpen to a very keen edge and its edge retention is appropriate. From my experiences with some German kitchen knives as well as a Cold Steel Kudu, I would indeed compare it to AUS-8, 12c27 or the 420HC on Buck knives.

Ookami

[Cliff Stamp]

It is the same steel as 12C27M from Sandvik, commonly used in Mora knives, usually with a significant amount of retained austenite to increase toughness/grindability. AEB-L is a similar steel, slightly harder with slightly less corrosion resistance. 12C27m is usually advocated for knives which need to be dishwasher safe (by Sandvik).

If you have not used them, then it is similar to 420HC which is a very common US steel.

[JD Spydo]

I have one blade in 4116 and find it competent but pretty mediocre. Not much wear resistance, decent toughness for stainless and pretty good corrosion resistance.

Aus 8 I've used in I can't count how many blades. I've seen it perform well, and very lousy. Generally the old Japanese Cold steel Aus 8 knives performed well. Likewise Moki made knives are heat treated well. Other knives I've tried it in weren't as good. Like anything else it depends on how many corners you cut to save money.

I tend to agree 100% with Mastiff on this one. I have not yet got a blade with 4116 steel but two good buddies of mine have and their opinion is the same as Mastiff's. Cold Steel in my opinion has some great designs and I still have some of their older stuff like their original Gurkha Kukri with Carbon V that I've always enjoyed playing. But I had a few of their AUS-8 blades from the mid 2000s and I didn't think that the heat treat was as good as Spyderco's at all. I had one of the Kobun models with AUS-8 and I was sharpening it almost daily when I used it .

I do find Spyderco's AUS-8 to be a great steel for Spyderedged blades which ironically I don't hail it as being one of the better plain edged selections>> and ATS-55 kind of falls into that same category. As much as I like a lot of Cold Steels unique products over the years I've always thought that many of their blade steels have a bit to be desired and 4116 I don't think is any different from what I'm hearing from reliable sources.

[anagarika]

Interesting history on the steel maker : http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krupp" target="_blank