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Stainless steel

AUS-8A

Cold Steel's designation for AUS-8.

Typical hardness
57-59 HRC
Edge retention
1/5
Toughness
4/5
Corrosion resistance
3/5
Ease of sharpening
5/5

1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other.

2 knives in AUS-8A

Cold Steel Tuff Lite — 2.5 inch sheepsfoot blade
Cold Steel

Cold Steel Tuff Lite

Blade
2.5″
Weight
2.5 oz
SheepsfootAUS-8A
EDC FolderBudget
Cold Steel

Cold Steel Finn Wolf

Blade
3.5″
Weight
3.4 oz
Straight BackAUS-8A
EDC FolderBudget