is air-h produced by crucible industries. The A in the name is the designation for .
Knifemakers love this because it is easy to work with and has and moderate . These features make it an ideal choice for making survival, combat, camping, and hunting knives.
What’s more, is not because it does not contain enough to make it . This tells you that it performs poorly in .
- C 1.05%: Increases the , and . It also improves resistance to wear, abrasion and .
- Cr 5.50%: Increases , and toughness of the .
- Mo 1.40%: It improves and gives the characteristic property.
- Vanadium V 0.25%: Increase and toughness, it also improves . Vanadium acts by improving the grain structure and the carbide structure of the .
- Manganese Mn 1.00%: Increases and brittleness.
- Nickel Ni 0.30% enhances structure properties of the
- Silicon Si 0.50%: Increases strength and heat resistance.
- Phosphorus P 0.03%: Improves and .
- Sulfur S 0.03%: Improves .
- Copper Cu 0.25% Slightly increases in the of the .
properties
is 57-62 HRC as per the Rockwell scale. However, the varies with the technique used by the manufacturer.
This is made possible by the combination of , Manganese, and in its composition.
Toughness
You would expect low toughness in because it is hard , but surprisingly it offers great toughness. It is because of this toughness that has remained a go-to choice for die over the years.
If you are on the market for knives that won’t break, chip, or crack on tough applications, consider the varieties of .
The in this is associated with vanadium and nickel in its composition, and for that, it will continue to be a good choice for knives intended for tough use.
A2
The toughness level of can be defined as okay or moderate. In many cases, hard steels offer excellent but for this , you will enjoy at the expense of . Well, this is not to say that it offers the worst out there, but expect to meet other types of with better .
As already stated, A2 is not because of its low contents. With that it offers low , however, it is better in than some steels.
If the other properties of match the kind of knife you are looking for, do not forgo knives because of their low antirust capabilities because you can protect them from rusting through proper care.
Ensure to clean and dry them after use and also apply a coat of oil which acts as a protective layer from rust agents during storage.
Another area where this shines is in its capabilities associated with high carbides in its composition.
Do not expect knives to keep an edge like high-end steels, but you can be sure that you will not be required to sharpen them often.
Sharpening
After confirming that does not become dull faster, you must be wondering if it is easy to sharpen. The good news is, it is easy to sharpen , which is due to its low caused by the relatively low volume of .
It will take you a short time and effort to get a super sharp edge that lasts you long with this .
equivalents
A2 vs O1
beats in , , and easy sharpening, while shines in . One major difference is during is quenched in air while O1 is quenched in oil.
A2 vs D2
A2 offers better , and toughness and it is easier to sharpen than . However, offers better than A2 because it is semi-.
A2 vs 1095
1095 is easier to sharpen than but loses the battle in terms of edge resistance, toughness, and . An beats a 1095 in multiple aspects making the better choice.
Is good knife ?
Some of the properties that make good for knives are great , toughness, , and . Looking at the features of , it performs great on all the above, therefore we can say that it is a good for .
The only downside is its low rust resistance, which can be handled through proper care and maintenance.
Conclusion
is a medium that is relatively inexpensive and offers great and . It is a common in knife making and can make quality and cheap hunting, bushcraft, and camping knives.
The only let off is that is not and it is prone to rusting due to lack of enough elements.
My name is Jonathan M, and I’m a passionate Mechanical Engineer, a knife enthusiast, and the author of this website. I have a bachelor's degree in Mechanical engineering with a specialization in material science. I am particularly interested in researching knife steel, knife properties, and brands. I hope you will find value in the articles on this website. Contact me if you have any questions or input!
