Heat Treatment Specifications
Austenitizing
Temperature949°C(1740°F)
Soak Time30 minutes
Tempering
Temperature232°C(450°F)
Time120 minutes
Cycles2x
Quench Medium
air
Target Hardness
58 - 62 HRC
Performance Characteristics
Toughness5/10
Edge Retention5/10
Corrosion Resistance3.5/10
Ease of Sharpening5.5/10
Overall Score19/40
Interesting Facts
- 1Ron Lake started using A2 in 1965, pioneered it for knives
- 2At 1971 Knifemaker's Guild show, almost no one had heard of it
- 3Air-hardening steel - 'A' designation means hardens in air
- 4Bravo 1 designed for Marine Corps personnel behind enemy lines
- 5L.T. Wright Genesis used by Larry Roberts on TV show Alone Season 2
- 6Typically 25-30% cheaper than same knife in super steel
Famous Uses
Bark River Bravo 1
L.T. Wright Genesis
Mission Knives
Best For
Combat knives
Hard-use fixed blades
Heavy-duty cutting
Tactical fixed blades
High toughness applications
Similar Steels
D2
Better wear resistance, but harder to sharpen and less tough
O1
Oil hardening, more distortion, but simpler heat treatment
3V
PM steel with superior toughness and wear resistance
Not Recommended For
- Wet environments (not stainless)
- Maximum wear resistance (D2 is better)
- Field use without maintenance
Expert Tips
- 1Air-hardening steel
- 2Superior toughness to D2
- 3Less wear resistance than D2
- 4Can't differential temper
- 5Air-hardening - unsuitable for differential tempering
- 6Excellent toughness/edge balance
- 7Lower wear resistance than harder steels