AUS10 vs VG10 AUS10 / V金10号
Short answer
Very close in practice: both are stainless with similar hardness and edge life. AUS10 (Aichi Steel) is often used as a clad core in Tsubame factory knives; VG10 (Takefu) is the more common name on export knives.
| AUS10 | VG10 | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness (typical HRC) | 59–61 | 60–62 |
| Type | stainless | stainless |
| Easy to sharpen | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Edge retention | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Rust resistance | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Chip resistance | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Mark on the blade | AUS10 / AUS-10 | VG10 / V金10号 / V10 |
| Whetstone | 1000 → 3000 | 1000 → 3000 |
Scores are relative, 1–5, for kitchen-knife use — our summary of maker data and common experience, not lab tests. Heat treatment and grind can move a knife a full point either way.
AUS10 AUS10
Aichi Steel stainless, often as a clad core in Tsubame factory knives (ROKUSHIRO).
Who uses it: Yajimaya, Kai Corporation (Seki), Seki Kanetsugu (Seki), Suncraft (Seki)
Sanjo examples with prices:
No Sanjo price rows yet.
VG10 V金10号
Takefu Special Steel's stainless with cobalt. The default steel of Tojiro's DP/PRO lines; also in damascus lines.
Who uses it: Kiryu Kogyo, Nakagawa Shokai, Shimomura Kogyo, Tojiro, Tsurugi Kenshin, Yajimaya, Baba Hamono (Sakai), Fujiwara Kanefusa (Seki), Hatsukokoro (Hyogo (brand)), Kai Corporation (Seki)
Sanjo examples with prices:
Care
Wipe dry after use. Dishwasher still not recommended — the heat and detergent dull the edge and loosen handles.