During abrasive wear of hardmetals, preferential removal of the binder phase is a leading cause of detachment of tungsten carbide grains and increased wear. This work tests the use of a metastable austenitic binder phase that can form deformation induced martensite as a way to improve the abrasion resistance without loss of fracture toughness. The samples are subjected to tests of different severity and the results are evaluated with respect to wear and wear mechanisms. It was found that the wear mechanisms were very similar to those of a cobalt binder reference material and the sample with best performance varied from test to test. Signs of increased resistance to fracture and binder phase removal was seen for the new material, which could explain an increased resistance to wear in the most severe test.