I'd also go with 1084 over 1095. Once you have the steel up to critical temp. when heat treating, you have somewhere in the vicinity of 4-5 seconds to get 1084 fully quenched to reach full hardness. With 1095, that window of opportunity is considerably shorter, at around one second to reach full hardness. That time limit forgivness with 1084 makes a big difference when heat treating. I beleive that is the reason that many guys do a water quench with 1095, which is much riskier as far as warpage and cracking is concerned. You can do a good job with 1095 and oil quench, but you have to be quick! I've also read alot about element control issues in 1095 in the last few years (ie. not consistent percentages of carbon in different batches from time to time and place to place), necesitating continuous changes in heat treat procedures. My two cents. Clint
