I own a couple of knives in each steel.
AEB-L is the same formulation as 13C26, razor-blade strip steel. Buck has offered their Vantage in 420HC, 13C26, and S30V. I have a 13C26 Vantage Avid. I also have a couple of AEB-L customs from Tim Johnson. In S30V i own a custom Bill Davis hunter, a couple Gerbers, and a Benchmade.
420HC is more stain-resistant than 13C26 but a bit less wear-resistant. 420HC is considered a "budget steel" and comes in many knives that show less refinement - low-grit edge finish, unrefined handle, etc. It's a great working-steel and I feel no qualms about reprofiling the blades on a belt-grinder or whathaveyou. USA-made Gerbers and especially Buck Knives feature this steel. I like it, but it does dull easily. *shrug* If you can sharpen, it'll serve you well for a low price :thumbup:
13C26 is a bit less stain-resistant (depends on the level of surface polish) than S30V and less wear-resistant, but it takes a fine edge easily on basic hones and it may be a bit tougher than S30V (more rolling, less chipping), so maybe a better choice for wood-carving, etc. 13C26/AEB-L is considered a step up from 420HC and the knives I have in it have well-polished edges, well finished handles, etc.: a couple customs by Tim Johnson (Blackstone K&T) and a Vantage Avid (Buck). The customs are thin and hardened to 60Rc so they hold an edge very well in abrasive cutting but aren't as strong for carving. The thicker vantage is good for carving/whittling, but not so good for abrasive cutting (dulls fast). All three sharpen easily.
S30V forms more and harder carbides for increased wear-resistance to hold an edge in abrasive cutting (e.g. rope, cardboard). Those same carbides resist sharpening/polishing the edge, so diamonds or SiC or CBN is recommended for honing, it isn't as easy/quick to polish the apex to a very high grit especially if you're trying to use simple arkansas stones or whatnot. I use the diamonds to adjust it. If you aren't doing much abrasive cutting, you may not notice a difference between high- and low-wear steels
http://www.zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=13c26,420hc,cpm+s30v
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...based-on-Edge-Retention-cutting-5-8-quot-rope
