My attempts with Stainless steel strikers was not very good but, then again they were generally cheap stamped blades and not a higher quality stainless steel.
Regarding 1095, 1075, O1, 52100, etc. really depends on the heat treat just like stainless steels. I have some Newt Livesay Wicked Knives that are very rust resistant for a carbon steel and hold an incredible edge. I have also had a lot of mass market 1095 knives that were okay but, nowhere near as good as this. In general, I would say that carbon steels are easier to get a 'good' heat treat but, very few really hit the upper tier quality similar to Newt in a knife that is mass produced or ~$100~$150. A lot of mass market stainless has a subpar heat treat IMHO. I even had a Benchmade folder that was over-hardened and rusted and chipped easily.
Morakniv is one of the brands that has not disappointed me regarding relatively cheap stainless steel utility knives. I use a lot of their blades and find their normal stainless to be very good for everyday uses. The Garberg takes this to the next level with 14c28n! This is an under-rated stainless IMHO.
Their are better stainless steel blade stocks available but, they come in at higher price points so, they should perform better when you are talking about 2 or 3 times the cost! Of course, can I really expect to touch up the blade on a river stone or concrete step?
So, while not a super premium option, it also has a very modest cost while delivering most of what the super premium knives do. While I don't want to give up my other knives, if all I had was Morakniv models, I could live the rest of life very happily!
After hours of watching reviews, in this moment I think I would go on Terava Jaakaripuukko 110. Its a carbon steel knife, full tang with an amazing leather sheath. The price is less than Garberg. Initially I said NO but I started to appreciate it more and more. I'm still waiting for 4-6 weeks and I'll have to make the final decision...
