The tip will be weakened because it was bent, and will now bend easier. The solution would be to grind off the damaged metal. This will thicken the tip and actually make it stronger than before, but of course you lose poking ability.
As for the cutting ability, this is determined by the blade geometry to such a degree it pretty much swamps out all other factors. Now of course if a handle won't let you exert any force on the blade or the balance is really off for the intended task then the blade can cut very poorly even with a great geometry (try to chop with a neutral bowie for example). However, the actual blade material has only a very small influence and when the geometries are equal, it can only be noticed in extreme cases like comparing the cutting ability of D2 vs 52100 at a very high polish.
52100 will win a push cutting contest as the grain structure of D2 will prevent the edge from being as fine. However if the D2 blade is ground just a little thinner or more acute then it will easily overtake the 52100 blade. The opposite happens in regards to slicing, D2 will take the lead here readily as the carbide structure is 10-20 times more coarse. Of course 52100 left coarse will easily out slice D2 if left highly polished so the choice of sharpening (and quality) have major influences as well. Of both blades are left very coarse then both will again slice pretty much the same.
There will be differences in edge retention depending on what is cut of course so the lifetimes of the edges will be very different and this is the critical factor which is greatly influenced by the steel choice. The wear resistance of D2 is *much* greater than 52100 and the hardness is usually ahead by 1-2 RC points. However the toughness and ductility of 52100 is more than D2, so which one wins out in edge holding depends on what and how you are cutting.
Now of course the blade material is what determines the functional level of geometry as better materials mean you can use less of them as less is needed for a specific amount of toughness or strength. However in this respect Talonite actually demands more material as it is soft and weak. You can create a better cutting blade out of a much harder and stronger steel, few people do though, most knives on the market are very overbuilt for light cutting, many times to one. It is common to see edges on pocket knives that are actually functional for large chopping knives.
-Cliff
