John, on the issue of forged vs. stock removal, you're probably going to have to come to your own conclusion on that, as there are both proponents and naysayers on the value of forging. Not only for that, but also for forged stainless vs. forged tool steel.
Sometimes at knife shows you can find old issues of knife mags. The Sept/1989 issue of Blade has an article titled "Forged Stainless, Better Blades or Just Higher Prices" that basically was inconclusive.
Sean was mentioned in that article, along with some other makers who did some forging of stainless, including Glenn Marshall, James Poag, Tai Goo and Steve Terrill. There was no definitive answer then, and I think that hasn't changed.
To specifically address your question, one would have to compare Sean's work against T440V knives produced by stock removal. There
aren't a whole lot of these available-- Spyderco Military, Pack River folder, and Kit Carson's customs come to mind (I assume both Mr. Mullin's and Mr. Carson's work is produced by stock removal).
I have one of Sean's forged T440V knives. I also have a recently-acquired Pack River folder, and I used to have a Military. In my
opinion, Sean's is the sharpest of the bunch. That's no reflection on Steve Mullin's work (a very cool folder) or Spyderco. Whether or
not it has anything to do with forging, I have no idea. I have no doubt that all of these knives will hold an edge for a long time.
To me, forging embodies something of the "heritage" of knife making. I'm sure others could care less, and it may have absolutely
no impact of performance. I think you're going to have to decide for yourself how important it is to you.
