ZUT --
I'm not arguing about your observations in performance differences -- in fact, I'm very interested in learning more about what you've observed. I just want to correct the factual errors first.
Your claim was pretty clear, that ATS-55 is "'low' carbon stainless". ATS-55 has the same amount of carbon as VG-10, and .05% less than ATS-34. ATS-55 is high carbon, period, and has essentially the same amount of carbon as other steels which you consider to be high-carbon. So you made a factual statement that was incorrect, which you might want to correct if you so desire.
Neither is ATS-55 the "big brother" of ATS-34. They are made for very different applications. Same for M-2, which ist NOT similar to A-2, even if they carry the same "2" in their name.
Well, sure. But I don't think anyone is so naive as to think two steels are identical because they share a number in their name. In the case of M-2 and A-2, they have a different chemical analysis. ATS-34 and ATS-55 are *very* close to identical (but not totally), except for the difference in moly, which in theory shouldn't matter for cutlery steel. ATS-55 isn't the "big brother" of ATS-34, and no one has claimed it is; rather, it's kind of the cutlery-specialized version, with the expensive but possibly-unnecessary element removed, and trace amounts of some other elements added.
But if you're seeing real-world performance differences between the two, which you describe as "the ATS-55 I am using is at the lower end of high performance steels. Hard, ultra brittle, finegrained, in constant need of sharpening and barely 'stain-less'", that is an analysis of performance. I'm interested in that comment, but I just wanted to correct your factual errors first.
So on to the performance you've been seeing with ATS-55 (and apparently, Griffon might share the same opinion). Whose ATS-55 and ATS-34 are you comparing? I'm wondering if heat treatment or the like can be the explanation for the difference in the performance. Spyderco ATS-55 (I'm guessing) versus whose ATS-34?
I haven't done ATS-55 versus ATS-34 head to head tests, but my very subjective impression is that my ATS-55 endura performs very ATS-34ish, and definitely is not rusting faster or acting more brittle than, say, Benchmade's ATS-34.
Joe