Still having a hard time

[miguet]

discerning between ATS-34, VG-10, and S-30V. I have a pool of inexpensive benchmade and spyderco users with 3-4 inch blades in the aforementioned steels. I understand what I read and accounting for blade configuration and thickness, it still doesn't reflect my experience. I grow ornamental palms and tropical fruit trees. I use pruners and folding knives all day, almost every day. I carry a small flat diamond steel because I need to sharpen while I'm working. Although I don't have particularly great sharpening skills, the edges all seem to last about the same amount of time and take the same effort to sharpen.

 

[Shorttime]

Heat treat and bevel angle seem to have as much (if not more) to do with edge retention as steel type. S30V, I've read (here on BF, so it's reasonably trustworthy info), is very dependent on heat treat to get to best edge retention.

It's also possible that you're actually ending up with a wire edge, no matter how fine a stone you use. Just for fun, try stropping one of your knives against a piece of corrugated cardboard after you hit the stone. I read about this in a magazine article way back, and while it sounds goofy, it works. The corrugated has just enough abrasive action to strop off that wire.