I was reading a thread the other day, some people were talking about the newest super steels. You know, your S30/60/90Vs, M390s, ZDP-189s, etc. It was mentioned that these steels hold an edge for much longer than the more popular, economic steels ( 440, 1095, etc ) but that they are also much harder to sharpen. Someone contended that the key to sharpening them easily was to not let them get very dull before sharpening.
Well, what's the point then? If you're going to be sharpening frequently, then why not just use a simpler steel? I understand that some people might not want to maintenance an edge for a very long time and so these steels might be ideal, but for a person that is already accustomed to sharpening often, what is the real point of these alloys?
The only thing I can think of is jobs where the edge might get dull in the middle of working, and so a more mild steel like 440 or 1095 might require more frequent sharpening. I've never had to do that much work with my knife personally, but I'm not saying it couldn't happen either.
Apologies if I'm beating a dead horse...
Well, what's the point then? If you're going to be sharpening frequently, then why not just use a simpler steel? I understand that some people might not want to maintenance an edge for a very long time and so these steels might be ideal, but for a person that is already accustomed to sharpening often, what is the real point of these alloys?
The only thing I can think of is jobs where the edge might get dull in the middle of working, and so a more mild steel like 440 or 1095 might require more frequent sharpening. I've never had to do that much work with my knife personally, but I'm not saying it couldn't happen either.
Apologies if I'm beating a dead horse...