When I first got into super steels, I thought they were just the coolest thing. The technology, the increased performance, the overall cool factor. After living with the super steels for a while now, I noticed they are a lot less appealing than they used to be. As somebody who spends more time stropping his knives than using them, I find the "lesser" steels to be more fun. The payoff from stropping and less intensive sharpening are much more tangible, and the maintenance is much easier (a few licks on the stone, or a few minutes stropping and the edge is back to new). Am I alone in the waning love? Honestly if all of the designs I liked with super steels were made with steels like 440C or D2 I wouldn't have anything in super steels.
I wouldn't say my appeal is "waning" by any stretch, but simply is a cautious and frugal one regarding "super" Steels... I too am not a huge fan of the term "super Steel", as they are simply just "other" steels, most designed for uses in totally non-knife applications, for the aero space industry, the pump industry, turbine industry, etc... And there are a ton of absolutely amazing steels, high in tungsten, of molybednum, or other elements, that are completely unsuited and/or impractical for knife use, but are tremendously "super" at their intended uses... Just "other" steels...
But I digress, I get what the (generic) term means, so I continue to use it like many other folks do. That said, like you, a well made 440c blade or 1095, will certainly suit my daily needs just fine, and I don't mind the additional stropping and touchups they require. I'm also not one to jump at the next latest and greatest craze either, as value means as much to me as design and functionality, and oft times the latest and greatest are simply not in my budget. And also the "need" for something super abrasion resistant, 3 or 4 times as much as 440c, but for 5 or 6 times the price,isn't practical in my mind, (yet somehow owning 70-100 knives, and wanting more, I can justify as "practical", so be it, we all suffer from our own brand of insanity). I'd rather pay extra for design then for a fancy Steel that looks like just another knife, but unfortunately (for me) when you combine design AND fancy steels, you get the highest price tags around. So if given the option of a fancy knife in a more common grade steel vs. a plain looking knife, in a fancy Steel at the same price, I'm probably going to choose the former over the latter (provided the design is pleasing to my eye), because again, good common steels work well enough for my needs.
But the " appeal" of super steels is still there, I would love to try them all. I would love to be in a position where I could torture test them to breakage and simply discard them, but I can't, because that doesn't fit in my budget, however as they become established in their reputations, and tested again and again by those in a position to do so, and as prices come down, maybe I will get my hands on some sales? 154cm, Elmax, vg10, s30v, n690, xhp, d2, and so forth (entry level "super" steels) have seen great balances in their available price points which have seen dropping among production models to afforable prices (while others in the same steels, custims and mid techs are still at premium prices) and I've been pleased with each so far that I've tried. M390 appealed to me because of my appreciation of elmax, and so I got one for less then $200, in a design i liked, and so far I am pleased. But I haven't stopped carrying my basic 14c28 Blur, or 440c Böker Plus, or even 8cr13mov kershaws and crkt's, etc, as they too still suit my needs well enough, and there is no anxiety of losing or breaking them compared to a $100+ knife in a fancier steel...
So in short, the "appeal" for me is still there to try them all, but not "just" to try them for the sake of trying them, if I spend my money and buy a new knife, sure i want a "good steel", but it has to fit all my criteria as well, meaning, design and price both have to suit my wants and needs also, and 440c or 14c28, 1095 or even a good batch of 7, 8, or 9crXmov are " good enough" for nearly all my needed applications of a knife... I won't buy it "just because" it's a new super duper Steel, but rather because it's a knife I like and can afford, and if a "super Steel" can be a part of that equation as well, then great!
On topic, they also tend to use some nice simple steels in their offerings.
