I have some with S30V steel blades and some ATS-34, the latter which I like more than the former. The VG-10 blades also are very nice as are the 1095 carbon blades. I've also had a number of 440C and 440A stainless blades as well as the tried and true AUS-8. The heat treatment has a lot to do with a steel's worth, of course, and Cold Steel has really done a fine job with its steels across the board. Its AUS-8A is astoundingly good and its 440A is the only really decent steel I've seen. I can't tell you how many 440A knives I've gotten that are pure garbage. You can't even sharpen the damn things! But Cold Steel's 440A is comparable to many knife companys' AUS-8. I have a Pro-Lite, a Night Force and a Recon-1, all with viciously sharp 440A blades. And all are easily sharpened and all stay sharper than I would have previously thought! Oh, and I have a couple of Gerber AR 300s with black 440A blades. And while not up to CS's 440A, they were better than average.
The Cabela's Buck Alaskan 110 with S30Vs are great knives, but have rough edges that are similar to the Buck 110's 420HC. I haven't used mine yet, but they are attractive and are undoubtedly better than the 420HC (which I don't know why Buck is so dang wedded to). It's funny, but I've bought cheap knives that sharpen blisteringly sharp and don't keep their edges and some that come dull and can't be sharpened. I have a 420 copy of a S&W Homeland Security that cost me only $13. Like its 440C twin, it's a prybar. But my wife uses it for a weeder and when I got it back, I cleaned it, sharpened it and put it in my car trunk. It's sharp, but wouldn't stay that way with a lot of use. But for self defense it's sharp enough, and heavy enough, to do whatever I need it for.
Bottom line: I have a gamut of knives and steels, but frankly, I find S30V a pain to sharpen. The cheaper steels are much easier to sharpen and keep sharp.
Two horribly cheap knives, the bottom one with a 5-inch blade. The top knife is a
copy of the S&W Homeland Security. It can be sharpened very sharp and it's a good
trunk knife.
The Cabela's Buck Alaskan is beautifully polished and have S30V blades.
Gerber AR 300 and Cold Steel Pro-Lite with 440A.
Cold Steel's long-standing AUS-8A, the steel Lynn Thompson keeps returning to.
