Work folder; easy to sharpen or great steel?

[Kettleman]

Same.
Like @Danke42 said, why not both?
If I had to pick a favorite steel right now it would probably be S35VN. It’s plenty tough, it’s stainless, holds a great edge, and it’s not too difficult to sharpen.
….but, I haven’t tried Magnacut yet. It has similar performance to S35VN, except it has even more toughness supposedly.

I’ve been perfectly happy with S35VN for several years and S45VN for the last couple months. Haven’t been able to try magnacut yet but am looking forward to it but won’t pay over retail to try.


Edit to add : to be perfectly honest I was quite happy with 440c for 40 or so years….

 

[donnord]

Easy to sharpen steel something like a basic buck folder with plastic handles will get most your work done, and they are cheap.

 

[The Grendels]

Depends on how much time you have to sharpen a knife. For work I'd rather have a steel that held an edge longer, just because I probably have enough work to do without sharpening a knife too. Only if I'm working at a remote camp is ease of sharpening going to come into the picture for a work knife, in comparison to holding an edge longer.

 

[Drop bear]

Based on what you're doing with it, I think the blade thickness will have a bigger impact. Getting through the tough stuff will be easier with a thin grind on a thin blade. I would choose ease of sharpening in this case, you'll need the keen edge to cut the rubber effectively, and easy to sharpen steels are often tougher than high wear resistance steels. Easier to repair a roll than to repair a chip on a high hardness blade.

Also wanted to add, if you nick a live wire nothing will hold up to that. I've done it, it blew a chunk out of my blade. That would ruin a very good knife.

I was watching a youtube thing and apparently rubber hose is hard with a thick knife.