Zt0100 Vs. Busse?

[Cobalt]

What the edge-holding of the INFI? I can buy its toughness and the superior resistance to chipping, but it would seem that 3V would have a decided advantage in edge-holding with its higher carbon content and much higher vanadium.

You are reading too much into carbon content. Carbon alone is not what gives edge holding. It is a steels ability at the crystal level to resist chipping that is a factor as well as the heat treat. It is like a sandwich. The cheese alone does not make it, it is the whole package. 3V does not hold a better edge overall. The funny thing is that with these steels, you can have one that holds a better edge in one type of material and does not do so well with other materials. Like I said, for my general uses which included chopping wood and cutting lots of cardboard boxes, INFI lasted longer. INFI has a strange tendency to dull and then resharpen itself it does not have a linear dulling like most steels, and that is my experience, so don't ask me to explain why or how this happens because I can't since it does not make sense. The only other material that I have owned that did this was my Stellite 6k kives. They would dull then resharpen themselves. Eventually they would dull and you would have to resharpen.

I do like 3V as I think it is the best cpm steel available, so if you like the knife get it. I have owned several 3V knives and I have had more on order right now.

Yer talk'n wood-chipper steel---heat treated to perfection!!! INFI!

INFI is from the chipper family base since it has 8% chrome and 0.5% carbon. but it is totally different than A8, 3V, or Bohlers version, all of which are excellent steels.

People get really wrapped up in the type of steel when they should be concentrating on whether the maker can actually correctly heat treat the knife he makes. I would rather have a properly HT'd knife made from D2 or ats34, than a poorly HT'd knife of INFI or 3V.

A good example of this is 52100's HT. It isn't so simple as a 1-2 hour process. Done correctly it takes over 30 hours and closer to 60 hours of total tempering cycles to HT it the correct way (Ed Fowlers way). So when you buy a cheap manufactured 52100 knife do you think the manufacturer spent 60+ hours HT'ing it. Then this knife will give 52100 a bad name that it does not deserve. Much like what happened 10 years ago with 440C. Chinese 440C poorly HT'd sucked, but most people only saw the 440C part and went to other steels. 440C is an excellent stainless steel there is a reason why at one time it was the most popular custom steel.