Quote from Ed Caffrey on December 12, 2024, 7:42 am

Hi Garrett!  Sorry I missed this until now. 

"After 80crv2 do you have any recommendations on better kitchen knife steel"   Whew.... "better" can mean so many things, and typically means different things to different Knifemakers....and knife users.

 It comes down to what YOU value in a "kitchen knife".... rust resistance?  Cutting ability?  Edge Longevity?  Or whatever attribute(s) YOU deem valuable

Keep in mind, ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS when it comes to knives, the maker MUST.... give up one thing, to gain another.  Usually, with "kitchen" cutlery, most makers value rust resistance.... and so will choose a steel for its rust/tarnish/stain resistance over/above other attributes such as edge retention or ease of sharpening.   There are some ways that you can "cheat" .... in my case I use clear Gun-Kote on most blades I produce, especially on "kitchen" knives, but there are some instances where that won't work, so again, give up one thing to gain another.

 OK, all that being said, 80CRV2 my preferred steel, but... I am a Bladesmith.... so I require steel that is "forgeable".  CruWear would be high on my list if I were a stock removal maker.   It's a total bugger to grind (there's the downside), but it ticks off most boxes for "kitchen" knives.   

Whatever steel you choose, do it through research and thoughtfulness.   I have come to understand that when I see a maker that advertises/touts using a wide array of steels, that/those folks very often a "jack of all trades...but master of none".... meaning that it's very likely they have severely limited knowledge of the steels they use..... and therefore make lesser knives than if they had in-depth knowledge/experience with fewer steel types.