Favorite Knife Steels

[Maui]

Over the years I've looked through a number of different knife manufacturer's websites, and there seems to be a very large variety of knife steels that are available in the marketplace today. Lower alloy content grades like 1095 are relatively inexpensive and can achieve reasonably high hardness numbers during heat treatment. They have been used to make knives for well over 100 years. Some people prefer martensitic stainless steels because of their corrosion resistant properties. And a few relatively newer grades like Rex 121 that can reach exceptionally high hardness during heat treatment (exceeding 70 Rockwell C) are fairly expensive and a little over the top in terms of alloy content. But each grade appears to have a combination of properties that make it attractive to a certain group of buyers.

What knife steels do you prefer, and why? What characteristics are important to you as an end user?

 

[Nobody-named-Olli]

Entirely depends on what the knife is going to be used for, how the blade/ edge is/ will be ground. In the end, the steel used is generally far less important than having a true ‘symbiosis’ of use case, grind, hardness, corrosion resistance, micro structural properties after heat treatment of the steel & finish. All that has to play together, if you’re looking for the ‘perfect’ knife/ blade.

I’m certainly not up to date when it comes to the ‘steel of the month’-club current choices, and I’m no longer interested in the subject.

My current EDC is a handmade Scagel style lockback with hand forged carbon steel blade, it takes a great edge, it lasts for a while, it’s not hardened over the top and at the same time not a piece of a tin can. … The blade is finished to a matte polish, so I don’t end up with a ‘lump of rust’ when it’s inside my pocket while working on a hot summer day.

And I’d rather have a knife that I can sharpen with conventional methods, than having to rely on diamond technology or ‘polishing’ my way up to some unbelievable high-grit with some wet stones.

I haven’t had per se a ‘bad’ knife or blade ever. Not from reputable knife makers and blade smiths, not from reputable companies. Especially not when it comes to ‘every day use’ in your typical urban/ work environment.

If you have a single crucial factor, that is more important than all other factors - there will be inevitably trade offs.

Think corrosion resistance of materials like Talonite/Stellite, or the Titanium alloy Mission Knives used back in the day.

If you really want to dive all in, I’d suggest starting with research on bladeforums.com. That will bring up reading material, reviews, points of views & discussions (…) to keep you busy for years.

Kind regards,
Olli

 

[pizza]

i have a bunch of fancy kitchen knives and a couple of pocket knives.

the real-world answer is i prefer the steels used by knife makers that make knives i am interested in.

the less-cheeky answer is i prefer steels that offer good combinations of corrosion resistance, toughness, edge retention, ease of sharpening, and ease of deburring.

at this point, i prioritize corrosion resistance and mostly only use my knives made of stainless or semi-stainless steels. off the top of my head, my most-used kitchen knives are made of A2, stainless-clad SKD12, stainless-clad aogami super, stainless-clad rex121, aeb-l, sg2, magnacut.

a big part of that is i'm not the only user of my kitchen knives, and other family members can't be trusted to keep them clean enough during cooking.

 

[rlitman]

I personally think the alloy itself is one of the least important aspects of a good knife. Heat treatment is the make-or-break part, followed by edge geometry, and metallurgical composition comes in a very distant third.

I will say though that knowing the alloy involved can make a big difference in how I approach sharpening a knife.

 

[pizza]

I will say though that knowing the alloy involved can make a big difference in how I approach sharpening a knife.

true. i replaced all my stones (except jnats) with vitrified diamond stones (400, 1000, 6000) + 1µ diamond-loaded strop. however, for something like magnacut, i will get out the guided sharpening system.

 

[snickers muncher]

I like simple blades that are easy to sharpen. 1095 and O1 for my fixed blades and I've been happy with AUS8 for a pocket knife. My brother recently gave me a 80CrV2 blade that needs to be handled, so I get to try it out when I have the time.

 

[quadrcr87]

D2 on a beater/ budget pocketknife. Easy to sharpen, holds an edge decent. Main drawback is risk of rust. S90V, S35VN & S45VN have been good on more premium knives. A little more difficult to sharpen but they hold an edge well.

I am interested in magnacut but have not tried it yet.

 

[Maui]

I personally think the alloy itself is one of the least important aspects of a good knife. Heat treatment is the make-or-break part, followed by edge geometry, and metallurgical composition comes in a very distant third.

I will say though that knowing the alloy involved can make a big difference in how I approach sharpening a knife.

The opposite is actually true. The alloy itself is by far the most important consideration because that is what determines the level of corrosion resistance the steel possesses and what properties can be achieved through heat treatment. If you offered me A2 tool steel or CPM 3V, I would take 3V every single time.

 

[Sumboodie]

Whatever steel drywall blades are made from.

 

[Beerhippie]

Old truck leaf springs make for a durable, edge-retaining and easy to sharpen blade that rings nicely--if heat treated properly--like heating in a charcoal forge and quenching in bull's blood (I kid you not):



Made in central Baja Norte in the late '70s.

 

[seber]

My current carry is S110V. But I really prefer VG10 or ATS34. They hold an edge well enough and are much easier to sharpen. Since I sharpen my knife every night, I don't need the super steel.

 

[Jaywalk3r]

All else equal, CPM Magnacut tops the list of cutlery supersteels, at least on paper. It was formulated specifically for knife blades. CPM 3V is another excellent choice having extreme toughness and excellent stain resistance for a non-stainless steel.

My CRK Sebenzas have CPM S30V and S35VN. My CRK fixed blades are S35VN and A2. My Rick Hinderer fixed blade is made from 3V. I also have blades made from Elmax, CTS-XHP, and more. They all perform well and hold an edge pretty well.

Heat treat is far more important than steel composition. With poor heat treatment, even the best steels result in low quality blades.

Unfortunately, heat treat is where many manufacturers cut corners, because it’s expensive to do well, and it’s invisible. A knife made by a reputable cutler with old school tool steel will likely be better than a similar priced knife from a lesser-known maker using a premium supersteel. Supersteels are marketable, heat treat much less so.

Shop around for the right cutler, not the right steel.

 

[Ohio Andy]

I chose to try k390 because it is a knife steel that works well with a polished or toothy edge.

If I remember correctly s30v dues but s35v first not hold the polished edge as well.

So you may want to choose a steel based on what kind of edge it works well with.

I like D2 for a cheap blade that holds well but I think it what's to be a bit toothy.

I like Rex 121 and cpm s110v for edge retention.

Love magnacut for all around performance while also resisting rust; love magnacut

 

[Maui]

The tool you make is only as good as the heat treatment that it receives. If the blade is not correctly austenitized, quenched and tempered for the hardness level that is achieved, then it will likely not perform as well as it should be expected to. But the heat treat response of different grades of steel can be dramatically different from each other, and the most obvious difference is the attainable hardness. CPM Rex 121 can be heat treated to a hardness of 70 - 72 HRC. No matter how you heat treat Magnacut it will never even approach that level of hardness. So the grade of steel certainly has a distinct impact on the resulting properties. But someone will probably point out that the impact toughness of Rex 121 at 70 HRC is dramatically lower than Magnacut at 63 HRC. This is true. And it is not surprising, since hardness and toughness usually trend in opposite directions. So the grade of steel that is chosen determines what properties can be achieved. This is why all knives are not made from one single grade. Yes, how the heat treat is performed matters a great deal. But the properties that can can be achieved through a properly performed heat treatment will vary with the grade of steel and the heat treating recipe that is selected.

 

[Jaywalk3r]

No matter how you heat treat Magnacut it will never even approach that level of hardness.

There is a lot more to blade quality than hardness. Many/most top tier cutlers don’t attempt to reach maximum hardness, because they are designing a hard-use knife, not creating an advertisement for collectors on Reddit. Reputable knife makers need their knives to perform well in the real world, which means the ability to hold an edge must be balanced against toughness and ease of sharpening, as well as stain resistance. Heat treating a steel to max hardness requires compromising on other important aspects, making it less suitable for knives that get used instead of living in a collector’s safe.

 

[nadogail]

I recall, learning from a tour at the Buck Knife factory, that the first Buck Knives were made from worn files purchased from Convair.

 

[knobby]

The type of knife and intended use make a huge difference in the type of steel that is best.
That being said for a fixed blade not used in a salt water environment CPM 3V is my preference.

 

[Maui]

There is a lot more to blade quality than hardness. Many/most top tier cutlers don’t attempt to reach maximum hardness, because they are designing a hard-use knife, not creating an advertisement for collectors on Reddit. Reputable knife makers need their knives to perform well in the real world, which means the ability to hold an edge must be balanced against toughness and ease of sharpening, as well as stain resistance. Heat treating a steel to max hardness requires compromising on other important aspects, making it less suitable for knives that get used instead of living in a collector’s safe.

"There is a lot more to blade quality than hardness" - Yes, there is, which is the reason why I mentioned the impact toughness, and how it typically trends in the opposite direction to the hardness. There is also wear resistance (who would want to resharpen a knife every time you use it?), corrosion resistance (if it is a significant issue), stiffness (which is a function of the knife geometry and Young's modulus), temper resistance (if the knife will be exposed to high temperatures), ease of sharpening (do I have to use diamond to sharpen it, or can I get away with using aluminum oxide?), etc. The point I made was to show that all steels do not possess the same capabilities and achievable properties. No matter how you heat treat a grade like Magnacut, or A2, or D2, or SV60, or S390, they will never reach those high hardness values that can be achieved by a grade like CPM Rex 121, nor will they have comparable wear resistance to it. What dictates these achievable properties is the grade of steel you select.

 

[RoninB4]

-I've made several knives but I'm not a knife maker. I've made and heat treated several types of steel, encountered many more in industrial application. JMO but cutting tool/weapon steel selection is a compromise of preferences and the steel has to be matched to the application.

1) The more rigid the heat treating requirements the less I trust that it will be done properly, as another member pointed out it's expensive and invisible to the buyer.

2) Material properties that look good on paper and/or advertisements are only potential results. Heat treating is a multiple phase process and all of them are important. Hardness needs to be balanced with other properties.

The greater the expense of a knife the less I'm inclined to put it to hard use. I have quite a few blades I've never put to use and some I never will because of age. Collecting and using are often at opposite ends of the spectrum. I want to prefer the martensitic groups of SS but the examples I have are disappointing. YMMV

 

[rlitman]

Whatever steel drywall blades are made from.

Aside from the gimmicy coated and carburized blades out there, there are a number of different styles of utility knife blades on the market. Ones that are marketed as utility knife blades will start out by far the sharpest, but ones made for drywall will last many times longer when used for cutting drywall. The metal is usually the same, and the difference is most often grind angle.

...CPM Rex 121 can be heat treated to a hardness of 70 - 72 HRC. No matter how you heat treat Magnacut it will never even approach that level of hardness. So the grade of steel certainly has a distinct impact on the resulting properties...

With a conventional steel like O1, you could find a good correlation between HRC and edge retention. OTOH, there's just about no correlation with something like Stellite. As I see it, HRC is only relevant when discussing the optimum heat treat within a specific alloy, but comparing the maximal hardness across knife alloys is going to lead you astray from useful goals.

 

[Maui]

Aside from the gimmicy coated and carburized blades out there, there are a number of different styles of utility knife blades on the market. Ones that are marketed as utility knife blades will start out by far the sharpest, but ones made for drywall will last many times longer when used for cutting drywall. The metal is usually the same, and the difference is most often grind angle.


With a conventional steel like O1, you could find a good correlation between HRC and edge retention. OTOH, there's just about no correlation with something like Stellite. As I see it, HRC is only relevant when discussing the optimum heat treat within a specific alloy, but comparing the maximal hardness across knife alloys is going to lead you astray from useful goals.

"As I see it, HRC is only relevant when discussing the optimum heat treat within a specific alloy" - No, that's wrong. While wear resistance is not an inherent property of a material and depends on the how the material is used (the application) and the environment in which it is used, the overall hardness typically correlates with wear resistance. Wear resistance usually depends on the amount, type, hardness, morphology and distribution of alloy carbides throughout the microstructure as well as the overall hardness of the material. Higher hardness, however achieved, is typically a goal when seeking to improve wear resistance. Again, my point was that the selection of the steel grade determines everything that can be achieved in terms of material properties downstream of that choice. Saying the choice of steel doesn't matter is like saying where you start doesn't make any difference. But it does matter. A lot.

 

[dr_clyde]

I have an S30V blade on my daily driver Benchmade, no issues. I don't baby it, but I don't abuse it either. Once in a while I hit it on the diamond stone and strop it and it's good for another month or two.

If I'm going to make a knife, Crucible's 154CM and CPM 154 are outstanding steels. Pretty straightforward to heat treat and easy to work in the annealed condition. I made a few kitchen knives out of 154CM a few years back and it was a very forgiving steel and haven't had any issues to report, although I don't use the knives as often as my Wusthof and Henkels. I'd have to look up the hardness charts, but you can get a very decent range depending on how you want the blade to behave. Grimsmo offers their knives with a CPM 154 blade, and John won't sell a product made with an inferior material in my experience.

My German kitchen knives are made from X50CrMo14, which is extremely corrosion resistant and is a pretty tough steel. I've never chipped a blade or had any issues with fragility. I USE my knives. Only downside is they require somewhat frequent edge tune ups, as the trade off for toughness is edge retention. My buddy has a lot of Shun knives and they hold an edge better, but are a lot easier to chip. I figure Wusthof knows more about knife steel than I do, so I trust them to make their knives out of the correct steel for the application.

If I'm going to abuse the **** out of the knife, I use a disposable razor blade knife.

 

[Jaywalk3r]

“… ease of sharpening (do I have to use diamond to sharpen it, or can I get away with using aluminum oxide?), etc.

What dictates these achievable properties is the grade of steel you select.

Ease of sharpening has more to do with how long it takes to sharpen, not the abrasive material required for sharpening. I have knives that sharpen pretty quickly and easily, provided I use diamond stones. Arkansas stones aren’t hard enough to abrade the steel. (As a general rule, Arkansas stones are going to be insufficient for any modern supersteel.)

While some steel compositions can be made harder than others, blade hardness is not going to be an issue with any contemporary supersteel. And within a single steel composition, heat treatment has a very substantial role in the characteristics of the final blade, far more important than the steel composition. Some steels can be made harder and more brittle than others, but that only matters on paper, because a competent cutler isn’t likely to push it close to max hardness. And some steels provide better all-around characteristics than others as their hardness approaches maximum.

Blade hardness and blade performance are only loosely connected. A blade can be too soft to be very useful, but it can also be too hard to be very useful. A blade’s apex is a very fragile thing, no matter the steel composition. Hard, brittle blades chip out much more easily. Apexes on blades made of softer steel roll quite easily. Of the two issues, rolling is the lesser issue, by far. There’s a reason that when CPM developed a steel specifically for knife blades, it can’t be made as hard as some other supersteels.

It’s almost as though being raised by Devin Thomas and getting a PhD in metallurgy provided Larrin Thomas with some useful insights regarding the necessary properties of the ultimate knife steel.

As I said previously, the wise knife shopper shops around to find the right cutler, and trusts that cutler to select the most appropriate steel. But on paper, Magnacut is going to be the best choice most times When it comes to knife blades.

 

[bkdc]

This is a thread for kitchenknifeforums.com or some other knife forum.

I’ve owned various knives with various steels. My favorite is still something that is EASY to sharpen and still maintains an edge, and this tends to be some variation on semi-stainless carbon. I don’t like supersteels. Nothing harder than HRC 61-62 please.

My favorite kitchen knife steel is usually a semi-stainless tool steel around HRC60 that sharpens up very nicely and has a nice feedback on a whetstone. Diamond in resin whetstones have made life much easier for owners of super steel knives.

 

[Maui]

Ease of sharpening has more to do with how long it takes to sharpen, not the abrasive material required for sharpening. I have knives that sharpen pretty quickly and easily, provided I use diamond stones. Arkansas stones aren’t hard enough to abrade the steel. (As a general rule, Arkansas stones are going to be insufficient for any modern supersteel.)

While some steel compositions can be made harder than others, blade hardness is not going to be an issue with any contemporary supersteel. And within a single steel composition, heat treatment has a very substantial role in the characteristics of the final blade, far more important than the steel composition. Some steels can be made harder and more brittle than others, but that only matters on paper, because a competent cutler isn’t likely to push it close to max hardness. And some steels provide better all-around characteristics than others as their hardness approaches maximum.

Blade hardness and blade performance are only loosely connected. A blade can be too soft to be very useful, but it can also be too hard to be very useful. A blade’s apex is a very fragile thing, no matter the steel composition. Hard, brittle blades chip out much more easily. Apexes on blades made of softer steel roll quite easily. Of the two issues, rolling is the lesser issue, by far. There’s a reason that when CPM developed a steel specifically for knife blades, it can’t be made as hard as some other supersteels.

It’s almost as though being raised by Devin Thomas and getting a PhD in metallurgy provided Larrin Thomas with some useful insights regarding the necessary properties of the ultimate knife steel.

As I said previously, the wise knife shopper shops around to find the right cutler, and trusts that cutler to select the most appropriate steel. But on paper, Magnacut is going to be the best choice most times When it comes to knife blades.

“Ease of sharpening has more to do with how long it takes to sharpen, not the abrasive material required for sharpening” - How difficult a material is to sharpen depends strongly on the hardness of the alloy carbides that are present in the steel microstructure and the overall hardness of the material. Harder materials are usually more difficult to sharpen, all other things being equal.

The hardness that can be achieved during heat treatment depends strongly on grade of material that is being heat treated as well as the heat treat recipe that is used. I already provided a clear cut example of this. I will not repeat it again. Believe whatever you please.

 

[AEAdam]

No criticism: I think folks get wrapped around the metallurgy axle. And it’s fine if that’s fun for you. But let’s not pretend the metallurgy is actually important. Sure there is a minimum threshold. But our ancestors were generally able to do a lot more with a lot less.

Modern knife making is clearly more about esthetics than functionality.

 

[Beerhippie]

I believe this is the best knife-making alloy of...



...rock.

 

[AEAdam]

I believe this is the best knife-making alloy of...



...rock.

Joke all you want. And these aren’t the ancestors I was thinking about.

But these flint (?) knives were more like modern serrated steak knives. And we all know how well serrated knives work for cutting meat and sawing thru bone and how long they last. It may not be obvious, but these blades generally lasted a long time. When their edges finally broke down, new sharp edges were exposed. Pretty smart. We use steel tools now, not because steel is THAT much better (its better), but because stone tools took way longer to make, required a ton of skill and patience and the material had to be mined or found.

I know this isn't everybody's taste, but the guys who made this (below) did so without any fancy steels, without electricity, and without a good coarse abrasive (they had fine, slow cutting abrasives). To do work like this, and not just the carved parts, you had to know how to use and maintain edges. How many people alive today could do this work? Homogeneous steel was new when this was built a little less than 300 years ago!


There's a lot more to edges than alloys.

PS: Even the brass pulls started life as a carved wooden pattern, which was then used to make a sand cast mold to receive the molten brass. So even the metal work is carved, just not directly.

 

[Beerhippie]

Joke all you want. And these aren’t the ancestors I was thinking about.

But these flint (?) knives were more like modern serrated steak knives. And we all know how well serrated knives work for cutting meat and sawing thru bone and how long they last. It may not be obvious, but these blades generally lasted a long time. When their edges finally broke down, new sharp edges were exposed. Pretty smart. We use steel tools now, not because steel is THAT much better (its better), but because stone tools took way longer to make, required a ton of skill and patience and the material had to be mined or found.

I know this isn't everybody's taste, but the guys who made this (below) did so without any fancy steels, without electricity, and without a good coarse abrasive (they had fine, slow cutting abrasives). To do work like this, and not just the carved parts, you had to know how to use and maintain edges. How many people alive today could do this work? Homogeneous steel was new when this was built a little less than 300 years ago!


There's a lot more to edges than alloys.

PS: Even the brass pulls started life as a carved wooden pattern, which was then used to make a sand cast mold to receive the molten brass. So even the metal work is carved, just not directly.

The blade is obsidian from Newberry crater, OR. We don't have true flint out here. It was knapped by Jim Riggs, an old friend and mentor.

When Jim had his appendix removed, he insisted that the doctor use obsidian blades (microflakes) he made. It took several tries before he found a surgeon willing to use his blades, but afterwards, he had a side-business making blades for surgery--a glass (obsidian is a natural glass) flakes are far sharper than any steel can be honed--one molecule thick at the edge. Before lasers, they were the "cutting edge" tech for optical surgery.

You can still cut yourself on obsidian blades that have been buried for hundreds of years.

Stone blades, however, are fragile as glass. Around old campsites, you'll find many broken points that were once knives.

 

[Maui]

But let’s not pretend the metallurgy is actually important.

Say that to the technical staff of a commercial steel manufacturer anywhere on earth. And please do it in person. I'd love to hear how they respond to you.

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

Love the arguing. I have a way to settle it guys. Everyone bring or build their best knife, whatever way you want with whatever materials you want. Then we can meet at the Five Points and settle it once and for all.....

 

[dr_clyde]

This is a thread for kitchenknifeforums.com or some other knife forum.

I’ve owned various knives with various steels. My favorite is still something that is EASY to sharpen and still maintains an edge, and this tends to be some variation on semi-stainless carbon. I don’t like supersteels. Nothing harder than HRC 61-62 please.

My favorite kitchen knife steel is usually a semi-stainless tool steel around HRC60 that sharpens up very nicely and has a nice feedback on a whetstone. Diamond in resin whetstones have made life much easier for owners of super steel knives.

Knives are tools.

Why shouldn't we discuss them here?

 

[neophyte]

The blade is obsidian from Newberry crater, OR. We don't have true flint out here. It was knapped by Jim Riggs, an old friend and mentor.

When Jim had his appendix removed, he insisted that the doctor use obsidian blades (microflakes) he made. It took several tries before he found a surgeon willing to use his blades, but afterwards, he had a side-business making blades for surgery--a glass (obsidian is a natural glass) flakes are far sharper than any steel can be honed--one molecule thick at the edge. Before lasers, they were the "cutting edge" tech for optical surgery.

You can still cut yourself on obsidian blades that have been buried for hundreds of years.

Stone blades, however, are fragile as glass. Around old campsites, you'll find many broken points that were once knives.

Obsidian blade are also favored by plastic surgeons, because the curs heel quicker and cleaner.

 

[Kscardsfan]

Here is a good cheat sheet for you to use:

Stainless Steel Chart

Learn what materials compose different stainless steels. We posted our online knife steel chart in 1998 and have done our best to keep it up to date.

agrussell.com

 

[AEAdam]

Say that to the technical staff of a commercial steel manufacture anywhere on earth. And please do it in person. I'd love to hear how they respond to you.

Modern steel producers aren't innovating steel for knife blades. No one is paying american metallurgists to study knife edge holding or chisel edge retention. They are working on high strenth steels for aerospace fasteners, jet engine fan blades, high temperature metals, cost, & production rates, cold sprays etc. If I asked them about the "best" steel for a knife, they would ask what I wanted the knife to do. I've worked closely with metallurgists for 35 years and never once if I asked them to recommend a material, did I get a straight answer.

Boutique knife makers are making $500+ knives for men in their 60s+. I know these men. I am one. We show each other our knives at woodworking events and car shows and marvel at the craftsmanship. We're not using knives to feed our families, build shelters, or defend ouselves from threats. The alloy is a big part of the marketing of the knife, not its function. You can literally make bronze work for a knife blade. There are ceramic kitchen knives out there.

 

[exmaxima1]

Modern steel producers aren't innovating steel for knife blades. No one is paying american metallurgists to study knife edge holding or chisel edge retention.......

I would argue that Magnacut and Sandvik 14C28N are two examples of steels developed specifically for knives

 

[JohnnyU]

Every steel and HT is coming to create trade offs

W2 is my favorite and does everything I ask of it, from kitchen use to butchering game.

1084, 1086M, 1095 and 52100 all make excellent blades

For stainless 154CM & ATS-34 work well for me


In my non exhaustive experience, I don’t see huge advantages from the super steels. Would you see advantages from say a Buck 110, yes but IMO that’s not a fair comparison

 

[Packard V8]

There are ceramic kitchen knives out there.

In the good old days, before today's generation of airport body scanners, my travel carry was a ceramic/carbon fiber folder similar to this one. It went around the world several times.



jack vines

 

[Maui]

I would argue that Magnacut and Sandvik 14C28N are two examples of steels developed specifically for knives

Thank you exmaxima1.

 

[neophyte]

Modern steel producers aren't innovating steel for knife blades. No one is paying american metallurgists to study knife edge holding or chisel edge retention. They are working on high strenth steels for aerospace fasteners, jet engine fan blades, high temperature metals, cost, & production rates, cold sprays etc. If I asked them about the "best" steel for a knife, they would ask what I wanted the knife to do. I've worked closely with metallurgists for 35 years and never once if I asked them to recommend a material, did I get a straight answer.

Boutique knife makers are making $500+ knives for men in their 60s+. I know these men. I am one. We show each other our knives at woodworking events and car shows and marvel at the craftsmanship. We're not using knives to feed our families, build shelters, or defend ouselves from threats. The alloy is a big part of the marketing of the knife, not its function. You can literally make bronze work for a knife blade. There are ceramic kitchen knives out there.

There are still industrial needs for highly durable cutting edges, maybe not for basic pocket knives, but for industrial knives for the cutters used in industries like bookbinding, paper cutting for the manufacture of widespread paper products like toilet paper or construction paper, and other products Tyvek, and probably specialty materials like Dyneema.
Using an off the shelf alloy is probably preferred and tested were possible, but there are likely companies trying to develop specialty products to better meet certain task requirements for industries, particularly industries with decent profit margins.
Surgical use may actually be one goal, since obsidian is preferred for certain surgical use due to a microscopically finer edge that allows wounds to heel quicker. Obsidian has the negative attribute of being brittle though, so it’s not quite as safe as a steel scalpel due to fracture risk.