One of the things that makes a knife good is the steel. While almost all steels can be used in a knife, there are those that work better than others. Most of the low end knives use either 420 or 440 steels. Buck for one uses 420HC and there are too many to list for the 440C. These include Case, Gerber, Frost to name just a few. These steels are good working steels that will take and hold a good edge. There are just newer, better steels that are available.

Al Mar Knives is the top of the line for production knives. In many models, they use either AUS8A or VG-10. These steels are basically a version of 440 type steels with other chemicals added to change from plain vanilla to French vanilla. For me, the heat treating with AMK is first rate. I used a Talon Falcon for three weekends in a row building a sound system before the knife had to be resharpened. Spyderco and Kershaw also make great knives in VG-10.

My favorite steel that is used by custom makers as well as some production houses are the variations of ATS-34, CPM154 and Sandvic 12C27. My first Al Mar was a Sportsman that came and stayed razor sharp for a long time. I am still using the Sportsman, 23 years later.

One of the newest steels was made specifically for the knife industry, S30V. Kershaw is the first maker that uses S30 to any extent. My first knife in S30 was made by Bud Nealy. This knife took me over a month to make the original edge dull! It is harder to sharpen than ATS34, but will also last longer.

I have been a user of pocket knives since 1986 while at the NASA tracking station on Guam. Over the years, I have found many knives that are and are not worth the trouble of purchasing.