Comment by bob_loblaw

When I think of maintenance, I think more about corrosion resistance. Is the knife 100% dry when I put it away? Do I want to take the time to wipe down the blade when I cut acidic food items? Then I think about sharpening. How long can I wait between sharpening? How long must I sharpen the knife? VG10 is a good knife steel for the kitchen. It is a Japanese stainless cutlery steel. You can find this steel on mass produced knives (Tojiro) and on many custom knives, which can be quite expensive. VG10 has good corrosion resistance, decent toughness, sharpens well, and can hold an edge a decent amount of time. An inexpensive combination King water stone is up to the task of sharpening VG10. It also does not take an inordinate amount of time to sharpen VG10. As a comparison, Magnacut will do everything VG10 does but better.

Another benefit of VG10 is that you often find it in knives from Japan. They understand that geometry cuts, so they tend to use thinner blade stock (but their knives are not brittle) and they tend to heat treat to 59-60 HRC. I think these knives are a good all-around package. Again, Tojiro is a good brand to start with.