3Cr13MoV is a simple steel mainly used in knives of Asian origin. It was developed in China and has a hardness of 52-55 HRC, which makes it one of the softer steel types.
The Polish Knife Maker Jakub Wieczorkiewicz manufactures tactical pocket and fixed knives under the brand Poltergeist Works from high-quality materials.
The cobalt-alloyed N690 by Böhler (not to be confused with the lower-grade N695!) is a very reliable upper middle-grade steel we use at our Solingen manufacture for a wide variety of projects.
While it was still a high-end steel several decades ago, 440 is a very decent middle-grade steel today. 440C is known for retention, corrosion resistance and easy sharpening.
