So what's your top 3 favorite steels? and why?

[DukeNiemand]

Having had the opportunity to play with a variety of Spydercos in different steels, I've found myself gravitating heavily towards the high-carbide steels. The reason being not necessarily wear resistance, but the fact that the carbides provide a very aggressive edge character, especially with a coarse 400-600 grit finish. I really appreciate that aggression, because it lets me easily slice various media without exerting much downward pressure, and without the blade slipping. As such, my three favorites would be:

1. Maxamet. Nothing in my experience comes close to the edge aggression of Maxamet. Until we get some Rex121! It's an addicting quality.

2. Tie between S90V and S110V. Both have a similar aggressive edge and make for excellent EDC steels. S110V seems to have a touch less edge stability, but that has not presented any issues in normal use.

3. Rex 45. I have been thoroughly impressed with Rex 45's edge aggression, despite the fact that it is not as high in carbides as the two steels above. Excellent edge stability, and surprisingly decent corrosion resistance. I love Rex for harder use blades.

I will give an honorable mention to 4V, which provides an excellent balance of toughness and some edge aggression.

As a last note, I'll mention that I have also used K390 and PMA11, and oddly they don't seem to provide the same level of edge aggression as I've seen by my top 3.