<< The numbering of the various steels is very much like the numbering of cartridges -- mostly done by tradition or marketing departments >><br><br>Well, sure, if one is talking about trademark names like "Carbon V". But I differ a bit in that standard designations are used as well. For example, 1095 is 1095 no matter who makes it. Those are ASIS numbers (American Steel and Iron Institute). There are DIN numbers for steel as well. and they convey much the same information as the ASIS numbers.<br><br>Bottom line is does the knife perform the way one expects/wants it to. BTW, Buck and CS are two good choices, I agree. In his price range, specific models matter a bit, probably. The Blade/Knife forum guys talk about those sorts of things all the time...<br><br>REgards,<br><br>Tom