I could go on for ever about steels, but instead I'll just keep it short and succinct.

Forging, besides the art factor, is only practical for removing inclusions and impurities from a dirty steel as well as re-arranging carbide grain structures that have gone wild. Gonna make make a blade from an old truck's leaf-spring? Better forge it.

For most modern knifemaking steels forging actually degrades the steel by burning some of the carbon out of it.

Every single steel behaves slightly differently from the others.

Carbon steel usually takes less time to sharpen. I like that carbon steel knives develop a patina (layer of oxidation) over time, with use, because it's almost as if the knife itself is alive.

Some of the newer, high-tech stainless steels (CPM S30V, CPM S35Vn, Elmax, M390, etc.) have a much higher alloy content than carbon steels. As a result, they require a diamond grit sharpening stone to become sharp in a comparable amount of time, because often the steels' carbides are actually harder than the abrasive of a regular whetstone. However, as a result of this higher wear resistance, the edge remains usably sharp longer than that of most carbon steel blades.

Given a diamond abrasive stone, and a non-marine environment, it really just comes down to personal preference, in the end.

As for my preference, I have use for both carbon and stainless steel blades, and make knives from both.