Up until a certain point, which passed a VERY long time ago, they did make some of the very best knife steel IMO. This reputation dates back some 200 years now.
That said, around the turn of the 19th century, U.S. cutlery companies started producing steel that was just as good IMO. Then the war pretty much shut down foreign markets for Solingen, as even more U.S. makers continued to perfect their art.
Seki City also made some of the best, but the Jap stuff was less popular and the market not flooded with it like the German knives once were. That later changed, of course.
Then you had custom makers in the 1970s, like Bob Loveless and Bill Moran, start using different steels like 154, ATS-34, Damascus(Moran),etc. This pretty much started a whole new knife "revoulution". Before guys like them, knives were pretty much designated as either carbon or stainless, and that's about it.......
