Does May forge his blades from bar stock?
Does Ingram forge his blades from bar stock?
"Forged from bar stock" does not yield a superior blade to the modern powder metallurgy process, for several reasons. First, the PM blades have finer grain structure than forged bar stock blades, which means they do indeed hold an edge better, in addition to being "tougher." Second, the alloy chemistry is better controlled, meaning you can get a more consistent heat treat from PM blades. Third, you can get alloys that simply aren't possible by other means.
