I sort of have two contrary thoughts on steel for EDC knives. The one I carry currently the most is D2 steel. My thought is for things like cutting up cardboard and similar tasks that will dull any steel fairly quickly then ease of sharpening is a major consideration. Some of the super steels are not easy to sharpen even though you will need to less often. For primarily slicing and game cleaning then the better steals with a harder temper are my choice with a rockwell hardness of 60-62 where the utility knife may only be 56-58 hardness. Elmax looks like a great choice as I like CPM 154, V-10, ATS 34 and similar.

I think S35 V is a tad easier to sharpen than S30V. AUS - 10 is one of the best economy steels, very similar to VG-10. I think the heat treat and geometry are more critical than the exact alloys. All of the steels mentioned are good.

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