ATS-34 brought out the new knifemakers (stock removal) more then any steel I can think of. Easy to work with and fairly easy to have heat treated. I say have as most beginners farmed it out, and even to this day a lot of makers farm out heat treating. There are a lot of ATS-34 blades out there and in its day it was the best in SS. Like others have said heat treat has a lot to do with the end result of a blade.
I wouldn't turn down a knife made of ATS-34 from the right craftsmen, but I would take S30V over ATS-34 if I had the choice.
