I agree with Mike. I think that it depends on the smith and the user. What is a person looking for?
The 10 series of steels are going to be the most reactive. They are amongst the simplistic chemistries out there. 52100 has some chromium added which helps with corrosion resistance, but by no means is it enough to make it a worry free steel. All of these do need attention to care to ensure their longevity and best performance.
The smith and sharpener alike face the dilemma of producing a blade that will take an edge to the best of the steels ability. In the end it is up to the user to maintain it to keep/surpass the craftsmanship work. I know this is a bit much to ask of the user but the best of thing also need their attention to keep them at such a high level of performance.