or when just the info about the steel doesnt really speak to the particular qualities of a steel/heat treat combo. This is why i try to talk to people about the qualitative properties of these knives more than just steel type and hrc. When people become too obsessed with just steel type and hrc, it gets in the way of understanding what the knife is all about.
Devin's made a great point here... consider this. No one really talked about aeb-l before larrin and devin started on it. All of the sudden, everyone and their mother is using aeb-l saying how its such a great steel, and the ht is always great. The truth is that aeb-l is not such a special steel. Its a relatively simple, not crazy high carbon steel that can take on a wide variety of properties depending on how it is forged, ht, and ground. What devin does is different from others, but because he does a great job, aeb-l now has quite a few fans. I've tried quite a few recent aeb-l knives... some just flat out suck, while others are ok, and even fewer are good (there are even fewer that i think are great). Just knowing a knife is aeb-l will not help you understand more about the knife. Using the knife and seeing how it sharpens, holds up, the kind of edge it takes, etc., will tell you more than almost anything else you can do.
I dont always share steel types because i'd rather have a discussion about how a particular line sharpens, holds up, responds to certain tasks, etc. Its also my excuse to make sure i've used as many different things as possible (and all of the things we sell).