I have found ao1 and ao2 more rewarding than any other steel, as one of the lads above ir really depends of the smith, I got a mazaki in white2 and is absolutely ****, but then I got a gorobei for a bit less of the price and better finish and is gorgeous….Aogami super… I have only bad experiences…. Does not comeback with a honing rod, takes fcking forever to sharp if you are not acknowledged as! And is a boring steel (for me….without offending feelings of the AS fans here)
Shirogami realm is a tricky one! Get a reputable smith and read a loooooot, some of them are very good, and then you got a very bad ones such as w2 tanaka \\ w2 mazaki // w1 tsunehisa…etc
Kyohei shindo b2?? Massive value for money and if you polish up and tune up geometry…is super good, but again…need to grind it