There are more opinions on which knife steel is better than there are what brand motorcycle oil is best for a bike, and I've seen some heated arguments over that. In most cases it the heat treatment to said steel that is more important. The type of steel comes into play more depending on whether it is used for cutting, like a pocket knife or edc fixed blade. If the knife is a large camp knife that may be used in light chopping typically that knife steel should be different than the pocket knife.
. I like blade steels like 1095, Bucks 5160, S30V and a few others. I am willing to give up a little edge life to gain ease of sharpening. Super hard steels are fine if you know how to, and dont mind spendingthe time it takes to get a good even, sharp edge. A Winkler knife is a good example. They are made with 80CrV2 steel. They are great knives, tuff as can be but they are not easy to sharpen. Tkell knives are the same way. That's just a drop in the bucket and only the short version. Hope this little bit helps get you started in your selection.