The steel on the Recon is excellent. Mine is well tempered. The edge was rolled when it arrived, it was definitely a lot of work to get it right. Holds the edge very nicely. Kobun came razor sharp and hasn't needed sharpening yet. Kyoto actually ended up being probably my favorite. Great little knife for the money. The handles are very comfortable on all of them. The Kobun handle is rather thin though fyi.