I've had pretty good luck getting a nice egde on these blades, but the edge retention is so-so (of course I haven't been able to test any of mine on hide yet). They are great for trying out some knives, though. If you are serious about building more I'd recommend ordering some quality steel from someone like Aldo (aka the New Jersey Steel Baron). It's a known steel, so you know exactly how to heat treat, and it'll come out cheaper in the end.