I can find all kind of information on knife steels. Carbon to stainless. What I'm wondering is how to tell a "quality" Damascus from a low grade. I'm really not a huge fan of Damascus, but then I've never owned one so I can't judge it.

Surely all Damascus is not the same....but how do you rate or guage it?

Thanks.

Since Damascus steel is a mixture of two or more steels, you need to know what those steels are to be able to judge. Typically we see a common carbon steel like 1084 used along with a high nickel content steel like 15n20. Both steels have enough carbon content to be heat treatable to an acceptable hardness (=> 58 Rockwell c scale) and the high nickel steel creates contrast by resisting the acid etch that creates that contrast. The problem with low quality Damascus that we often see from overseas is that lower quality steels are often used - some with very low carbon content. The result is a blade that is of poor quality with no edge holding ability. You can't tell by looking so buying from a reputable maker or supplier is key.

That makes sense. Thanks for the information!