What's optimal hardness for a kitchen knife blade?

Question

Many knife manufacturers provide the hardness value for the knife blade in the specifications - like 53HRC or 57 HRC.

What's the optimal hardness for kitchen knives? Do I always prefer the ones with higher hardness all else being equal?

Answer 1

Unfortunately, even hardness is a trade-off, all other things (like maintenance, appearance, balance, thickness, and so on) being equal:

Harder

• Pro - Holds edge longer
• Con - More difficult to hone on a steel
• Con - More brittle, so more likely to chip

Softer

• Con - Doesn't hold edge as long
• Pro - Easier to hone on a steel to an extremely sharp edge
• Pro - Less likely to chip
• Con - More likely to get little dings and dents

I think the manufacturer's indicate the type of alloy they use to help indicate the quality of their product, as opposed to more generic knives. Things aren't always equal, though--in choosing a knife, I would not consider this fact one of the more important ones compared to how it feels in your hand, the thickness of the blade, how much maintenance it requires (for example, so-called carbon steel knives need more loving care).