I think part of the confusion on how much chromium is needed to call a steel stainless is that consumer applications and industrial applications of stainless steel are probably very different. The steelmakers are probably far more biased toward the industrial side in their metrics rather than the consumer side. For consumer products, like kitchen knives, a high chromium content is needed to prevent product returns.

"I cut the tomato with my new knife and it turned black! Ewww! I'm taking it back and getting my money back!" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />