Do we have any mechanical engineers on the forum? How about bean counters? If 1055, 1070, 1085, 1095 and 420HC get the job done on a machete costing $6.00 to $40.00, why make one in a super steel that will cost many times more and not really work any better in actual use. I think this new steel (friction forged D2) has some applications, possibly for industrial use, but even INFI is better than knife steel needs to be. For hard use life on the line combat survival, SR77 and INFI knives offer a margin of toughness that is worth the extra expense for some. But for such knives I would never want anything up in the 60s RC. A combat or survival knife needs to be field sharpenable because the edge is likely to be damaged doing things one might not normally do with a knife.