theres plenty of threads on sr77 i believe... most places search features are pretty handy... (not trying to be a dick just lots of people forget it)

There are plenty of good steels out there to pick from honestly... even non steels out there that make great knives. you have to figure your compromising something with about any choice.... I have tungsten carbide knives ground for scratching glass... its really in the application/design/manufacturing that will make the final result.

steels prices can go up if there are small batches of steel. some factorys when buying raw material will make you buy a full batch in order to get it made. which can be pretty tough on the front end....

i love infi and sr77 and sr101... i still like good old 1095 tool steel knives....