Three is two, two is one, one is none. 2 3-11s is not a crazy idea at all <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Don't get me wrong--77 is no pansy steel. It will stay sharp a LONG time. My comparison is in the mid-large sized choppers. My Dogfather is 77 and after a couple of summers of hacking through trees, batoning kindling, and calling it bad names, the edge of the DF had a few rough patches, compared to my differentially treated Chopweiler made of 101, which I abused even more regularly and still shaves my legs clean (don't ask why I keep shaving my legs <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> ). SF45ACP has an SOD (again, 77) that he used in part of a home renovation project when he needed to shave some lumber. His blade did get a small ding in it when he tried to force it through a nail, but I tend to think that most blades would have had a scar to show for that.

Compare that to my Ontario Ranger 9 that I once had (note the past tense). 1095 steel but after going through a tree or two, that sucker had all sorts of dings and rolls. Sharpened it up, sold it off, and haven't looked back. Same thing with the one Bark River I had--batonned through one log and it had more rolls in the edge than a bakery truck. Went to the spa and then off on the forums. My feeling is if I'm gonna lay out some coin for a decent knife, it had better be able to stand AT LEAST a few days of punishment before requiring attention.

I have a Ranger 9 heat treated by Justin and made from a Busse blank. Justin's got a great heat treat protocol too--that blade stood up to some good punishment this past summer and I still haven't sharpened it. Might have slightly bent the very tip though but it still shaves my legs.

As for slicing, once I got my 101 Rodent Solution sharp (still can't figure out why it came dull), it hacked through a few rib cages on a few deer this past season and appears no worse for wear. It compares favorably to some of the other "super steel" or exotic steel hunting blades I have--CPM 154, S30V, BG-42, and 52100. My RMD hasn't seen as much useage as I'd like, but it's handled everything I've dished out (or my 20 nieces and nephews at the last family reunion when I had them practicing fire building techniques) without a whimper--don't think I've needed to touch it up either. I've only ever briefly had a smaller blade 77--a Dumpster Mutt--but I traded it off before I used it, so I can't really talk.

Both 77 and 101 are fantastic steels, and I wager the 77 holds up just fine for slicing. I personally give the edge (pun intended) to 101. Some folks may have had different experiences than me though, so jump on in dogs, the water's fine!