Heat treatment and thickness behind the edge decide how a knife cuts, and neither photographs. Where the money genuinely helps, where it does not, and why a cheaper knife plus a sharpening kit beats an expensive one.
Chromium above about 11 percent forms a self-healing film; that is the whole difference. How the two families compare on edge life, toughness, sharpening and upkeep, and which one your environment actually calls for.
A folder routes every load through its pivot and lock; a full tang fixed blade has no joint to fail. Strength, carry, lock types, cleaning, legality and the geometry limit that caps a folder’s blade length.
