Back in the 70's I had a big Kent and used it daily for almost 15 years. I had no issues. The reason it is no longer with me is I dropped it and cracked the handle pretty bad. After that it started to shed. If not for that unfortunate circumstance it would probably be working well today.

For maintenance I just rinsed it stropped it on a clean dry towel and lathered it with dishwashing soap about every month or two