Quote Originally Posted by JDM61 View Post
I have never heard of 52100 or AEB-L being ghastly to finish. As for kitchen knives, what use is one that doesn't have a thin edge? Most people that i have run across heat treat them before grinding because you don't run nearly the risk of a large piece of steel that thin warping in the quench. Sure if you want a VERY thick edge. like .02 inch, you could grind before HT, but who wants that? How thick do you leave the edge on razors when you grind them before HT?
You are also not taking into account that grinding a kitchen knife thinner against a flat platen is a lot easier than hollow grinding a razor thinner.