Quote Originally Posted by mike1011 View Post
Beyond having a really cool name tamahagane steel isn't really very special at all. In fact in its raw form its actually very poor and requires extensive processing by folding to get it into a use able form. In its day it was a pretty impressive feat to be able to produce it, a bit like the ulfbert Viking swords which were made from crucible steel (after the Vikings this type of steel would not be seen again in Europe for 1000 years).
Actually the extensive work involved in making tamahagane blades is exactly what makes them very special, as an exceptional smith like Iwasaki could turn out 65-67HRC blades that don't chip because he had full control of the process & not in spite of it.

It's absolutely not necesarry to make razors that hard but he did because he could. He simply had the skills to do it.
I've yet to see any modern smiths approach that with modern steels but I have seen razors claimed to be in the low 60's that were chippy on the hones.

Just because a steel can reach a high HRC does not mean it will make a good razor. Its more about the smith IMHO.