Gifting an all carbon (white number 1/2, blue number 1/2) to anyone except a knife enthusiast is a bad move in my book. While they make great knives, most people won’t practice proper care routine and will destroy it. Vg-10 is a good compromise for most people who want excellent sharpness but aren’t going to baby the thing either.
There are better stainless options than VG10. It has a tendency to have (micro) chipping during sharpening but I basically agree with you:
Very true. Chose that metal because it’s far more common. I’ve got zdp-189, hap-40, and AEB-L knives that I adore. My high carbon white #1 is still a favorite, but much more fussy.
Really happy with this knife for the price. Meant to post the link for the 8”