is there a difference in blade quality depending on how it was made; specifically heating metal up and hammering out a blade shape then filing and sharpening it, or just cutting the blade out of a large sheet of metal and sharpening it?
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The short answer is: Yes, there’s a whole science, called metallurgy, devoted to the mechanics and effectiveness of metal objects like knives.
The long answer is very much yes! There are an absolute ton of complex science and engineering that goes into a good blade. Here are just some basic things I know as a laymen. Steel specifically can be harder or softer depending on impurities(like carbon) in the material or whether or not they’ve been “work-hardened”. Work-hardening is the process in which metal is subjected to strain, usually by hammering or by heating and then cooling quickly, to harden the metal. The ideal knife has a really hard edge and a softer “spine”(the back of the knife opposite the edge). A harder edge stays sharper longer and a soft spine keeps the whole blade from cracking.
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