The steel is high quality but this is not unique. Wusthof, F Dick and Henckels all offer high quality steel in their lines as well. What is unique is the fact that these knives have tapered bolsters which make for years of easy sharpening. Most German forged knives have large bolsters that run down the heel of the blade right to the edge. The other feature that is very nice is the edges are sharpened and then polished to a mirror finish. It's a really nice touch and ads to the overall attractiveness of the knife. Finally, the handles are rounded and have a nice ergonomic design that we find very comfortable to use.