I know it's not very scientific, but I can't think of a better tag right now.
You're right, not very scientific but pretty good testing for a mom and pop business. Nice to see that he is taking the time to improve his product through fairly rigorous testing. Many of my wood working edges are made from A2 steel. It is a joy to sharpen, and any woodworker knows that sharpening is as important as it is tedious. I also rotate my everyday carry knife between one of two zero tolerance blades made from S30V which is very similar to CPM3V but stainless--something I came to better appreciate after dumping my fishing kayak in a saltwater lagoon here in San Diego.
Yeah, I'm glad that knife makers are stepping up the game. Although, I have to say that most knife purchasers I have met are something akin to most athletic shoe buyers I have met in that those purchasing the products are buying products with excellent utility that isn't being capitalized upon, so in the end the quality is mostly a selling point rather than a necessity. Don't think that I'm complaining though, just saying! I have never had an S30V blade, but I have one in 154CM, which is a lower grade of steel though similar, I believe. So far, almost no rust and I can't complain about the edge retention, especially as most of the tasks I use it for require only a utility edge rather than a razor edge.
Very true about the trend of over buying. I recently heard a marketing analyst for automotive companies say that people buy cars based on their function for the first $30,000 and anything over that amount makes a statement about how the person identitfies. His exact example was an F150. People are willing to spend up to $30k for the utility out of a pickup, but others will pay another $20K to get the harley davidson logo and hand stitched leather interiors, etc. Full Disclosure: I drive an F150 sans the harley badges. I've often heard the most effective survival tool is the one in your hand--meaning the extra bells and whistles mean nothing if it collects dust on a shelf. 154CM is a great, my Applegate-Fairbairn is made from that SS.