Why would I prefer carbon steel (rust prone) kitchen knife? I've seen this question and obviously carbon steel (not stainless) knives look quite bad without extra care (picture from the linked to question)



Now my question is - why face the trouble? Why would I prefer a carbon steel kitchen knife over a stainless steel one?
Carbon steel is more malleable and less brittle than stainless steel.   This means that it is easier to hone on a knife steel, to maintain an extremely sharp edge.

Some folks feel that the benefit of that sharp edge–for example, in easily slicing tomatoes, and other very fast prep tasks–is worth the compromise of more persnickety maintenance.