Should a slicer blade use stainless steel or alloy steel?

Start with what you are cutting, at what temperature, and how the blade will be cleaned. For frozen or fatty meat, a wear-resistant alloy steel such as Cr12MoV holds an edge well but rusts easily unless dried and oiled; for fresh meat and frequent washing, martensitic stainless grades like 420 or 440C balance hardness and corrosion resistance better. Grade alone means little, so get the post-heat-treatment Rockwell hardness and edge angle in writing. Before bulk orders, run the same meat batch continuously and log how long the edge lasts and whether slices stay intact, then set blade spec and replacement interval from that result.