For those who aren't aware, the utility of tough steels with high edge stability in thin geometries that cut more efficiently is not "highly specialized theory" up for debate, but well-established by experts. If you don't trust engineers, look it up in scientific journals, knifesteelnerds, the various forums, or even casual testers who are still able to notice the trends. Think of razors that would chip or fracture in high carbide volume steels. Consider the thinnest ground quality kitchen knives that can't afford to chip at high hardness. The Vanadium in 3V lends extra wear resistance over simple carbon steels, & typically increases toughness. 3V is good for EDC folders too.
There are a number of good steels that can be used to good effect in varied applications. 3V can be ground thinner &/or used harder without chipping, and thus objectively serves well for fine cutting, not just for chopping in heavier geometries. On the opposite end of the spectrum, K390 is highly wear resistant but can be quite chippy without relatively thicker geometry & lighter use. Z-wear and PM-M4 are in between, with Z-wear closer to 3V on the tough side, and both can be hardened higher than 3V at moderate toughness. On the stainless side, toughness is reduced for similar hardness and wear resistance, but we see a spectrum from fine-grained AEBL & 14C28N (which perform like 52100) to balanced S35VN & XHP to wear resistant & relatively chippy M390 & S110V. There are other good steels on each spectrum, and many that generally can't compete with these leaders, e.g. 440 series and D2. Cruwear has a balanced composition, but as a cast rather than PM steel is much inferior to Z-wear, Vanadis 4E, & PD1, just as ATS-34/154CM are inferior to CPM-154. Second & third gen PM and cleaner tech (sometimes used by Carpenter, and Bohler) improves toughness for the same composition & wear resistance, thus M390>CTS-204P>>20CV.
Unfortunately in production knives, most steels don't perform near their capacity because they are under-hardened and the grinds are too thick and low in order to save money and avoid complaints from customers who abuse their blades on hard materials or maybe even by batonning. I greatly prefer all blades to be hardened above 60 HRC and to use them properly, but not lightly. I find them easier to sharpen because you don't have to push a gummy burr from side to side. Geometry and Heat Treatment may be considered to be even more important than steel choice, within reason. Even fine-grained, cast 8Cr13MoV/AUS-8 composition could be decent if pure and hardened above 60HRC with an excellent HT, but that's not what we see in budget offerings.
EDC knives for normal cutting tasks don't need to weigh down your pants. G10 and minimal if any liners can be plenty adequate. GRN isn't bad especially when reinforced at the lock. Excessive steel liners, thick stock, low grinds, and features like finger choils, spydie holes, certain lanyard holes, that reduce the cutting-edge-to-closed-handle-profile-ratio burn me up. So do high prices, low quality, and poor ergonomics. I want a convenient & reliable tool for cutting, not a weak folding crowbar. Still, solid locks are more than welcome, especially when opening & closing is efficient.
Whatever the motives, seeing CPM-3V in light weight production knives is definitely a good thing. More M4 & some Z-wear would be great too, at a cost. Hopefully the community will be insightful enough to embrace such offerings and see prices drop as they become more common. I honestly expect that will eventually be the case. You can help if you wish by spreading a good word or giving steel performance, weight efficiency, and grind height & thinness some consideration as you make your purchase decisions. You can also push for HRC listings and values in the low 60s, without overblowing it into a ZDP-189 race for fragility or imagining that the useful number fully defines grain structure & performance.
People have been complaining about the durability of this coating for years. Why not use DLC or PVD??? Or even offer a satin version at least! 