Aogami No.2 (Hitachi Metals Ltd.) is made by adding Chromium and Tungsten / Wolfram to Shirogami No.2. This results in increased toughness and the production of hard carbide molecules which improve edge retention. Many knife users have noted that while Aogami No.2 is very similar to Shirogami No.2 in terms of edge sharpness, it has slightly superior edge retention.

Damascus is a laminated steel knife made of several layers of different steel materials. The center of the blade is made of hard steel for sharpness, and both sides are covered with multiple soft steel materials. The multiple steels are metallurgically joined, not by plating or glue. The more the blade is forged, the more complex the ripples become, and the more beautiful the unique grain pattern becomes.