Nowhere did I mention that 1084 did not make workable knife blades nor that it wasn't rugged or couldn't perform well.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with 1084, but the reason it's often chosen for knifemaking, especially beginning knifemaking isn't because it provides unusually good performance, it's because it forges and grinds easily and is very easy to heat treat. Doesn't hurt that it's also inexpensive. There are other steels out there that will perform better, but they are more expensive and can be more complicated to work and heat treat.
Other than that? I expect them to be very corrosion resistant and to hold a fine edge even when after being used for a good deal of cutting on "abrasive' materials.Other than that, what are you looking for the knives you buy to do for you?
You said it "performs incredibly well" with the added implication that because it performs so well, there's no point in spending more than $5 on a knife blank as long as you know how to heat treat it properly. It's a pretty standard high carbon steel and it performs like a pretty standard high carbon steel. If a person considers a pretty standard high carbon steel to "perform incredibly well" then 1084 performs incredibly well.I made a point to say it was rugged and performs well.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with 1084, but the reason it's often chosen for knifemaking, especially beginning knifemaking isn't because it provides unusually good performance, it's because it forges and grinds easily and is very easy to heat treat. Doesn't hurt that it's also inexpensive. There are other steels out there that will perform better, but they are more expensive and can be more complicated to work and heat treat.