storrycityTo each their own. I don't find this knife attractive at all either! This knife looks like the love child of Spyderco and Cold Steel, which is apparently a hideously deformed baby.
M390 is premium steel in a world of it's own. It's grain dense but very strong. (m390 is optimal when the edge is a wide angle, more than 23 ° ) This means m390 would not make a good kitchen knife where the edge angle is more acute than 18 °. source: http://www.zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=m390. M390/CPM-20CV is a very strong steel.
S35VN and CTS-XHP are similar to strengths. You will most likely not notice a difference except that XHP will polish better.
VG10 is a good steel but it doesn't compare to CTS-XHP.**
CTS-XHP has the capability of being a very hard steel. knowing Spyderco, they will get the heat treat right.
Your question about this knifes pivot need to be answered by somebody else. I wouldn't know. A quick search brought me to this video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puAUwJir5C0
**For other steel comparisons with edge retention try a BladeForums thread here: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/ranking-of-steels-in-categories-based-on-edge-retention-cutting-5-8-rope.793481/