Well, that seems simple enough. I've held off on a CV knife for a while because I've heard that maintenance was so much more intensive than other steels. Keeping it clean is no problem to me, and I keep a small bottle of mineral oi in my locker at work. This is definitely going to see some pocket time at work, so I'll just be sure to keep up on it. A patina is no issue with me, I'm actually looking forward to seeing it on there. I think it gives the knife a nice, "well-used" appearance.