Tool steel or cost of a tool does not make you a better turner! With few exceptions majority of Carbide, HSS, and exotic steel for turning tools comes from China today.
Keeping your tools sharp, grip, stance, using your body, and not forcing the cut, and lathe speed will make you a better turner. If want to achieve excellence those six things mentioned takes patience, practice, and persistence will get you there. Once master those skills only goal left is strive for off the tool finish. I am still working on that one!
I try to stay away from tool steel discussions because in perfect world will have little bit of each tool steel available today. No matter how much you pay or type of steel used to make a tool all dull with use.
I own HSS spindle & bowl turning tools made by Crown, Hamlet, Henry Taylor, P&N, and Robert Sorby. I buy Thompson tools unhandled and make my own. For tool besides Thompson my favorite venders are Craft Supplies & Packard Woodworks been buying tools from them for more than twenty years.
Only use three tools turning pens, conventional skews, ¾" roughing gouge, and parting tools whether turning wood or acrylic pens blanks.
Conventional turning tools give you more bang for the money cause can resharpen them. Some of my HSS tools over twenty years old and still have life in them, some just do not want to let go of. Carbide tools do excel at cutting, hard exotic woods, Tru-stone & antler but carbide cutter expensive to replace when dull.