While I do agree that a good grade of hss is very good, few now know how to properly sharpen and hone an edge. That aside, there are now very fine grain carbide grades now that will hone to an edge sharper than that achievable for hss. These inserts are used in the plastic seal turning industry, and are extremely sharp. So sharp, you can not rub your finger on the edge without being cut. Iscar in Israel make these special inserts. Maybe there are other companies also making the super sharp inserts for the seal industry as well.
In general , to use on woods and most plastics, get the ground inserts, will have a G in the code, like a CCGT Rhomboid ground insert , or TNGG Triangle ground insert.