Comparative investigations of the effect of discrete surface hardening by standard ion-plasma technology and discrete oxidation technology on the structure and hardness of high-speed steels are carried out. It is shown that, after hardening in the ion-plasma installation on the surface and in the thickness of the layer, droplet-shaped defects, craters and bundles are formed. Metallographic studies showed that the hardened discrete oxidation layer after repeated hardening has a dense, uniform structure. It has been established that the discrete oxidation technology allows to increase the wear resistance of a complex-profile cutting tool 2 times more, compared to a tool hardened by standard ion-plasma technology after regrinding.