I think this knife is worth it. There is a knife that is similarly priced that I like more, but this one is good. The company had it to me sooner than I expected. Just be aware that coming from China, it won’t make it to your doorstep in a week.
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What is bad: The holster. It is plain, but worse, it doesn’t even fit the knife. The lanyard. Why would you want a lanyard on this knife? If you did, why would you want the ridiculous looking skull for this elegant knife?
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What is so-so: The lack of a clip. A clip is useful in keeping the knife handy and in a certain position. Often, I don’t like a clip because I find it uncomfortable in my hand. I am rather ambivalent on this one. A GOOD clip would be useful. Good being defined as comfortable, durable, and properly adjusted to attach the knife securely to your pocket but not overly tight. The grade ironwood used. The wood panels look like a dark brown wood rather than the computer shots. Any grain or variation in the dark brown is difficult to see or absent. The snakewood that this seller uses on other knives is better.
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What is good: The knife itself. This knife is almost tactical in blade design. It seems well suited for stabbing. For people not interested in that, let’s say it has a definite point. The blade is rather narrow and agile. The blade is longer than many knives, especially knives of this weight, and holds a long edge. The edge came very sharp and was even sharper after a little work on a leather strap. The knife is slicy with a flat grind. The ergonomics are excellent. It fits my hand well. However, the handle could be small for extra large hands. I have short fingers but large hands and all my fingers fit on the handle and my thumb rests naturally on the ramp. The flipper works well. You must press the flipper hard or snap your wrist a little, but it functions satisfactorily. I really like the pushbutton lock release. I keep my fingers out of harm's way. Gravity isn’t enough for the blade to fall down after pressing the button, but I am fine with shutting it close with my other hand. Materials are excellent. They kept the weight light by using a titanium handle and back spacer. Titanium won’t corrode, doesn’t conduct heat/cold particularly well, is very hard to resist scratches, and is strong for its weight. It gives an appropriate rigidity. I like wood. Wood looks nice to me, and iron wood is one of the most durable woods. I wish the wood looked nicer, but it doesn’t look bad on the gray titanium handle. The blade is out of M390, which is a hard steel with excellent edge retention and corrosion resistance. Its durability is not remarkable but is comparable to the more common CPM-S30V. It is less durable than 1095 and much less durable than 420HC. The flat grind helps the durability as compared to what a hollow grind would allow. As long as you treat it as a knife (rather than a hammer, pry bar, etc), it should be fine. After all, this is a pocket knife rather than a bushcraft knife. The knife will carry well in the pocket of your blue jeans. It can print and be heavier than you may want in dress pants or for occasions of elegance.
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What I really like: The complete picture – all the good things put together. This is a light knife with a long blade. It looks good and has a rigidity in the handle to give confidence. Good ergonomics. Functional flipper and button release. The big picture is what makes me believe this is worth the money.
