The actual design is great, almost perfect. The only thing it needs is the point dropped by 1-2mm to bring it closer to centerline, for better drilling ergonomics and a nicer experience for processing proteins.
Everything else is excellent, perfect thickness (thinness) for a scandi, good enough length to be useful for about 95% of the tasks for which you need a knife, the ergonomics are perfect, a brilliant design somewhere between a puukko, a kitchen and a woodcarving knife. Great comfort in pretty much all grips.
What didn't have that much thought put into it is the sheath. A simple cheap pancake kydex without even a thumbramp, occupying way more real estate than a sheath for a knife this size should (and speaking of sheaths, avoid their leather sheaths like the plague. thin flimsy leather that won't last a season, single layer so the brass button sticks inside the sheaths and keeps scratching the blade. a travesty at 10$, let alone the money they're asking).
The sharpness out of the box is also disappointing. I'd expect better for the money and the scale/size of production. It's not "bad", but it's not good either. And no, it's not because of the 17dps microbevel (which is a good idea for a 15dps scandi. i've personally had softer & tougher steels chip with these kinds of geometries)
But most disappointing of all is the fit & finish of the handles. Rough edges, particularly around the screw holes with textile fibres sticking out (holes that should've been beveled in the first place). Uneven scales which can't be screwed tightly with the tang, leaving quite the noticeable air gap between scale and tang, plenty enough for moisture and dirt to accumulate.
All in all it's a brilliant knife marred by subpar execution you'd rarely get from a sub 100eur Condor, let alone a 300eur "made in the USA" knife by a small scale boutique brand. Even at USA MSRP prices this is barely 20% cheaper than a CRK Inyoni, another magnacut small blade made in the USA, but with orders of magnitude greater care in the manufacturing process. Or in roughly the same ballpark as Tactile Dreadeye with a Chattanooga leather sheath, another made in the USA magnacut blade with significantly higher fit & finish (and a much better sheath).
This is really brought down by the whole "made in the USA" schtick, as it brings absolutely nothing of value to the customer other than those blinded by myopic patriotism. For the rest of us, it's just insanely overpriced for what you get. Get someone like TRC to make this exact knife at the 300 price point, and i'd buy it again. As it is, i wouldn't purchase one again even at USA MSRP prices.
