I disagree that handle fit or gap does not affect the function or integrity of a knife... a gap, any gap at the junction of the blade and the handle is a gathering / entry / holding place for dust, grime, germs and moisture and therefore corrosion or contamination (field dressing game), if you are not very careful to pay special attention to the gap... efforts to clean it out will often only push moisture etc... further under the handle where corrosion is harder to detect... most knifemakers will pay very special attention to this area, whether it is a guarded knife (careful soldering) or no guard (epoxy or other seal) to prevent corrosion etc... from creeping under a hidden tang knife where it can go undetected and risk the possibility of failure etc... when you need the knife the most. IMHO
That being said, I was fortunate enough to purchase a few of these the first time around (6 if you must know :0) and all of them have gaps ranging from pretty large in my opinion to large enough to cause me some concern... I'm not really worried about all are ear-less but one.....
I have spent some time thinking of a fix but haven't come up with an acceptable, secure, pliable solution to would resolve my concerns on this new knife...
Still thinking on it.... I'll share my solution if and when I come up with it.... but thought I would share my humble thoughts on this issue :0)