I found it interesting that Noss called it "BS" that people were saying that the handle on the S6 absorbed shock. If Noss is a physicist or engineer, then please correct me, but the force impulse of the hammer blow to the rubber handle of the S6 does does get absorbed to a certain degree! Why else would people like ResC so much for chopping?! I don't claim to be a genius or to know a lot, but I am an engineering student and know that some force from the hammer blow does get absorbed by the handle on the S6. Sure, the bare tang of the S6 "stood up" to the hammer blows, but to say it's "BS" that the handle absorbs some of the hammer blow is just incorrect.