I hear you, chickenplucker. I read and felt the same as you, I was going to call up Amy and go with black micarta myself. I would have been a fool to do so as the matte G-10 is actually rather grippy. Not quite as tenacious as textured G-10, but surprisingly well done. A definite improvement over the Crash Axe G-10. Initial impressions?

1. The tip of the clip point was not as sharp as i would have liked from a factory edge.

2. Not as large and as heavy as I would have imagined. While it may get away from some users, the shaped handles should keep the knife in line and under control with what I intend to use it for. Perhaps some of us need to work on grip strength <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> .