Awesome post Knifeguy - thanks for that. I'm going to muddle on the ramp mod for a few weeks yet. Been handling it all day and am coming to grips with it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Thing is, gripping the handle without my thumb on the spine just feels perfect to me.

Lots of folks talk about it being blade heavy, which it is to a small degree. But then again this is such a light knife that I find the balance really doesn't come into play. Its not like the SOD where you have to excert energy to counterbalance the weight forward tendency of the knife during non-chopping chores. You are still doing that with the S5, but it is so little energy the only way you realize it is by releasing you grip and watching where the blade swings.

I agree that the S5 is a fine knife and truly worthy of belt carry. Good luck on your prospective mods!