I don't have enough swamp knives to say whether it's a grail knife, but I will say that it's a really cool big bowie. It's design is very different from a typical chopper - that is, it's balanced more towards the handle, so it is light and fast in the hand. The differential temper on the LE blade is definitely beautiful, and it's got a pretty comfortable handle, so it's one of my favorite Bussekin blades, but I still doubt I would spend that much money on it. I also refuse to pay typical US second hand rates for a Camp Tramp or Battle Rat, though....

Despite the more neutral balance, the M9LE fared pretty well in a chopoff I held, and it was very dominant at brush clearing, where the neutral balance paid off in quicker swings and less fatigue. If you've got another light and fast big bowie, I would say the M9LE is not worth that kind of money, but if you have nothing in that category, it might be worth a shot.