The more i think about it it makes sense from a business prospective that the handle and guard have not been changed. Blade geometry could be tweaked due to the fact that you are using blanks, but if the handles were already mass produced that's a big cost to eat if you have inventory sitting. This is more than likely why we see the same Res C on multiple knives, and it saves us cost which is fine by me most of the time! Just my 2 cents....
Clearly Res-C isn't an endangered species. For all I know, it might even be recyclable. So I'm not sure if the cost savings argument holds up where the handles are concerned. Where I think it DOES hold up is in the hardening process. I imagine that differential hardening involves more steps than through hardening. More steps means higher costs. And achieving a low price point may have been more important to Dan than creating a stronger blade . . . especially in a blade whose purpose doesn't necessarily require it to possess exemplary lateral strength.
Good point, but when is the last time you saw a live Res-C running around? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> In all seriousness though I think we all are on the right track I'm going to gear down in to the lets wait for specs mode.
