Scrap Yard knives are really not designed to be pretty. The Busse Custom Shop makes pretty knives. I have stripped many of them in the past, but you still have a basic "rubber handled" style knife when you're done. The beauty of SY knives is how well they work and their reasonable price. Scrappers are all about performance. The resiprene handles are much better than the kraton that some other brands use. Insect repellant does not seem to affect them at all, while it makes other handles sticky and melts them some. The handles also offer some shock absorbing quality. Down here in the mosquito infested woods, a knife like the 1311 seems like it may be the ultimate machete. We will soon see.