You are correct. It is the compactness that I dig.
For actual knife grabbing time, I go for my S6CG, which lives in a leather sheath that Leatherface made for me. Truely, an awesome combination. Both tough as nails.
I would love to use the tan S6, but, I would hate to wreck it, with no easy way to replace it. I have set it up in a Spec Ops sheath, like yours.
Right now, it is sitting in the living room on the arm of my couch, looking pretty.