Hi Dan, I recently picked up a Case Seahorse with Devin Thomas' pattern-welded carbon steel because it was the only alternative I could find to Case's mediocre Tru-Sharp stainless in a 'horse. F&F seems on par with Case's other offerings; basically as good as their little Swayback jack, but a far cry from the pricey Bose collaborations. Here's a brief review:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=746790&highlight=damascus+seahorse
It's only been in use for a few weeks, but so far, I'm impressed with the steel. Once I knocked off the factory wire edge with a few swipes on some fine ceramic rods the edges became scary-sharp; the kind of sharp that requires real caution when lightly "testing" it by brushing it with your thumb. It will actually whittle a single hair, and once touched up, it's easily the sharpest factory edge I own.
So far, the edges have held up nicely after opening boxes, whittling a few oak sticks, cutting paper, plastic tarp, 3/4" flexible acrylic tubing, and sharpening pencils, etc. The inclusion of nickel in the 1075 seems to give the edge an aggressive, toothy quality that cuts a little better than my CV swayback, but whether it will hold an edge as well remains to be seen.
Since the steel is etched, it essentially comes blued/pre-patina'd outta the box and seems to resist staining nicely.
Hope this helps.
