I'm glad to oblige with an evaluation, Nakano. First, the basic reason I wanted it done was to improve grip while opening the knife. To explain -- most times I love a pocket clip; however, there are other times when I find it is simply not appropriate to use one.
I love the stainless Native for a number of reasons, including the way it fits my pocket when closed and my hand when open. The problem was, without the clip, my fingers would occasionally slip from the chamfered edge of the handle when opening it.
Although we checkered only a relatively small portion of the handle -- to avoid pins, as Sal had suggested -- I am happy to report that this is no longer the case. I even deliberately wet both the knife and my hands with water and still experienced no problem gripping it.
The flat topped diamonds have a very comfortable feel and are not rough on either hands or clothing. As an added bonus I now have a very unique Spydie in my collection.
Just a further note: While the flat topped diamond pattern @16 lpi provides good protection against perpendicular slippage (i.e., across the handle), they don't prevent back-to-front movement along the handle as much. Because of the Native's handle design, this is not a problem. However, anyone thinking about checkering to aid in stopping hand slippage toward the blade might be better off considering a more aggressive pattern.
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Brian+--
