There seem to be many here on BF who tend to look down on eBay but, in my experience, I've had pretty good luck when purchasing knives (especially stag-handled) on eBay. I have several stag stockman knives, most of which I bought there. In my experience, it's fairly easy to find a seller on eBay whose willing to cherry-pick a specific knife, and even send you additional pics of that exact knife, so that you can get a better look at it. There are lots of the Eye Brand stag stockman knives listed on eBay. I have one of the 425DS (BIG stockman at 4.25") which I bought there, and the quality was fine. Stag looks great, and it didn't have any issues with blade play. Just ask the seller if they're willing to open one up to make sure it's up to your standards. Just ask 'em, there's nothing to lose in doing so. If they're not willing, don't waste any time (or money) with 'em. Also, it's pretty easy to find 'em at lower prices on eBay (at least occasionally). When I bought my 425DS a couple of years ago, I think the price I paid for it was in the mid - high $40s.
Additional possibilities:
1. The Northwoods knives w/D2 blades are made by Queen, with exactly the same hardware, blade steel, etc. Fit & finish are therefore comparable (exactly) to Queen's own line (I also have one of these in stag; it's identical to a Queen 'Cattle King' I have in the Amber Stag Bone). The only real knock I've heard against them is that the Queen D2 blades frequently come with somewhat mediocre edge grinds (obtuse), and the D2 can be stubborn to re-sharpen to your liking. However, if you are comfortable with your sharpening & re-profiling skills, the D2 is FANTASTIC once you get the edge on it.
2. Another brand you might look into is Bulldog. I have one of their 1985 Cattle King Stag Stockman knives, and it's quite nice (although this particular one is expensive compared to Eye Brand, because it's one of their 'First Generation' collectables). I believe they do have more recent versions at prices comparable to Eye Brand, however.
