The one I ask before I give out my knife to someone is if they plan to cut wire or pry with it? If they answer no, then I will let them use it, if I get "I am just going to cut something, what's the bid deal?", then I say no, knowing that they will not be careful with someone else's property.
Second, now learning to carry more than one knife, if I still do not trust the person from step one, then I hand them the other beater knife. Still decent quality, but not going to cry if lost.
Third, and this comes from buying too many over the years, never buy directly from the manufacturer unless you know them better and built up a relationship as a buyer, or try to look and research elsewhere for the same knife or other options available in handle material or blade steel. Lastly, if I want to make a purchase, think hard as to why would a new knife be different from those I already have, or two, buy or trade two for every new one I want to get to reduce inventory. This is more theory than practice as of right now, but we are learning.
