Hey, handle feel is no small part of a knife, nor is your confidence in it. I've owned two Gayle Bradleys and assumed they would be lifers - smooth, solid lockup, stellar blade shape and steel, and good looks to top it off. The handle, though, just isn't a good fit for my hands. I had a buck vantage briefly that I loved everything about but would never use because the blade play made me think the knife was going to fail me. The handles on the HK Soldat feel like toy plastic and I'm glad I was able to hold a store demo model instead of buying it and having that instant remorse and disappointment.
The Cold Steel Tuff Lite became my most carried knife for over a year just because of the handle shape. It's so ergonomic it just melts into your hand and becomes a natural extension of it. I would often not close the knife for hours when I was working retail and just continue working with products with the knife locked open in my hand. No injuries or accidental cuts. Not one.
Don't feel like you have to forgive, like, or defend something you see as a dealbreaker. Nobody but you is qualified to tell you what knives to like and use.
