Barry:
Whether you're lucky or not (short or long wait), the AR is worth it. It's one of those "lifetime knives" that you won't constantly be trying to improve upon. I hate to open a new can of worms, but, if you have a long wait ahead of you for an AR, I would strongly suggest filling in the gap with a Pat Crawford Kasper Folding Fighter. You could probably pick one up used on a custom knife forum somewhere. I'm into grips, because THEY are where you hold the knife. (I gave up holding onto the blade years ago. Counter-productive) The KFF's handle is so beautifully designed that it almost holds you. And, like the Strider guys, Pat Crawford is a gentleman, a brilliant bladesmith, a demon for quality and he stands behind every knife he makes. It's hard to do better. After you get your AR, you can either rest comfortably knowing that you own TWO of the best folders on earth, or you can sell the KFF to another quality-driven knife nut for about what you paid for it. You can't lose.
Now let's see who pipes up saying, "I disagree, it should be the (blah blah blah)".
