Great thread! Posting pics is super helpful.
First up, Triple T, are your hands that steady? Or are you using a tripod/bipod/monopod or other means to get those razor-sharp high rez photos? Super images.
Chris, the hammered flats is a great finish. Really dig it.
Coatings:
Agree with Raja on coatings. Cerakote (or any blade coating) tends to be a practical choice for non-stainless knives, and if you are going to both use the knife and you truly don't care what it looks like, then coatings on non-stainless knives makes sense. For me personally, I think coatings look bad after even a little use, and I'd rather take care of a non-stainless knife w/ oil. But I can see how people who are truly rough users of knives in situations where they are outdoors for extended periods (e.g. military), are unable to take care of a non-stainless blade for an extended period (e.g. military again), or around salt water, would want a coating to help with corrosion. That's a pretty small percentage of knife buyers for most makers, but could be important for your customer base.
The newer blade coatings are certainly a lot harder and thinner, and wear better than some of the early blade coatings (thinking of the early Benchmade coatings that felt like they were Teflon-based and abraded off readily), but still, no comparison to the look of a belt-grind or hand-rubbed finish.
Depending on how much the Cerakote equipment costs, I can think of a lot of other things a knife maker might spend money on before a coating system that are more worthwhile (including "indirect" equipment, like a good digital camera, tripod, diffusion lighting, suitable computer). Suspect you can subcontract the coating to others for a good long while before the equipment would pay for itself (I'd be thinking of a 1-2 year payout, or it's not worth it). I really like the look of a belt ground finish on a blade over a stonewashed (tumbled) or beadblast finish, as a side note... with a coating a last place choice.
Thanks to all the OK&T owners who are posting pics... much appreciated.