The first thing you'll notice when you get this knife is that it looks like something out of an HR Giger nightmare. The half-scales on the spine of the handle, no matter which material you go for, makes this knife look alive even when the blade is safely tucked out of the way. It looks Alien-esque.
Next, you'll undoubtedly spot the unique thumbstud. Absolutely wonderful in that its flared shape allows much more purchase for your thumbtip, and secondarily - and I'm not sure if RJ meant to do this - the wider surface allows for a good place to "push" on the top of the knife when you're cutting through something tough. Visually, it's also a good accent for the standoffs, and the curvatures of the stud is again coordinated well with the overall soft lines of the closed knife.
Not that you'll ever need to do so, anyway - but more on this in a moment.
As you open the knife, initially, as with everyone else who has looked at RJ's Avenger and Devastator, you'll be shocked at the blade-to-handle ratio. RJ seems to bend the laws of physics, stuffing in a huge blade into a handle that honestly doesn't seem like it should be able to cover the entire length of the blade. I love knives with good blade-to-handle ratios, and this one ranks among the best that my currently rather short stay in this hobby has ever seen.
The next thing that will get you is undoubtedly the edge --> as in, "oh crap, I've cut myself already!"
RJ's works are agreed to be among the most sinister and wickedly sharp of all makers. If you just look crossed-eyed at this knife, it'll cut ya. Remember above when I said that you could use the top of the thumb-stud for more purchase when using this knife? I've yet to need it. My recurve Avenger slices and dices, and it seems that material -- whatever I'm cutting -- just melts before the edge comes into contact with it.
And speaking of cutting, in saber grip or reverse (note the cuts into the frame at the rear), the ergonomics of this piece is just superior. The cutouts that RJ took to the frame combined with the thickness of the "spine" scale really makes for a very comfortable knife in-hand. And with the mass of the blade now forward, the knife becomes incredibly light-in-hand.
When carried, yes, this knife does show its weight -- however, you've gotta remember it is a big monster of a knife, and that unlike, say, a Strider AR/GB, the Avenger doesn't feel as dense, and will ride much more lightly in-pocket. In fact, I can comfortably carry the Avenger in-pocket even with sissy dress-pants on, and this is something I would be hesitant to do with my beloved Striders due to their sheer mass.
And in-closing, despite the age of my knife (from my conversations with RJ, it seems that this knife might have been made when he first started making them), lock-engagement is still rock-solid, testifying to the durability of this knife.
Finally, honestly, RJ is one of the most personable knifemakers whom I've had the pleasure of interacting with ( and I highly look forward to meeting him at Blade this June ). His detailed e-mails, exacting attitude towards his work (he informed me of, get this, a 0.005 inch difference between his earlier Avengers and his current ones that had a significant impact on performance - favoring the current models, of course!), as well as open-mindedness and willingness to listen to his customers/patrons just floors me.
You won't be disappointed in anything that RJ makes, and I think you'll be just as floored as I was to take delivery of an Avenger.
Hope this helps !
Allen
aka DumboRAT
Will look forward to the pics.