So, I'm posting this in General in order to reach anyone who may be on the fence about the brand. So I have had my Emerson Horseman for 2 years now, and it's been my favorite knife for awhile. This last week however, I truly put the blade to the test and was reminded why I love this knife. I spent my whole week at a large, national equine competition. All week, as "the guy with the knife," I was called upon to help with the dreaded stall setups and takedowns. Countless bags of shavings and pieces of twine were taken down. However, the biggest challenge was the endles stream of zip ties! I hate cutting zip ties with knives, and most of the cutting on these were big pull cuts around metal bars, with the blade often skipping off and hitting metal stall walls. After dozens of zip ties, pieces of plastic, twine, and everything else, the Horseman was left with a loose pocket clip due to the torque from the pull cuts, and a dull but not at all chipped or rolled blade. The edge wasn't up to my standards anymore, but never failed to cut. This is where the softer HT comes in handy, in my opinion. The blade is the perfect size, the wave is time saving, and the ergonomics are incredible for many different trips. The thing is so tough, and even though many of my blades are capable of this work, I don't have any that I am comfortable beating on this much, and knowing I can bring it right back to peak performance. Sorry for the ramble, but this just furthers my views on Emerson knives. I don't like them for everything, and they are not a blade for everyone or every need. They are not a go-to-meeting knife, or a gentleman's folder. But when I need to get down and dirty, and get some real work done, I'm glad to grab my Emerson.