Extrema Ratio Suppressor

Quality of this knife is outstanding. This company makes some of the best knives ever.

First of all, props to the seller "Rocky Mountain LLC" for a speedy dispatch, and to the USPS for their hard work. I received my parcel only four days after purchase.Now, onto the product itself. As a disclaimer, I have no prior experience with Extrema Ratio knives, so I cannot speak to the quality of their other manufactures. However, this "Suppressor" is an appropriately-named piece of equipment, with its quality, design, execution, and modularity commendably reflected in the outlandish price point.The sheath - the carrying method, and in my opinion, 50% of the value in any tool/weapon system - is very modular and customizable, in addition to being tough and sturdily built. There is a removable leg strap and hilt cover for maximum retention of carry. The blade itself locks into a removable, hard plastic insert, which is pinned in place by two removable plastic pegs. All can be accomplished without tools or inconvenience.The blade shape is reminiscent of medieval daggers in centuries past, which is fitting, given the tried-and-true purpose of such a design. The stock is 1/4" thick and truly full-tang; plenty sufficient for piercing hard and soft targets with minimal risk of catastrophic failure or deformation. The coating is matte, smooth, non-reflective, and visually appealing. All grind lines are tapered and well-executed.The handle is one of the best-designed I have ever handled (no pun intended) on this type of knife. I have multiple stiletto-style, military-origin fighting knives, including the venerable Fairbairn-Sykes and V-42 models. And while the design inspiration is clearly apparent in the handle contour of this "Suppressor," Extrema Ratio's version is superior in terms of functional ergonomics. The texture is much more grippy and abrasive, allowing a secure purchase in even the bloodiest, sweatiest conditions. The shapes and cutouts near the guard allow both "thumb-parallel-to-edge" and "thumb-parallel-to-flat" grips by feel alone (whereas the historical examples were perfectly round and unshaped for such ergonomics). Reverse grip also feels secure and comfortable, given the somewhat thicker handle diameter that fits very well in my medium-sized hands.The pommel is removable, and can be replaced with the included extra (which is longer, and would move the point of balance rearward). However, it is on tight, and would require dedicated effort to remove. For my purposes, I kept the shorter default pommel - lower profile for carry, and more versatile point of balance for holding the knife in multiple grips.Given the options one has to customize and carry this knife, combined with its next-level quality, design, and execution, I would say it's worth the price point if you can afford it (and have a need for such a purpose-built blade). This is absolutely not a toy, or even a gift to give a casual EDC knife user - any more than a loaded, suppressed pistol is.Updates:After a few days of carrying and testing, I stand by my positive first impressions of the design, modularity, and ergonomics of this weapon system. When stabbing tough targets, the scalloped thumb ramps reduce the risk of thumb injury compared to a traditional, perpendicular cross-guard, when utilized in the saber grip (commonly recommended for this type of blade).For people debating whether to buy this knife:Out of curiosity, I went down the rabbit hole of modern, high-end, production daggers similar to this one, including the Acta Non Verba M500, Fox Fairbairn Sykes, and Spartan Blades V-14. The others are usually listed for about $100 less (and with different steel/material offerings), but they lack the unique thumb-ramp guard style of the Suppressor, as well as the interchangeable pommels. One would have to decide whether the extra $100 for [IMO] superior modularity and ergonomics is worth it or not (and that's a subjective decision, there are no wrong answers).Additional notes:For the casual knife users who might happen to stumble upon this product page, naively thinking that "a $500 knife should be able to do everything," the Suppressor is a TERRIBLE tool for typical utility purposes. The edge - while precisely beveled, ground, and polished - is at a much steeper angle and more obtuse than what is optimal for a good cutting/slicing/shaving knife. I attempted a few light-duty cutting tasks just to see if it could: cutting a loose thread, and opening a thin plastic wrap, which the edge struggled to slice through, despite the aforementioned level of quality.This simply comes with the territory of the thick diamond cross-section of the blade, which is honestly more akin to a flattened spike than a true blade. If the visual design wasn't already enough indication, this is a very singular-purpose, no-compromise tool, engineered from the ground up to guide the needle-sharp point wherever you need it to go, impaling whatever you need it to go through.Another update:A minor accident occurred in which the knife was dropped point-first onto solid concrete, then bounced and collided with a stack of cast-iron weight plates. At first, I panicked, knowing how fragile needle points on these types of knives usually are (I once dropped a $100-ish, hand-forged and tempered, 1095 steel Bowie with a similarly acute point in a similar fashion, and the tip was horribly bent for several mm, which I had to regrind/reshape). So I put the blade under direct lighting and to my surprise, the tip was completely intact, with the only visual defect being grains of concrete caked on the surface. A few passes with a fine stone, and nobody could tell it wasn't new-out-of-the-box again. This only supports the well-known adage of "you get what you pay for."