The red bone is great at holding your fingers in place with enough variation in the surface to give you grip but not anywhere near as offensive as something like Cold Steel's G10. Its easy to see why bone, and especially jigged bone, has been a handle material of choice for thousands of years. If a material has lasted this long in this role, it must be good. And it is.

Carry: 2

Carry is exactly what you'd expect for a small traditional knife--wonderful. The Pocketworn finish makes the sometimes-problematic exposed rear tang not an issue, and the overall rounded and polished shape makes it nice to retrieve. It is not so sharp that it plays poorly with pocket companions.

Austons are discomforted by the fact that this knife does not feel like a gold bullion in their pocket. Its a different sensation than they are used to.

Steel: 0

INSERT NEEDLE SCRATCH NOISE

What is this? Seriously, this is not so much steel as it is a sneaky plan to sell you a knife sharpener, much in the same way those big monocolored plastic tube "flashlights" were a ploy to sell you batteries by the truckload (their runtimes are measured in seconds). Its likely to be Case's own formulation of 420HC and unlike Buck's 420HC it is left at roughly 54-55HRc, which is basically the steel equivalent of memory foam. I know the guys on the fora like it because it is "user serviceable" and it "takes a great edge" but the problem is so do a lot of other steels and unlike Tru-Sharp they also hold that edge. Cutting cardboard with this knife, a task I do at least weekly, was a chore. Compared to another easy to sharpen steel, like Jesse Jarosz's steel of choice, AEB-L, Tru-Sharp is about as old fashioned as this knife's looks are. Its just dreadful stuff, the very definition of a 0 steel.

Or put more simply--this is my least favorite steel I have reviewed ever.

This kills the knife for all of the Austons out there...and if it doesn't the deployment method sure does.

Blade Shape: 2

Lovely drop point with a nice belly, a good tip, and enough straightaway for you to do some work. Simple, awesome, two points.

Grind: 2

For all its foibles and flaws, the grind on this knife, as with all from W.R. Case, is truly and unquestionably superb. This is the reason that these knives are still bought and used by tons of people worldwide. The stock itself is not super chunky, but thanks to an acute hollow grind Case manages to get the blade behind the edge absolutely paper thin. The Lockback cut and cut and cut and cut. It sliced grapes and cut apples with ease and grace. It cut carboard, then needed resharpening, and cut it again. In the end, the Lockback earned its place alongside some of the most elite cutters I have reviewed. Its not the Perceval La Francaise, but it is probably second or third on the list.

Deployment Method: 0

Its a nail nick. Austons don't even recognize this as a feature. They think it is a torture device. And as nail nicks go, its ho hum. Compared a grippy file cut nail nick or a well-executed French cut, its bad. This is even bad compared to the deeper and grippier crescent cuts on GECs I have handled. I am just not impressed. The pivot is about as smooth as a 14 year old boy that can quote Star Trek: The Next Generation lines off the top of his head (yes, that is autobiographical), you know, really NOT smooth.

Retention Method: 2

On a knife this small and this thin, the decision forego a clip is the right one. The knife is just too slender to accommodate anything without rendering the blade horrible in the hand.