You can improve the AF Knife easily. A lanyard loop and improved grip may be had with paracord. This simple addition is displayed in the Ranger Rick books and website. You can also drill a dedicated lanyard hole in the hammer but. Just be sure to offset it and avoid the critical tang- but juncture. I amputated the upper guard on all of mine. It makes fine work easier. It's only there to lash a shaft to. I never warmed to the idea of putting a critical piece of gear on the end of a stick. I don't think Bart the Bear would be very impressed anyway.The sawback was of course for emergency egress through the mangled remains of plexiglass and aluminum aircraft. Thats why it is a pull design, for use by injured crewmen or wearing mittens.You can put the blade in a vise and with dedicated file work improve it for sawing wood . The hammer is a nice feature, but I will never pound on the knife blade itself. I snapped one doing this in Arctic Survival School. I suspect a defective blade and the extreme cold made for a brittle combination.The leather handle and scabbard are vulnurable to midnight packrat attacks, so securing them with your leather boots is a good idea. I suspect there will be another collecting frenzy if production does indeed cease. The fact that there must be a million out there wont stop the 'genuine U.S. jetpilot survival knife sellers'. Good used ones are selling for $10-$25<br><br>