The blade does look rather stubby-I think its mainly a trick of the eye, due to the handle actually being full length. The clip I thought the exact same thing-but, this thing is tight-so much so, that I actually had to bend it back a little, to get it to clip onto my pocket. It IS a shorter than normal clip though. But, if the screws are tight, this thing isnt going anywhere. I just measured it with my LEatherman, and the usable part of the clip is 1.5".
Mark-I have no doubts this will stand some serious abuse. When I hold it, it has the heft of a true fixed blade. This thing certainly isnt lightweight, and isnt designed to be so. It was built with abuse in mind-and, within limits, I want to try it out. I have no qualms batoning this thing-it likely wont even scratch it!