I think the way you selected a knife, based on its practicality, to meet your specific needs, was very intelligent.

I often see other folks (hikers & campers) carrying knives that are..... let's call them sub-optimal. Most any knife will do in a pinch, but there are some areas of use, that a purpose-designed blade will excell in.

I coundn't say, off-hand, just how many outdoorsmen/women I've seen carrying knives with deep, concave grinds, sharpened cutting edges on the blade's spine, or beautiful figured maple handles. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with any of those things. When simply cutting cord or carving wood one probably wouldn't notice anything, but there is a blatantly noticable difference in the amount of effort required to baton wood with an overly-thick, concave-ground or saber ground blade, as compared with a high or fully-flat ground blade of appropriate thickness, just as an example.

In my opinion, a polished wood or bone handle is far more aesthetically pleasing, than one made of man-made material, but a knife handle made of canvas micarta, or G-10 will last much longer under frequent use.

Beyond a certain point, details become a matter of preference (blade length, scandi-grind, etc.) but generally speaking, design has an appreciable effect. There are variables to consider when choosing a knife that best fits your needs, and that's really all I'm saying.