Tom, Some of the modicfications we made in the Coast Guard with the A/F; The upper guard with the two holes is a big neon sign saying "tie me to a shaft and throw me at that sleeping bear." We ground it off almost flush with the heel of the blade (leave a little to keep the unit secure.)This also gives better purchase for choking up on detail work and using the "saw." The leather rots in the jungle or gets eaten by rodents in the arctic. We found "dullcoat" ,a clear spraypaint used in modelmaking gave a good secure finish easily renewed. You can also wrap paracord as shown in the Ranger Rick pamphlets. That sawback can be improved by grinding the teeth in an offset pattern. This is a MAJOR undertaking and makes the sawback more vulnurable if splitting wood with a billet. Speaking of billets; the rattail tang can break. I think people inadvertently grip to hard, setting up enough cant or lateral torque to snap this weak area. Just hold the knife enough to steady it, much like the relaxed grip of a handgun. The hammer butt is a good hammer. Just remember it is threaded to the tang and respect it's limits. You can drill ( very carefully) a lanyard hole offset from the thread. If you must have a lanyard , again refer to Ranger Ricks wraparound illustration.The sheath has a nice pouch with a lousy stone. Lose the stone and slip a metal match or cut down magnesium bar in there. A paracord tie down or even duct tape helps secure the knife. The snaps won't win any prizes. I prefered the metal tipped version.These knives are easily dulled in the field, but are equally capable of extreme sharpness with a little work. I saw one scary sharp blade disembowel it's own sheath, so get the metal reinforced version!