I fully agree on this. I have a Spike that was in a group from e-bay. It had a very small chip out of the tip and I rounded it out. When it came time to hone it I did notice that the blade felt "softer" on the hone than other blades in my group. I have used it several times and is currently in my rotation. My Spike has off white plastic scales that are very soft and bendable and will put this blade in a set of wooden scales. Just not sure what the wood combination will be yet.