BPS Knives Beta Fixed Blade

Was looking for more of a workhorse blade that I could be a litttle less precious about when out in the field, camping, bushcraft etc. Had considered the Mora Garberg as a I wanted a Scandi- type Grind that was full tang with a decent plastic or kydex sheath rather than leather. While the Garberg is nice, eloquent in Stainless or Carbon Steel I had recently become aware of the great value BPS knives made in Ukraine. This blade, the 'Beta' is of a more tactical look. But that was secondary in appeal to me. I prefer micarta scales to wood or rubber / plastic. IMO, they are so much better wearing with improved grip even in wet weather. I like that that they are threaded - held in place by bolts that can be removed should I need to repair or replace the scales - harder to do than wooden handles held by pins or plastic sealed by heat / glue. D2 tool steel is a great choice for a working blade, think traditional Gurkhar Kukri and you will likely get what I mean. The Beta arrived well oiled (something that I will keep up, to mitigate rust) and shaving sharp. The balance of the knife is great - it's fulcrum (balance point) being just behind the first finger when gripping the knife. The jimping is probably the best I have ever used - it's SO grippy without hurting you - would imagine it would suit those wishing to use it in cold weather while wearing gloves. Which brings me to mention the size of the handle. It's really deceptive. Much longer than you even register - as the handle curves nicely into your hand but is essentially the same handle length as a much bigger knife - equal to the larger Gerber LMF 2 survival knife in fact - despite having a shorter blade than the latter. The scnadi grind has been worked on well - comes super sharp but is unlikely to dull as quickly as stainless steel. The sheath is ABS plastic but with the most rock solid retention Ive seen in a kydex / plastic sheath before. In fact it's maybe a wee bit too stiff initailly and does slightly scratch the start of the micarta handle. I will give the steath a slight fine grit sand just on the part that 'hoods' over the start of the handle to reduce this ever so slightly - but it gives a lovely sense of reassurance and security that the Beta won't detach or come away from its sheath by accident. Fixed to the sheath is a removable and repositionable belt clasp that locks by engaging a slider mechanism -an all-metal pin used in the clasp's hinge that is also ABS plastic - which adds to its reliability/durability. Make no mistake this knife is not designed to sit in a display case, it's meant to be used - but there's beauty in that too and it does look handsome in its utility and fairly minimalist design. I have tried batonning and light carving and I'm impressed how it seems to scale itself up for bigger knife tasks - while behaving as a smaller knife for finer carving tasks. Really happy and comes in at around £20 cheaper than the cheapest Mora Garberg configuration. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for other BPS blades and tools in the future and recommending to friends that they at least check this Ukrainian manufacturer out. Slava Ukraine! Awesome service from HH as always - thank you for getting this out to me so quickly - ordered late in the day Friday and received today (Tuesday Morning)using the free delivery option.