I purchased this knife several years ago from Heinnie Haynes. Though the description says the scales are stainless but the blade is C70 carbon steel, my blade is marked "RODGERS STAINLESS SHEFFIELD ENGLAND." First off, I love this knife! I bought this one because it is thin and fits in the 5th pocket of a pair of jeans. When I first got it, yes, it was hard to open; but I would rather have a tight knife that wears in, than a loose one that wears out. It was so tight that I clipped a pair of vise grips to the blade and opened and closed it 1000 times to wear it in. The back spring is still VERY strong, and I like that as the odds of it closing by accident are nil. This knife is very elegant; if you pull it out at a party to help someone open a blister pack, no one will freak out, not even non-knife people. For those who live in the UK, this meets the requirements there for pocket carry. Over here in the USA, this thing exudes coolness. Whenever I take it out of my pocket, my knife friends are like, "Whoa, what is that, and where did you get it?" When they find out the logo on the scales is over 300 years old, they are really impressed; it is a classic piece of British history. It is also easy to sharpen and takes a good edge; it cuts well, and even though I have large hands, I can get all my fingers on the scales for a good grip. In short, if you buy one you will not be disappointed; and if the knife is a bit hard to open at first, just use my vise grip method (and make sure to put tape on the jaws of the grips so you don't scratch the blade; but even if you do, you can polish the marks off; the cool thing about stainless is that it's stainless all the way through). One of my knife friends stopped by, saw this knife, saw the box, and that the trade mark goes back to 1682, checked the action out, and then asked me to send him the link from where I got it so he could get one. That pretty much says it all. I cannot say enough good things about this knife, as well as the great customer service from Heinnie Haynes. Thank you.