I have several variants of this model, a 1095 (my first one, the one I “first fell in love with”, the D2 and two special edition 154CM stainless specimens. I love the blade shape, length, and material of that first knife. The canvas micarta handle, although blocky, feels great in my hand (YMMV). I like the original canvas micarta better than the more smooth and slippery linen micarta on the other two variants; this, evidently, is a common opinion.I pit some TKC G-10 aftermarket scales on my son’s, but I didn’t feel the huge difference in comfort like on my RAT models (plus I like micarta more than G-10, and at the time I bought them TKC only had the G-10 option for the TAK). The stainless version is different but I like the option as I live in temperate rainforest of the Pacific Northwest. At first I didn’t like the original sheath, but it has grown on me. I keep a firesteel and tinder, and sometimes even a small flashlight in a pouch attached to it. I’ve carried it quite a bit and it’s held up admirably.
I’ve used it largely for camp chores and fire prep, so a lot of hard use on mostly softwoods. I’ve never had to do a full sharpening, just touch-ups with a ceramic rod. Considering the batoning I’ve done, I’m pretty impressed with the 1095.
Now, why the 4 star rating? The switch to 1075 steel. The 1095 is pretty tough but still has reasonable edge retention. 1075? Not so much. Some people say they can’t tell the difference… I can. If you like 1075 and the handle scales work anywhere near as much as they do for me, this may be a 5 star knife for you.