Oh, he appreciates and likes it. I know he'll value it. I'm sure it will continue to look lovely sitting on his dresser.

This is just a problem I had over the years. I get a bit over sensitive about it occasionally. I try to use good if not great steels, do my own heat treat to control quality, stabilize the handle materials so they are resistant to shrinking, cracking and chipping. Like my cooking I go with the principle that good ingredients make for good products. I go through a lot of extra work as the steels are more difficult to work and the woods (in some ways) harder and the blade is never used.

I know in my head that I should take it as a complement but, again, like my cooking the phrases "it's to pretty to eat" and "It's to pretty/nice to use" set my teeth on edge. If you don't use the knife to cut something than I made a piece of sculpture not a knife.

Jim