Chris Reeve TiLock Titanium Handle Folding Knife

I didn't exactly buy mine. I got it at the claimed value of $300 in a poker game. I got $350 for it last week so I made some money out of it.Why didn't I keep it? I was not familiar with Chris Reeve knives although I am a semi-pro sharpener and a big fan of custom knives. I learned later that they are a big name and have at least two very nice body lock folders out there in 2nd hand collector land. They are supposed to come with a box covered in achievement awards and a nifty card with a signed "Birth Certificate" in it. ( I didn't have that or could have gotten more for the knife.)The knives are all very well made, although I liked the earlier two that the collector showed me better than this Ti-Lock model. Fit and finish is very nice and they all seem very solid. The blades were very well centered and finished in a sort of hammered look that I think my buyer called "stone-washed". (Can that be right?)The picture on Amazon here doesn't really show you how it works. It's too trick for me and why I sold the knife. The blade is nicely rounded across the spine which is not common these days until about halfway down. At that point there is a blue titanium springy wedge with a brassy barbell shaped piece of aluminum alloy set into the end of the wedge close to the frame. To open the blade, you have to lift up or pull up the barbell which unlocks the blade. Once you have that done you can pull on the blade or the bars until the blade comes to full open. Once there, the barbell drops into a slot in the back of the frame.The body of the knife is I think Titanium, so the knife is very light. The blade is S30 something. I can't tell you how it holds up because to do that I would first put a professional edge on the knife which it did NOT come with. It was "Razor Sharp" but before I carry a knife I sharpen and hone until the angles on both sides are the same and glassy smooth. Then you have to use it. No pocket knife will perform like a big knife. The weight and length will do things that a small knife cannot. That being said, how often do you have to lop off an arm?In my opinion $200, is the top price for a pocket knife. There are "Tactical" folders out there now that go for hundreds and hundreds of dollars. I just really question how much abuse you need to be able to give to a pocket knife. I like the Benchmade's (especially the discontinued "Kubera")Spyderco's, the new HK's and some of the Surefires.I handled the Ti-Lock and the whole time I could see the lock caving in. It didn't but it just didn't seem that sturdy. I like the Axis lock (a legal switchblade)and the simplicity of the Spyderco's (the best deal in a pocket knife). The Ti-Lock is a collector's item.