"This is the first heavy duty folder from ER I have ordered. Upon taking it out of the box, I was blown away by the build quality. This is my 3rd ER, and I am used to the real nice craftsmanship, but this one takes the cake! It was worth every penny, which is saying a lot since this is the most $$$ knife I have bought thus far. Blade: The blade is a stiletto design, which I imagine means slim with a mostly straight cutting edge. The steel is Boehler N690. It is very thick at 1/4 inch, and sharp! The shape is somewhat slender. All of my ER edges have held up good to light tasks like cutting cardboard, rope, etc... The grind is very even and I like how they polish the edge for less cutting resistance. Handle: The handle is made of "anticorodal" aluminum scales. They are very substantial, and feel nice in the hand. My only complaint is that the "Testudo" coating is somewhat slippery when the knife is cold, and I am not wearing gloves. Not a huge thing, but one that could possibly be improved. Lock: IMHO, The lock is probably the most impressive feature. This knife opens with a LOUD "thunk", and when it is locked in place, It is not going anywhere. The knife has a secondary slide lock, which honestly may be overkill, but I guess in the extreme way this knife is meant to be used, it is a benefit. The knife has the back lock that is 1/4 inch thick, and runs the whole length of the handle. The window breaker is no joke and is also 1/4" thick. One note on the lock is when unlocking the lock with your thumb, the blade has a tendency to swing down. First time I did it, it hit my index knuckle lightly and cut me!! LOL. It is very sharp. All in all, my favorite knife to date. Thanks to Nancy for making the transaction the most pleasant around!!! I love this thing!" J.E. - Rockville, MD "I received my Extrema Ratio Nemesis on Christmas Eve 2009. It quickly became my every-day-carry knife, and I don't leave the house without it. If I have to get on a plane, I make sure it's in my luggage. This knife represents the epitome of the high-end (and high-priced) tactical folding knife. I am not a metallurgist, so I can't really comment about the steel, metal treatment, or coating on the blade, but it does come out of the box with a hair-popping sharp edge. The blade itself locks open very solidly, with absolutely no play horizontally or vertically. It actually feels like a fixed blade knife when open, plus there's the very loud and satisfying click when it locks. It also has a push-through button safety to lock the knife open or closed, but the knife itself is so solid in either position that I can't imagine ever having to use it. There were really only two issues I had with the knife right out of the box, and they were incredibly minor issues. The pocket clip latches very securely to the edge of my pocket, which is a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. It makes very sure the knife isn't going to come loose, but on the other hand, it really requires you to get your fingers around the knife inside your pocket to to remove it when clipped, so if there's anything else inside your pocket, you might have a problem. I personally don't keep anything else in the pocket where I carry my knife, so I don't think of it as a problem. The other issue was that this knife was incredibly tight out of the box, to the point I could barely open it at all. However, two hex keys (one for adjusting tension on the pivot, and one for removing the pocket clip) were included with the knife, and I was able to adjust it to my liking within minutes. I do recall that recently there was a customs scare that US Customs was going to consider any knife that could open with one hand as an illegal switchblade and deny importation. This regulation never came to pass, but the Nemesis that I received certainly could not have been opened with one hand prior to my adjustments. As I said, very minor problems, especially compared to the overall quality and design of the knife. I can't even imagine a knife better than this one. It meets and exceeds all my criteria for an every-day-carry folding knife by a safe margin. It may be pricey, and I'll admit the price made me hesitate a bit, but once I received the knife, I can tell you with absolute certainty that I regret nothing about my purchase. This knife is worth every cent that I paid for it." R.R. - El Paso, TX "Nancy, Received the Nemesis today. Once again, just so very pleased with the knife and your customer service. The same unbelievable build quality, design, and features for the money. Incidentally, the Nemesis fits into the same pocket holster I use for the Reventon and my NAA Pug. The advantage with the Nemesis, even though it does have a clip, is that it can be carried completely invisible. If this info might ever be useful to anyone else the holster is HPT-PUG located on this page: http://www.naaminis.com/pug_hol.html." M. Smith - Lincolnton, NC "Just received my Nemesis Folder and I am impressed! I have owned many "Top of the Line " folding knives but this Nemesis folder is by far the best!! It beats all custom and production folders I have ever owned hands down! One feature that was unexpected on the knife was that the blade when folded is completely encased inside the handle, no body of the blade protrudes. A very clean design and a very well thought out feature for a pocket carry folder. Do not hesitate to purchase if you need a large, strong, daily carry folder! Being an ex soldier, I readily recommend this knife for field use. Well done to Xtreme Knives!" Darnell - Canada "I have always wondered why anyone would consider spending 100’s of dollars on a knife, and now I know why. This Faida/Nemesis folder is extraordinarily engineered. It inspires complete confidence. I would not hesitation to depend on it for life-threatening circumstances." E.J. - UT "The ER (Extrema Ratio) Nemesis (Faida) arrived this morning! It is a great knife and I know my brother will be very pleased and put it to use. I am thinking of ordering one for myself at some point. This was my first order with XtremeKnives.com and I couldn't be more impressed with the whole experience. It was an absolute pleasure dealing with you. The customer service was top notch. The shipping was fast and the quality was outstanding. I will absolutely use you for all of my future purchases. Thanks again." Dave Andersen, Hunt Valley, MD It is the responsibility of the buyer, not Xtreme Knives, to determine and follow all local, state, federal and international laws and ordinances regarding the purchase, possession, and use of any item purchased from us. Copyright 1999 - 2012 Xtreme Knives (tm). All rights reserved worldwide.