I had a Spyderco Shaman and thought it was a great knife. I had to return it because I just couldn't get past the right hand bias of the liner lock. I loved everything else about it, blade length, ergos, contoured handle, weight, etc. I was going to try a Manix 2 XL until I saw this and decided to give it a try. I haven't carried it a lot yet, but I have not been disappointed in any way. I knew the pocket clip was right hand only but that hasn't been a real issue compared to everything else good about this knife. Some people might find the scales too smooth, but so are the Shaman's. The Phoenix is an outstanding value on top of it all. This is a keeper and I'll be putting it to some hard use!