I just received the next version of the knife yesterday. A big improvement over the first one in terms of design. Some pics and then a little more detail.
Top pic shows the original with the new one. New one on top.
Second pic shows a small Halloran Pikal in the middle. This is a shorter version of the Pikal that I designed and that Tom Halloran makes. Note how wide and beefy the handle appears compared to the other two. I prefer a solid grip on the knife. Please note that I stole heavily from Southnarc's designs, and spoke to him before I went ahead with the knife.
Third pic shows a prototype pikal that I designed before the Halloran and was made by another maker. Note that though the grip shape is pretty different, it is also big and beefy.
Anyway, this new knife from Sentinel is much better. Bigger, beefier handle, better hand stop, better rat tail, much better sheath. No rust when it arrived, but it still isn't as sharp as it should be. Fit and finish is a little worse than the original knife, but again, well within what i would consider acceptable for a $150 knife.
The one problem for me is that the blade is on the wrong side.:-) Not sure what I'll do about that at this point, but I have been carrying it for the past two days, so something will need to happen. Overall, I do like it. A few small changes and it would be exactly what I prefer. It carries well, surprisingly so, because as it comes from the maker, the sheath rides pretty high. Makes for both a more difficult draw as well as an easier draw. I like it.