After all the Ballyhoo about a fixed blade, I find myself wanting more when I saw the knife.
I expect it is more 1095 - how about some D2 or 52100, a fixed blade, here is where they should do something different, looks like a Appalachian Bowie to me, which makes since. IIRC that is the look that they were after.
I know you've probably seen the fixed blade from (Canal Street Cutlery) CSC, an impressive 8 inch drop point, it is a tough knife for GEC to beat, designed and heat treated top notch D2 steel by D'Holder (hall of famer I think). I do not think I will be buying one of these, I have about 200 lbs of 1095 in the shop, maybe 50 more lbs of 1080 amongst many other miscellaneous steels, likely a little bit of everything else.
Anyhow, this is a rather simple knife to make, lets see where the price falls in.
Times change and it's looking like the trapper pattern is the only one that has met or exceeded expectations, IMO.
While that is a nice fixed blade there are reasons why it died out in favor of current offering such as the Loveless style drop point that CSC has adopted in D2, and I like the Canal Street knife, a lot. It's likely just quite simply that they do not have the experiece to work with D2.
I think a 7 inch fixed blade is just fine, that's really big enough to dress out anything in America, except bear you may want an axe or hatchet. They get in the mud a bit and you will need 3 knives and a hatchet, been there done that.
I just love the Trapper patterns they did, the Cuban and this fixed blade leave me feeling like I want something.
...KOOL Fatman... 
