Originally Posted by Mike Brewer

TTE,
My father is a custom knifemaker and is not far from you. He doesn't do work for the general public, but his stuff is truly hard-use and classy to boot. He made one a few years ago for a friend of mine. When he presented it, my friend said it looked too nice to use. My Dad grabbed it out of his hands, unsheathed it, and pulled his forge hammer out of the toolbox on his truck. Using the two-pound sledge, he hammered that knife right through the diamond steel bumber of the truck. No nicks, no chips, and no tip damage whatsoever. He wedged it back and forth a few times to get it out and grabbed a stone to tune the edge back up, but it still shaved hair without difficulty. He also made one several years back that he used to consecutively butcher a cow and then cut a trailer home in half. It took a while, but he took pictures and documented the whole deal.

If you ever reconsider the custom knifemaker experience, let me know and I'll pass on his contact info.