Miscellany: Microtech Combat Troodon Gen III review

Like many knife companies, Microtech constantly updates its product lineup, and in recent years it has introduced "Gen III" versions of its flagship automatic, the Combat Troodon:

The upgrades to the Gen III Combat Troodon from the older model are major, so much so that it is essentially a brand-new knife.  The new "dual fuel drivetrain" makes the blade much easier to fire and retract, yet the action is no less safe (the button still requires about an inch of travel). The sides of the handle are smoother, and the pocket clip has a ceramic ball, so the knife is easier to draw from the pocket.  Finally, the glass breaker at the end of the knife is radically smaller and shorter, which I think is appropriate for a feature that 99% of people will never use.

Downsides? Well, this is (still) a spendy knife (street prices in the high $400s for most variants), so it's out of reach for a lot of people. It's also (still) relatively large, heavy, and intimidating for an EDC piece - I would not whip this out in the middle of a library to cut a loose thread. All that being said, I think the Gen III positives vastly outweigh the negatives, so if you're in the market for an American-made automatic, it's a strong option.