Thanks.
The knife is made by Curtiss Custom Knives. As for whether it's a custom, I would say yes although that is up for debate within the knife community depending of how you define custom. If your definition of custom means that there can be absolutely no automation in production and if special requests that stray from the original designs aren't an option, these people would likely consider Curtiss a mid tech production knife even though mid techs use parts manufactured from external sources. I suppose that in this case, the person that isn't trying to support themselves financially as a knife maker can afford to take the time to do something totally unique and different making what some feel is a true custom,
If your definition of custom is every part of the knife is designed, manufactured and assembled in house by a single person while allowing different options of titanium milling, flaming, or anodizing in a multitude of different colors with a few different blade configurations, this knife would be considered a custom. Dave Curtiss makes everything in house including the hardware but he uses CNC and water jet automation to get the job done which is a necessary evil IMO, especially if you make knives to earn a living. He also does all anodizing in house with multiple color options.
After carrying the 5+ ounce Benchmade with a 3.6" blade as an EDC for the last several years, these are slightly larger and heavier but still comfortable for me to carry.
I've heard that LC200n is almost as rust/corrosion resistant as H1 although I have no personal experience with LC200n. I am familiar with H1 though since I had a Salt at one time that was treated with very little respect but never rebelled by showing any signs of rust. Sadly, it went for a dip in the Texas Gulf and was never seen again due to an unfortunate chain of events when the boss and I went bay fishing a couple of years back.
I know what you mean about fidgety knives. These ride on caged bearings and are addictive since they are super smooth and drop shutty. Much like you and your Spydiechef, I liked it enough to buy a 2nd but my 2nd has a different blade shape. I wasn't intending on buying 2 but I purchased the wharncliffe first and loved the fit but decided that it may be a bit too pretty to use the way I use knives on a frequent basis, or at least that was how I justified the 2nd knife at the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to use the heck out of the wharnie but it won't be my daily. That's where the green one comes in.