IMHO—Parkerizing is the way to go on a true combat knife. The “spray & bake” finishes work well on firearms….specifically to prevent corrosion and glare, but other than continual holster wear…firearms just won’t be subjected to the kind of regular hard use that a knife will in the field. If you were to subject a “spray & bake” coated knife to the same tests Rob did with his parkerized knife…..I believe you’d see a significant difference in durability. If “spray & bake” is preferred, I would definitely want the base metal sand blasted and parkerized prior to application…..Wilson Combat does this prior to applying their Armor Tuff finish.