David the original 17's had a hump. These newer Have what I refer to as a breast or a tit. They look, to me, goofy as hell. I don't understand why they made this change. I have asked that question on many occasions and have never received the first reply. The catalog compares this current knife to the original 17's. There is no comparison. They are 2 different knives. Blade, handle, and the guard are all different. Personally I would like to see them made the old way with the gentle slope or hump. However to this day nobody from RMK has called me and asked my opinion and I don't think that is likely to happen.
I was planning on getting in on the bidding on the astro tune fink posted but today I ran across an original and incredibly rare WWII USMC Para Marine Knife and purchased it. So I'm out of the race for this remarkable 17.