The carbon steel blade has a black DLC coating that protects against rust and also prevents reflections from the blade. Keep in mind though that carbon steel needs to be maintained, so make it a habit to wipe your knife and oil the blade after using it. The spine of the blade has been ground so that you can use it together with a fire starter - which means critical fire is never far away. The knife sheath contains a belt loop and clip so your knife is always close at hand.