I’ve played with a lot of different cf shafts and made my own for awhile. The MCDermott Defy is probably one of my least favorites. BeCue,Tiger, Mezz, Predator, and Jacoby all make superior shafts to the Defy.
I have a couple of Tina blades from Tiger and use my cheap Kiridashi blades to trim the ends of my stacked leather wraps.I like the way they work and their size better. I tried them for trimming tips but like my utility knife setup better.
I use 50% Behlen’s, now Mohawk Woodturners finish, 40% Lacquer thinner and 10% boiled linseed oil.
I wouldn’t buy anything from that a**hole from Cue Components. If you don’t believe me, do a search here.