Honestly, if you're "not that much of a knife person" you'll be happier if you buy neither. Get a decent Becker or a Ka-Bar and don't worry about the ATAK or a Reeve knife until you find yourself dissatisfied with your choice for some reason.
A non-knife nut will never know the difference. It's not necessarily that these knives aren't worth the money, but there is a point of diminishing returns especially for someone who is not pushing the knife to its limits.
I almost built a new computer with a 3.0 Ghz P4, hyper-threading, a gig of dual-channel DDR400 memory, and other assorted bells and whistles--but what's the point? A hardcore gamer has a use for that, but I surf the internet on dial-up. I could be using Windows 95 and get along fine.
So I sold the parts I'd bought and used 'em to pay for my membership at a gun club. By buying the ability to practice any day I want at more ranges and in more weather, I got a lot more for my money than if I'd bought the bling.
I do consider myself a "knife person," but I haven't laid out the money for a Mad Dog or a Chris Reeve yet.
Now, if you're bound and determined to do it, I'd take the Reeve because IMHO you're getting a more useful design for less money, and the stainless will help you take good care of it.
People prefer carbon because it's easier to make a truly good blade (hard enough, without being too hard, to be springy, yet cut well, yet hold an edge, yet be easy to sharpen, yet etc. etc.) It is possible to do that with modern stainless steels as well, since they've changed a lot from the stainless that was available even twenty years ago, but it's much more complicated for the smith. That is not an issue with Chris Reeve.
What few have mentioned here is attitude. I find Mr. Reeve's attitude vastly easier to deal with than Mr. McClung's. I remember Mr. McClung telling a Bladeforums member (back in the day) named Nam Viet Vo that he was barred for life from purchasing Mad Dog knives, to the point that Mad Dog dealers would be instructed not to sell to him. Vo's crime? He had taken one of his many Mad Dog knives and cut off the handle, then rounded the tang and drilled it and built a folder out of it! You may or may not be aware that the words "folding knife" send Mad Dog into a rage--folders are "not tactical," dontcha know. He does not make folders for any price, but after all, Vo had paid for the knife and he owned it. If he wanted to make an insanely expensive folder that would perform pretty much like any other folder, it was his business to my mind.
Maybe Mr. McClung was kidding, but I doubt it.
So, again, were I rich I'd have a Panther and an ATAK, but since I'm not rich, I don't. If you're not rich, think twice. If you think twice and you still want one, go ahead and get it, but you may as well resign yourself. If you've got it that bad, you're addicted and there will be no escape.
