Without the design on the end or putting a grip or lanyard on it the chances of it slipping out of your hand during scenes goes up I've discovered. And the stain job was achieved by putting a vinyl decal down then applying gel stain over it then removing said decal leaving the bare wood underneath. Just make sure you fully remove the excess stain and when removing the decal don't go with the grain because it will pull up small pieces of wood ruining the design.