TLDR: FRN, Grivory, Zytel, CF Elite, etc are durable, functional, and strong materials for knife handles, and will likely outlive any user who purchases such a knife. In the immortal words of T Swizzle, “Haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate.”
I was at my local knife store yesterday looking for a new EDC/work knife, and I was looking hard at the Benchmade Claymore models. The owner of the store happened to be there, and we started chatting about the newer Benchmade models.
Immediately, he started trashing Benchmade’s use of “cheap plastic handles” and how they haven’t been able to put out anything decent in a while. This guy is a “premium plus” dealer, mind you.
He asked what I was going to use the knife for, and I told him general EDC, but also while working as a first responder. He immediately took the Mini Claymore I was holding and put it back in the case saying “this cheap plastic won’t last you a day on the job.”
I asked him why he was so against the Grivory and CF Elite handles Benchmade uses, since they are both very tough materials. He went on and on about how they won’t last, they crack, they bend, they crumble after hard use, yada yada.
I pointed out that fiber reinforced nylons are not typical plastic, and they will likely last longer than I’ll be alive (I’m hoping for at least another 50 years). I used the example of vinyl siding, which is just PVC, and how houses have been covered in vinyl for decades without it degrading, despite being in the sun constantly. I then explained how FRN is even more tough than PVC. He didn’t understand what I was saying, and continued to trash the plastic handles.
Not wanting to argue, I thanked him for his time and went on my way. Little did he know, that’s particular day I was carrying my paratrooper knife that was used in the Vietnam war, and was working just fine with its plastic scales despite being at least 50 years old, and has actually been through combat.
Moral of the story is that no matter how hard people in shops and online like to trash “plastic” handles on knives, there really is no evidence to back it up. If done properly, like any major knife maker would do, the “plastics” will put up with use and abuse until long after anyone reading this turns to dust; and it will likely still perform like new!
I really believe future archeologists will dig up an old fully functioning Benchmade Griptilian and wonder how we ever got by with these instead of laser knives in our pockets.
I was at my local knife store yesterday looking for a new EDC/work knife, and I was looking hard at the Benchmade Claymore models. The owner of the store happened to be there, and we started chatting about the newer Benchmade models.
Immediately, he started trashing Benchmade’s use of “cheap plastic handles” and how they haven’t been able to put out anything decent in a while. This guy is a “premium plus” dealer, mind you.
He asked what I was going to use the knife for, and I told him general EDC, but also while working as a first responder. He immediately took the Mini Claymore I was holding and put it back in the case saying “this cheap plastic won’t last you a day on the job.”
I asked him why he was so against the Grivory and CF Elite handles Benchmade uses, since they are both very tough materials. He went on and on about how they won’t last, they crack, they bend, they crumble after hard use, yada yada.
I pointed out that fiber reinforced nylons are not typical plastic, and they will likely last longer than I’ll be alive (I’m hoping for at least another 50 years). I used the example of vinyl siding, which is just PVC, and how houses have been covered in vinyl for decades without it degrading, despite being in the sun constantly. I then explained how FRN is even more tough than PVC. He didn’t understand what I was saying, and continued to trash the plastic handles.
Not wanting to argue, I thanked him for his time and went on my way. Little did he know, that’s particular day I was carrying my paratrooper knife that was used in the Vietnam war, and was working just fine with its plastic scales despite being at least 50 years old, and has actually been through combat.
Moral of the story is that no matter how hard people in shops and online like to trash “plastic” handles on knives, there really is no evidence to back it up. If done properly, like any major knife maker would do, the “plastics” will put up with use and abuse until long after anyone reading this turns to dust; and it will likely still perform like new!
I really believe future archeologists will dig up an old fully functioning Benchmade Griptilian and wonder how we ever got by with these instead of laser knives in our pockets.
