Best Plastic-handled small folder?

While I don't own a single "plastic" handled knife
I do have a weakness for knives that have Micarta
handles,i.e. Al Mar eagle, Spyderco Calypso's.
 
Slipjoints make great little folders, the Schrade Uncle Henry 807UH that I sometimes carry in my coin purse is only 2 13/16 inches long closed and has three blades.
 
I picked up a Gerber mini-covert at Walmart. I really like the ergonomics, lowride carry in the pocket and fast flick opening. I wish they would've had it in the plain edge instead of the combo edge, but it's still a fun little knife, and helps calm the cravings between knife shows.
 
Spyderco Calypso Jr. in Vg-10. Just bought a Dozier Ka-Bar on eBay. Hope it is a keeper.
 
Drop point Ka-Bar Dozier. The best $20 knife I ever bought and one that I am not afraid to trash.
 
Of the knives in this category that I've handled I'm inclined to favor the Benchmade Griptilian series, especially the Mini versions.

Zytel over sheet metal is one of the most useful and reliable material choices in the world.
 
Well, I've thinned out my knives lately and have been favoring G10, SS, and aluminum. These were some small plastic-handled keepers though:

Spyderco: Rescue Jr, Ladybug II.
Case: Copperlock Wharncliffe, Peanut.
SAK: Tinker, Minichamp, Rambler.

I don't know if the Case and SAK meet your definition exactly, since they have plastic scales over metal liners.
 
At the moment my Spyderco Native S30V PE is my favorite FRN handled knife. My Spyderco C38 Jess Horn CE is a close second, but if I ever get my hands on a PE one, that will be #1.
 
Quote -

For example, my favorites in order are:
SOG Autoclips: great adjustable pocket clip, great steel and heat-treat.

Spyderco Endura, Delica, etc.: great designs and quality, period.

Cold Steel Voyager series: strong handles, good steel, ALL different sizes.

Many, many manufacturerers offer one or two of these types. What are your favorites and why?

These are all GREAT knives to buy when you're BORED and have a few extra bucks and have the itch to get something new in the mail!

-Unquote

I do NOT have any of the knives mentioned above and have an extreme dislike for plastic handled knives. I have a total of one knife with plastic scales (a fixed blade).

Most of my knives have aluminum, stainless steel or, best of all titanium frames or scales, just my idiosyncracy. :)


What's that you say? You love titanium! Look at this -

http://www.scottcookknives.com/lochsa.htm

Have fun!



Steve-O
 
While I prefer a SS lined G-10 or an all SS knife, there's certainly a place for the unlined plastic-handled folder.

They're very light-weight, they can afford a good grip and a comfortable shaped handle, and they're very affordable--even when coupled with a high end blade-steel.

They make great emergency/back-up knives in the car, truck, boat, tool box, tackle box, and garage.

My two favorites:
Spyderco Delica
Spyderco Rescue

I recently handled a Kabar-Dozier Hunter and it felt really great in my hands.
I might buy it just to compare it to my Endura and Delica.

Good luck,
Allen.
 
My favorite Plastic handled knives are Spyderco's. Am loving the Natives(have three and am saving for an S30V version) and the outstanding Calypso Jr. in VG-10. The SOG Autoclips are good too as are those great, but long discontinued, Benchmade Panthers.


All the best,
mike U.
 
Plastic-handled and economical?

First vote: Benchmade Mini-Griptilian
Second vote: Spyderco Delica
Third vote: Spyderco Dragonfly

---Jeffrey
 
Sorry, but I have to agree with Steve-O. At one time I would get such knives to scratch the itch, as you say, but when I stopped and thought about it, 3 $40 purchases of knives that I'm ambivalent about at best adds up to $120, which I could use to get one knife that I would really really like. So now I avoid plastic handles at all costs, even the Griptilian. I love the design and the Axis lock, but I HATE plastic handles and it would degrade my enjoyment of the knife too much. I'd rather pass on all of the cheapies and start buying fewer knives that I will enjoy more. I'm not rich enough to drop even small $ amounts on stuff I don't really like.
 
Good points about getting what you really want. Sometimes a plastic handled knife is what I really want, they have many advantages, and being inexpensive is only one of them.
 
I have to say that I really like plastic or FRN handled knives. Even though my EDC tends to be titanium or carbon fiber customs, I think that FRN provides very tough, lightweight knives that age very well. The problem with many higher end knives is that they look so good that one basically has to baby them. In other words, they have to be kept in a pocket with nothing else or kept in a watch pocket or kept in a slip case. Best of all, FRN knives are easily replaced because if a knife is carried and used as a tool, sooner or later it will be lost or misplaced. Just this summer, I lost a Dragonfly in Nigeria. I was pissed, but it only cost $34 to replace it. Imagine if I had lost a WM Henry Kestrel or Umfaan. I would have been sick and I would have had to rearrange the budget to replace it.

I'm not knocking guys who don't like FRN knives, it's you money and you deserve to be happy with your purchases. I just happen to think that FRN knives are neat.

One final thought, how many of us would be knifenuts if we weren't first introduced to modern folders via an FRN knife like a Delica?
If the first purchase we had to make was $100 instead of $40, most of us probably wouldn't have taken that first step.
 
Good point anthony. My first good folder actually was a Delica. It's not that FRN handled knives are bad, per se, but my tastes have changed dramatically. For a user I prefer G-10 or metal handles, because they are much more durable than FRN in my experience. FRN deforms too easily. But, as you say, they do have their place.
 
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