Cold Steel handle material

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KenHash

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Sep 11, 2014
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My Kraton handled CS fixed blades, wjich go back to 1989/90 have never had a problem.
But I have been told that at one time CS used a rubbery material that was different from Kraton on certain models, and that such handles someties disintegrated (became gooey) after a long time. Can anyone substantiate this report or have further information?
 
KenHash said:
My Kraton handled CS fixed blades, wjich go back to 1989/90 have never had a problem.
But I have been told that at one time CS used a rubbery material that was different from Kraton on certain models, and that such handles someties disintegrated (became gooey) after a long time. Can anyone substantiate this report or have further information?
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It was I that said that CS has used the softer, rubbery material. I actually came here to ask the same question you are - if Cold Steel's "Kraton", or "Kray-Ex", or whatever they're calling it now is the same as other manufacturers' hard plastic "Kraton".

I believe that Gryphon Knives and Falkniven have their fixed blades made at the same factory in Japan., both call their handle material "Kraton". The Gryphon knives I've owned (and enjoyed) had hard plastic handles that were extremely grippy and durable. My M10 has been on and in rivers and lakes since I got it, and regularly gets sweated on and submerged. The Kraton handle has proven to be extremely durable and stable and has not softened or changed in any way.

I had a Cold Steel Kobun years ago, it's handle was made from a rubbery, squishy material. I believe that it was also called "Kraton". I now see that CS calls its handles "Kray-Ex". Can someone please verify that the handles of CS fixed blades is hard and stable, and not the squishy rubbery material used previously? Maybe I got a bad knife, or one that sat in a hot room for a few years before I bought it, or something similar.
 
Matthew,
The Gryphons and Fallkniven fixed blades are not made at the same factory. Gryphons are made by G.Sakai whereas Fallknivens are made by Hattori. As I mentioned my carbon V SRK amd MH are my oldest CS fixed blades and the Kraton handles show no sign of deterioration. My later bought CS fixed blades with Kraton, 6 models all have the same Kraton handles.
But it's interesting that you mention your old Kobun. My oldest CS is a Shinobu Folder and the handle is made of a somewhat soft
rubber that I could only describe as identical to my rubber Hogue pistol grip on my S&W 357mag. That Hogue is also about 20 years old.
It is definitely not Kraton. I am begining to suspect that perhaps models that had this "soft rubbery" handle are the ones that had deterioration problems? I posted a photo of my Shinobu on the CS knife photos thread.
 
Whatever the soft rubber was on the old Master Tantos with brass hardware, it sure turned to goo after a couple of decades.
After using if, there would be black rubber all over the palm of my hand.
 
I am surprised that I can not find any photos of CS handles turned "gooey".
I found only one thread on a survivalist forum about the handle on a 1988 Carbon V TM going "gooey".
The user was genuinely peprlexed as to the cause. I have two old carbon V knives which that like that TM came
from Camillus and the Kraton handles are solid. So clearly it isn't a common occurence at all.
 
KenHash said:
I am surprised that I can not find any photos of CS handles turned "gooey".
I found only one thread on a survivalist forum about the handle on a 1988 Carbon V TM going "gooey".
The user was genuinely peprlexed as to the cause. I have two old carbon V knives which that like that TM came
from Camillus and the Kraton handles are solid. So clearly it isn't a common occurence at all.
Click to expand...

The scales on my dad's Shinobu turned gooey enough to get all into the action of the knife; at some point I will be taking them off and replacing it with G-10.
I had a Mini Tanto that had the same problem; I replced the handle with an epoxy soaked hemp wrap, and gave it to my brother.

However, my dad's Master Tanto has not had the same problem, so it obviously doesn't happen all the time.

But for three out of four products from the same time period, it certainly happened.
And the Kraton (or whatever it is) on an old Sog folder I gave my friend has turned gooey as well...it's also more than a couple decades old, probably about 26-30 years old at this point.

All I know is that I don't like rubbery grips anymore.
 
Amazing. I am simply flabergasted that with all the kraton knives (Cold Steel and SOG) that I have owned over the decades and still own, I have not encountered this handle deterioration problem even once. Clearly it does occur, albeit rarely, and I only wish it was documented and analyzed. But I guess it is because it's so rare that the manufacturers' do not seem to address it.
 
Hope you don't mind me stickin' my nose in here. After reading the initial post yesterday, I remembered having read posts previously about kraton handles and how they apparently react with DEET, in particular. I googled "kraton deet" and several discussions, on bfc as well as elsewhere, of kraton handles turning gooey. In some cases the users had been using the knives, others were knives that had sat unused but had still turned gooey.

Some of the threads google found here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/554376-DEET-and-kraton


http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/436912-kraton-disintegration-decay

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/383429-Kraton-Handles-Opinions

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/84357-Basic-9-and-DEET


There are more. The combination of "kraton" and "deet" seems to be the easiest way to turn up threads about gooey handles.
 
Thanks for the links. Obviously this was an unsolved mystery over 10 years ago and it still is now.
 
KenHash said:
But I guess it is because it's so rare that the manufacturers' do not seem to address it.
Click to expand...

Maybe they have addressed it, which is why it isn't reported so often.
Apparently there are different formulations of Kraton, and some are supposed to be resistant to DEET as well.
 
Cold steel's Kraton is mediocre period. it's not molded to the tang like Ontario's or fallkniven. That's why you see some reports that their kraton tends to get loose after use. Also, whatever formulation they use makes a softer kraton that causes it to turn gooey. Ontario's and fallkniven's are on the harder side thus makes it durable.
 
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Stabman and I must have gotten knives from the same time period.

I had a Shinobu and a ClipMate from late 80s-ish early 90s-ish. I loved the steel, both were San Mai III, as I recall.

The rubber got gooey alright. I don't know if it could have been something that the knife and my hands encountered while working on stuff? The ClipMate was my hunting knife, so I really didn't get much on it other than some blood and guts, with soap to follow.

The Shinobu was a tanto bladed workhorse... so it might have gotten DEET, or WD40 or what-have-ya on it. One of the Kraton slabs actually came off to reveal some glue, and I re-glued it back on.

Didn't order any more Kraton after that. It was very comfortable to use, just wish it would have held up.
 
Velitrius said:
Stabman and I must have gotten knives from the same time period.

I had a Shinobu and a ClipMate from late 80s-ish early 90s-ish. I loved the steel, both were San Mai III, as I recall.

The rubber got gooey alright. I don't know if it could have been something that the knife and my hands encountered while working on stuff? The ClipMate was my hunting knife, so I really didn't get much on it other than some blood and guts, with soap to follow.

The Shinobu was a tanto bladed workhorse... so it might have gotten DEET, or WD40 or what-have-ya on it. One of the Kraton slabs actually came off to reveal some glue, and I re-glued it back on.

Didn't order any more Kraton after that. It was very comfortable to use, just wish it would have held up.
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I wonder about if I got something on the Tantos as well...DEET could have at some point, and detergent most certainly.
My Dad's Shinobu won't have seen any DEET, but WD-40 is a possibility.
 
Funny, Stabman,

We're so used to not worrying about what gets on knives. If you ask me what substances my knives have encountered, I won't be able to tell you.

But that era of Kraton all of a sudden had us looking around and stating: "Holy Crap, what could I have gotten on this thing?"

A man should not have to look back on the day in puzzlement as to how his knife handle got so gooey-ed up.
 
Velitrius said:
Funny, Stabman,

We're so used to not worrying about what gets on knives. If you ask me what substances my knives have encountered, I won't be able to tell you.

But that era of Kraton all of a sudden had us looking around and stating: "Holy Crap, what could I have gotten on this thing?"

A man should not have to look back on the day in puzzlement as to how his knife handle got so gooey-ed up.
Click to expand...

Yep, which is why my Tanto now looks like this:

21_zpsbv8s1m19.jpg


That stabilized wood should be just fine with soap, DEET or other things. :thumbup:
 
I think it's not only the problem that the Kraton handles might become gooey after years but I also heard of CS Kraton handles coming loose (so the tang starts to rattle inside the handle) just from using the knife...though I don't know how hard these knives have been used. I think there is one YT -Outdoor gear reviewer who had the handles on his SRK and his Gurkha Kukri coming loose. My only Kraton handle knife is a SRK and the handle is still fine
 
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I have never encountered a loose kraton handle. However I have heard about looseness occuring.
I do not think that's the same issue as the handle "turning to goo" because I believe the kraton handles
are expoxied to the tang and looseness is simply adhesive failure. If I recall correctly someone sent their
knife in to CS and they replaced the handle. That was that.
 
KenHash said:
I have never encountered a loose kraton handle. However I have heard about looseness occuring.
I do not think that's the same issue as the handle "turning to goo" because I believe the kraton handles
are expoxied to the tang and looseness is simply adhesive failure. If I recall correctly someone sent their
knife in to CS and they replaced the handle. That was that.
Click to expand...

Yep, even my Master Tanto had some kind of glue on the tang, in addition to the screw-on pommel nut.
 
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