cord wrapped handles--yea or nay?

I think there are a couple of ways of looking at wrapped handles...

I think if you are collecting $100 - $300 dollar knives designed to "work" as good as they "look", then yes you're getting shorted.

The art or purpose wrapping a piece steel, wood, aluminum siding, broken file, etc... is not for looks, it's for grip - to protect your hand from a nasty cut when you don't need it. If you are a survivalist or have had sere training (too boring for discovery channel) you know that you can take your real life paracord from your dash one bravo parachute and wrap whatever kind of metal or 'broken knife' you can scrounge up. You can unwrap it to and tie it to a stick for a spear or use the cord to fish, or just tie stuff together... and then re-wrap your shank.
 
Humbly I say, I think you are missing the point of cord-wrapped grips.

The paracord has a primary function of being available if you needed cord in an emergency. Aside from it's singular assembly's ability to hold 550 pounds of weight, the cord has [at least] 5 separate strands (normally 7) of cord inside it's nylon casing that can be used for things like makeshift stitches, fishing line, snare line, lashing together beams of an emergency shelter or lien-to, the cord in whole - a tourniquet, emergency ascension rope - and things of this nature.

...and it can serve as a grip for a handle.

Now I would definitely agree that cheap blades are less likely to be used in an emergency...but if that's all you have, then it's all you have. I'd also agree that putting a cord grip on a blade is a cheap method of thickening the grip but if the cord appears on a mid-to-high quality blade, then it's likely for the reason I state above.

Sometimes things are there for reasons other than cost effectiveness or aesthetics. Paracord is one of those things that definitely has a "+" use-factor.

I am a 'minimalist' hunter and only take my Gun, knife, ammo, a magnesium fire starter and one meal into the woods with me except that I have put 10' of paracord on every hunting and camping knife I own by either wrapping the handles or making "fobs" for the lanyard holes (or attached it to their sheaths). One year while deer hunting with my father, uncle and cousin, we were completely whited-out in a matter of an hour. I am the youngest and my uncle is the oldest (79 at that time). Where we hunt, it is a 1 hour fast-paced walk from the cabin to the grounds but when you can't see 2' in front of you, your safest bet is to hunker down and wait it out. The snow and freezing rain was blowing sideways across the mountain and we couldn't even communicate with our radios. I built a fire and threw some pine greens on it for smoke...which they smelled and made it to my location. In the process, I used the cord I put on my KABAR to make a lien-to that we were in for 2 days and a night.

Given the correct scenario, paracord could literally save your life so I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it. If you don't like it on the knife handle or tang, I'd say "fine" but when you exchange it for something else, at least consider the possibilities of your activities and it's usefulness to you. Keep it handy if you are the "outdoorsy" type.
 
once the cord is cut, u'll lose the handle!!

as happened to me while throwing, one of the knives hit hte cord handle of another, cut it, and now it is handle-less
 
"Nay" for me. Main reason -- once the wood, or micarta, or... mostly any other handle material gets dirty -- you can wipe it clean (more or less) easily. But to clean the cord, you need take it off, wash it, dry it, wrap it back -- too much hassle to do regularly with a user knife. Your mileage may vary, of course.
 
When I first started making file knives (except for kitchen knives) paracord was my go-to for handles. My last 'file' knife was a dagger, I wrapped the handle (full tang) in leather then wrapped, in a spiral fashion, red paracord around the leather, then wrapped that japanese style in black paracord. I finished it off in a few coats of epoxy resin.

This worked great because the handle is plenty thick, has a little 'give', is waterproof, and looks very nice with the red cord peeking out between the black cord outer wrap.

The knife itself is blued to an almost black coating and was made for my Dad. :)

I have finally successfully started making some very very nice micarta I can be proud of I have also purchased a number of 'pro' pieces from Jantz as well as a bunch of annealed metal and whatnot so I think this will be replacing the cord wraps for the time being.

Ill probably put cord fobs on the knives I make in the future though, just because. ;)
 
Personally I cannot stand cord wraps , appearance or feel , I do not like the look or feel of the epoxied cord either.

My 2 scents.
 
druid189 said:
Humbly I say, I think you are missing the point of cord-wrapped grips.

The paracord has a primary function of being available if you needed cord in an emergency. Aside from it's singular assembly's ability to hold 550 pounds of weight, the cord has [at least] 5 separate strands (normally 7) of cord inside it's nylon casing that can be used for things like makeshift stitches, fishing line, snare line, lashing together beams of an emergency shelter or lien-to, the cord in whole - a tourniquet, emergency ascension rope - and things of this nature.

Given the correct scenario, paracord could literally save your life so I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it. If you don't like it on the knife handle or tang, I'd say "fine" but when you exchange it for something else, at least consider the possibilities of your activities and it's usefulness to you. Keep it handy if you are the "outdoorsy" type.
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Para cord is useful but so is a knife with a good grip, I would hate to have to decide if the knife or shelter was more important. That is why even on just a day hike you will find 30' of para cord in my bag. It is lightweight and takes up little room in the pack.
 
On a $20 I do not mind it but on a high dollar or even mid priced knife it is a rip off and is done for looks and to save the manufacturer money.
 
BRASMAN said:
On a $20 I do not mind it but on a high dollar or even mid priced knife it is a rip off and is done for looks and to save the manufacturer money.
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Many manufacturers of mid-high end knives use cord but *also* have Micarta and othe material handles that can be fitted as an option.

I just thought Id point this out because I didnt always know that and they dont always point it out. :)
 
You can get several Striders with G-10 as well as cord wrapped. I like most of their double wrapped handles.

Les Baer UM and Strider WP tanto
 
Absintheur said:
My hands are not extremely large but I still find most cord wrapped handles too skinny for them. I recently bought a set of EK knives both of which have cord wrapped handles. On the little boot I don't mind so much but on the large clip I have already discovered doing much cutting at all gives my hand a cramp. The cord on it will be replaced with a copy of the EK micarta scales available on their other knives.

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I knew I like you...1st you a revolver guy 2nd you have Eks. :D
 
the new cord wrapped CRKT triumph looks cool, i just ordered one. it comes with a sheath and a merch harness, all for $31.

CR-2030CW.jpg
 
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