Durable Scales

Will Power

Will Power

Gold Member
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Jan 18, 2007
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What do you regard as the most durable material for scales?

The toughest in terms of non cracking etc?

I recently got a knife with Apple Coral scales, yes it looks nice but I fear it is VERY FRAGILE.Or am I wrong?
 
Most likely Delrin may be the most durable.

The only thing I have to go by is my experiance with the couple of pocket knives I've used extremly hard in some rough places, like my old Buck 301 stockman, and Andy Wardens old Buck cadet that I now have used for just under 20 years. He used it for some years before me, and was not gentle with the knife. If thats delrin that Buck uses for the 300 model line of traditional pocket knives, then its some real tough stuff.

In a natural handle material, I'd be torn between real India Sambar stag and one of the tropical hardwoods like ligna vita or Brazilian rosewood.
 
I almost purchased the apple coral Spyderco Kopa but went with black micarta because of durability concerns.

G-10 is woven glass fiber and epoxy resin which is a very stong combination. My fishing boat is made of woven fiberglass and polyester resin. Epoxy resin is stronger and bonds better than polyester resin. My boat carries me out on the ocean at up to 50 MPH. I pound through rough waves, bounce off docks, jump my 260 lb fat ass from the dock down to it's deck, etc. After years of all that torture the boat still looks great and has zero structural failure. I'm pretty sure my boat gets a harder workout than any knife will ever see. My vote goes to G-10 which is nothing more than a "tactical" sounding name for fiberglass. Micarta and Delrin are probably just as durable as a knife handle.
 
I've got an AG Russell/ Boker barlow with Micarta scales. I can't imagine breaking the scales on that thing.

Frank
 
Delrin for me. I look for durability as well before aesthetics in things like knives, and the Delrin looks downright indestructible when used as scales. Some delrin, like the jigged ones, are really nice to look at as well.
 
LOL. Good Idea. Hey, by the way, my hand is healing up, and I actually wrestled my first gator since the bite last wednesday, and have been back on shows for a week. I'll have to post pictures of my healed hand soon.
 
I think there are several, but I think micarta is right up at the top of the list. Doesn't shrink or expand and the linen versions are nice and grippy.
 
Just curious ... has anyone ever seen a vintage Old Timer with a chipped or broken handle? Same for the black-handled Buck slippies?

I suspect that the cockroaches who survive the coming nuclear war will all be carrying delrin handled pocketknives that came through the blast just fine.
 
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