Exotic Traditional Non-Traditional Handle Colors?

[afishhunter]

Many, many moons ago, when I was young, every day working knife handles were black, yellow, brown (wood) red, and occasionally, white bone, or steel. Some folks had Ivory, MOP, Abalone, and such, on their "Sunday Go To 'Meetin" knives, if they had a knife used only for when they got all gussied up. (this would exclude the lawyers, judges, engineers/designers, doctors, chemists and (mad?) scientists, of course, since they wore suits every day)

When did the blues, greens, and all the other colors of the rainbow start to become popular for the everyday working knives?

I have a imitation Abalone handled Barlow, I stopped using it for EDC because it is "too fancy" and "too nice" to carry every day. (Even if it is only a Rough Rider.) Am I wrong to want the traditional colors for EDC and the more exotic colors for the knife I take to church?

 

[Old Engineer]

That is about the way I think too. I have some handle material that I like too much to risk damaging during any work that I do . I have enough of good knives that I consider as my ugly handled bone to use in the dirt.


Harry

 

[black mamba]

Pearl, being a somewhat rare natural material, is suitable for a Sunday knife, as is ivory and abalone. But synthetics like celluloid have been around for a very long time in some very fancy and colorful schemes, and they, like the more modern acrylics, are completely suitable for working knives. They're not rare or hard to come by, and they wear quite well.

 

[nugun55]

I like micarta for work knives. With micarta, any color works.

 

[AreBeeBee]

Well, every knife's a user knife for me, so I take what I get when I buy it. Or to say that a clearer way, I buy only what I'm willing to carry anywhere.

Then again, I'm a walnut-and-blued-steel guy versus a black-plastic-and-black-steel guy.

 

[SAK Guy]

What was your question again? Oh yeah, color is good, esp when you're an old geezer like me and you drop it in the grass.