Favorite Cover Materials for Traditional Pocket Knives ?

[Pointshoot777]

Hi everyone - - - this has undoubtedly been addressed somewhere, but I'm curious about what people choose in cover materials for their pocket knives and why. Do you stick with a lot of one type, or go for variety ? I have quite a few traditionals with jigged bone covers in brown and amber shades. I've got a few in stag. I prefer natural rather than synthetic for my traditionals. But today I ordered a knife in smooth red bone. Wanted something different than my usual brown jigged bone.
What do you guys prefer in covers ?

 

[Bob W]

I like 'em all. Bone is perhaps my favorite, although I have more Delrin than anything.

 

[ThievesLikeUs]

My favorites are bone(especially sawcut) and acrylics.

Case's old appaloosa red bone is also a personal fav.

 

[Pointshoot777]

I guess I used to stay away from smooth bone in colors other than brown, because I thought it'd look too 'plastic-y'. But some companies really do a nice job with their bone covers and it doesn't look like plastic at all.

On the other hand, I like Case knives in CV with yellow covers. They have a nice traditional look.

 

[arizcowboy]

I like stag, bone and mammoth ivory.

 

[slide13]

Stag or really nicely jigged bone.

 

[Pointshoot777]

Do you guys stick with one color (like me and brown jigged bone before) . . . or do you buy a variety of colors ?

 

[Phil in Alabama]

I prefer stag and jigged bone, in earthy tones, no neon bright loud colors. I've seen a few knives with micarta or delrin that I liked, but overall stag and bone look more correct for traditional knives.

 

[singin50]

Whatever catches my eye really.

 

[Primble]

1. Bone of many varieties.

2. Wood

 

[Will Power]

I like all except MOP not fond of it at all, most will disagree but I've never taken to it.

 

[Bob W]

Do you guys stick with one color (like me and brown jigged bone before) . . . or do you buy a variety of colors ?

The more variety, the better. :thumbup: Jigged bone, smooth bone, red, black, orange, brown... Cocobolo, ebony, rosewood, bloodwood, oak, walnut... Mother of pearl... Culluloid and acrylic- cracked ice, pearl, solid colors, swirls, speckles, French ivory... Stag... Delrin - brown, black, blue, green...

 

[Cory Hess]

Bone is my favorite. I like smooth bone, though jigged can be nice if done right. Most jigged bone feels cheap and plastic-y to me, but when I get a good one it's better than a smooth bone. Similarly I like some sawcut whereas other versions again feel cheap to me. I like wood as well, especially real oily woods that don't have to be stabilized. Stabilized wood can get back to that plastic-y feel that I try to avoid, though again if it's done right it can be real nice.

 

[dave308ek]

For me it has been a real progression (but I do tend to like them all) from Ebony and African blackwood to Stag when I received my Bladeforums knife to bone recently (who wouldn't love Primble's red bone knives) but I agree with Cory it has to look and feel natural, no plastic'y stuff. Funny thing is, my wife feels the same as me and didn't like stag until she felt and saw up close the Bladeforums knife and love at first sight with Ebony etc. (at least that is what she tells me haha).

 

[Will Power]

One thing about Stag is that it grew with the original owner, took on completely individual characteristics which gives it its unique appeal and appearance on the knife. Another bonus is that the animal may well have shed the antlers and lived to grow another set! Not so with other natural materials...

 

[kamagong]

This one's easy. Other stuff, like bone and ivory, is nice. But give me a good piece of stag.



- Christian

 

[Brisket]

I prefer natural materials like stag, mammoth ivory & bone followed by wood.

 

[TLARbb]

I like most materials, but probably buy bone more often than other materials. Stag is really beautiful sometimes, but it can be odd in hand depending on the particular pieces used. The knife I've been carrying most often lately is the GEC 48 improved trapper in smooth ivory bone.

Ed J

 

[Will Power]

Ed I know what you mean about that Smooth Ivory Bone, it looks good and feels right in the hand.

Thanks, Will.

 

[black mamba]

I have, use and enjoy most all of them, but my faves are popcorn stag, bark ram's horn, and gnarly primitive bone.
Here are my best examples of each, plus mammoth, jigged bone, wood, acrylic, celluloid and mother of pearl.

Red Stag

Ram's Horn

Primitive Bone

North Sea Mammoth Ivory

Brown Jigged Bone

Mexican Bocote Wood

Twilight Acrylic

Butter & Molasses Celluloid

Mother of Pearl