Favorite material for scales? And why?

[Horsewright]

Very nice set of knives I like that some are stabilized too then you get the best of both worlds

Thanks! Yeah I use a lot of Buckeye Burl and also Box Elder thats been stabilized. I think of it as the finish in the wood not the finish on the wood:

Walnut I do finish:

Woods like rosewood, ironwood, bocote etc I just polish:

 

[rhino]

Micarta, mostly for the grip it provides, especially when wet.

 

[Dav1]

As a carpenter my favourite material is wood. I'd choose a little used wood now due to cost in a heartbeat - Boxwood - which is very strong and tough, I've 100+ year old boxwood handled chisels which have taken a beating with a mallet and are still perfect.

It's expensive now and rarely used as it's difficult to work with but perfect for lathe work.

 

[pvicenzi]

Tossup. Mastadon ivory, India stag.

 

[K.O.D.]

The is extremely subjective, as the finish/texture can make a huge difference.

I don't really have a favorite, but I generally dislike G-10 and FRN/Grivory, etc. There are always exceptions.

Generally, if the knife has good ergonomics, I prefer smoother texture. This is why the ironwood scales work so well on my Manix 2. The knife is extremely ergonomic, with lots of jimping, and so a smooth wood scale works perfect. However, these would not work so well on something like an OTF.

My mother absconded with my Yojimbo 2, but it had some inexpensive canvas micarta scales with GITD Punisher skull (bought them on the 'zon) and they were too rough in my opinion. However, the burlap micarta is great on the PM2.

Same thing with carbon fiber.

I generally don't like rough/abrasive texture, but nor do I like too smooth.

My favorites would be wood, micarta, and carbon fiber. Don't care too mujch for titanium to be honest. Aluminium is ok in automatics, but otherwise, no thanks.

 

[ricklikesknives]

Scale finish plays a huge role for me, but generally, based on my own aesthetic preferences..

Micarta
G-10
Titanium
FRN & the like
Aluminum
Wood
.
.
.
.
Carbon Fiber

 

[Locutus D'Borg]

Same as everyone else but I also like woolly mammoth.

 

[Landshark99]

In folding knives It is titanium, micarta and carbon fiber
on fixed blades micarta and hard wood
on japanese kichen knives hard wood handles

 

[Boattale]

For fixed blade, micarta, green being my favorite. For traditional folder, bone. For modern folders titanium or FRN.

 

[K.O.D.]

Human tooth enamel.

 

[coolbreezy37]

Form: walnut and ironwood. Function: canvas micarta.

 

[awjones]

Micarta, titanium, wood…least favorite is g10

 

[gooeytek]

unicorn horn

 

[tinfoil hat timmy]

I like the Busse Combat reseprine c handles. they make knife use in cold weather ungloved less problematic.

Also the Trevara blades with rubber handles over the tang for the same reason.

Aside from that I'd say the feel of terotuf and micarta gets the juices flowing

 

[000Robert]

Wow those are awesome

Thanks! It is the same knife, just different scales. I have a bunch of scales for her.

 

[000Robert]

As a carpenter my favourite material is wood. I'd choose a little used wood now due to cost in a heartbeat - Boxwood - which is very strong and tough, I've 100+ year old boxwood handled chisels which have taken a beating with a mallet and are still perfect.

It's expensive now and rarely used as it's difficult to work with but perfect for lathe work.

Let's see some!

 

[Shorttime]

Micarta

Or G-10, mostly

Some wooden covers make their way into the collection, some times.

Edit: Oh right. Why?

I was too busy scrolling through photos.

Um, looks and practicality, I guess. Blade shape, blade size, lock type, have more to do with my choices. There are some cover materials that I stay away from, too. There's kind of this hierarchy of comparison that goes on in my head, so price, size, lock type, blade shape, cover material, steel choice (in some cases), all have different values, depending on the knife.

 

[Billy The Hungry]

Textured and contoured G10. Followed very closely by Spyderco's FRN.

I don't have a super strong preference any more. I care more about grip texture. For instance, I despise my Rat's scales. Not because they are plastic, but because they are slicker than owl

 

[Corton93]

For folders I'll take carbon fiber, titanium, or micarta,.. usually in that order.

For fixed blades I'll usually just take micarta every time.

I could take or leave wood and bone, and G10 could dissappear forever and it would not hurt my feelings..

 

[irsh]

Cosmetically, nothing beats wood. Real world usage I prefer G10 for its low cost, durability and structural integrity.