Favorite Traditional Knife Handle Material?

Sambar stag and ram horn tied for first and then bone and wood all the woods others mentioned plus beech, and it's just what is prettiest to my eyes!
 
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Overall I like bone, but it depends on the color and pattern. Stag is great when it's good, but too often is just average; plus I don't think it wears as well. I really like Ivory, but it's a bit fragile. Still, when it's done right, nothing compares. I don't dislike wood, but it's never my first choice. Plastics and celluloid are rare in my collection. I think they have a greater than average tendency to warp and they tend to loose that clean, clear, look that makes them so appealing when new.
 
I love stag, especially "popcorn" stag, but on traditional folders I have to say that jigged bone is just about the best!
 
supratentorial said:
Roger's Indian Trail (middle)
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Come on Jake ...The whole picture now...the suspense is killing me!!
 
Most slipjoints look good with stag or jigged bone covers.

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For dressy, gentleman's knives ivory is a solid choice.

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Hard to beat wood on fixed blades.

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I have to admit that I don't really have a favorite handle material, at least when it comes to traditional knives.

- Christian
 
Thank you. My pistols all wear cocobolo.

I've seen koa guitars, and longed for one. Alas, I'll have to be content with my all rosewood and my mahogany/sitka spruce acoustics.
 
Doug,

Don't hang your head about cocobolo! For a while I had a set of 500$ bark mammoth Ivory grips from the permafrost. Very amazing grips, but after a while I felt like it was the equivalent of putting chrome 24 inch spinners on an old military jeep. I refinished the original full combat hand checkered cocobolo grips and I have felt much better about things ever since :)

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I got over how exotic or expensive things may be a while ago, and just decided on what I like best.

Kevin
 
Great analogy Kevin! Not hanging my head at all. I really like the cocobolo on my two revolvers, though the grip on one is darkened and worn from use. And, to get this back on topic, I will say that I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I also really like this Schrade propwood.

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Very nice Doug! Yours turned darker from use and mine turned nearly white. I don't know what solvent did it to them over time. It took lots of work to get the color back on mine. Back on topic, that schrade looks great, but what is propwood?
 
As a Sardinian knifenut, I should say ram's horn...but that's not really true.
As I said before, and to quote Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder:

"Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony..." :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
kamagong said:
Cocobolo is classic.

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- Christian
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Very nice again! I hope you didn't take my comments towards your collection of tiger striped woods. Stunning beauty to every piece in the photo you posted.

I just forgot to mention that, I believe I had in another thread.

Kevin
 
Wood. I like dark coloured hardwoods. If they have dramatic grain then that's good. I'm only superstitious about one thing, and so i like to have wood in my pocket. "Touch wood" :)
 
See when I read that back to myself just there, I realise I have exposed myself to a whole world of wood in pocket jokes; who will cast the first stone!
 
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