Purchasing my first Swamp Rat knife with a Respirene-C handle, I was surprised to notice that it is a completely different material than the Respirene-C that I had on an old Scrapyard knife. The one on the Scrapyard looks and feels more like a rubber, while the one on the Swamp Rat is rather like hard plastics.
I was surprised considering the discrepancy between the statement from the SR knife descriprion on the Busse website: "...you can rest assured [...] that you are holding the most shock-resistant, and least vibration transference grip on the planet". Especially that it doesn't seem to me to be shock absorbing enough. It is not close to the likes of Kraton, Scrapyard Res-C, not to say about Santoprene - which is actually the most shock absorbing material from everything I've tested in terms of knife handles.
(1) First I am curious why the Busse Group uses two different materials under the same name (and why haven't they invented a different name for the second).
(2) Second, does anyone have any insights about the properies of the Respirene-C grade used by Swamp Rat? I am not concerned about the shock absorbance, as the thinness of the handle allows wrapping a Theraband gold rubber sheet over it to solve the issue. Having an external rubber band over the actual handle thickens the handle offering a better hand filling, offers true shock absorbance and better traction, while also allowing to change this rubber layer anytime when it gets weared out (while the actual handle is sturdy, stable, and time-proof - hopefully). This is something I do to some of my wooden and micarta handles as well while chopping and batonning. However, what really concerns me is the handle durability. Being like hard plastics, isn't this type of "Respirene-C" handle prone to chipping or cracking if my knife accidentally drops on a hard surface? How durable is it compared to the Scrapyard one? Should I expect a plastic deformation, elastic deformation, or a crach, if I drop it? How durable is it against aging in time? Does ultraviolet radiation age it quicker? (for example polypropylene ages quicker compared with ABS plastics when exposed to direct sunlight). How about solvents? How about the melting temperature? What exactly should I avoid to be sure that I won't destroy it by missadventure? I know it is covered by the warranty, but I always prefer to understand how to properly care my gear rather than get into warranty claims caused by missuse. Knowledge gives power and I want to gain some knowledge about this material and its properties. Because this is a proprietary material, I cannot find any information about its properties anywhere over the internet. Any input from anyone is highly appreciated.
Thank you!
I was surprised considering the discrepancy between the statement from the SR knife descriprion on the Busse website: "...you can rest assured [...] that you are holding the most shock-resistant, and least vibration transference grip on the planet". Especially that it doesn't seem to me to be shock absorbing enough. It is not close to the likes of Kraton, Scrapyard Res-C, not to say about Santoprene - which is actually the most shock absorbing material from everything I've tested in terms of knife handles.
(1) First I am curious why the Busse Group uses two different materials under the same name (and why haven't they invented a different name for the second).
(2) Second, does anyone have any insights about the properies of the Respirene-C grade used by Swamp Rat? I am not concerned about the shock absorbance, as the thinness of the handle allows wrapping a Theraband gold rubber sheet over it to solve the issue. Having an external rubber band over the actual handle thickens the handle offering a better hand filling, offers true shock absorbance and better traction, while also allowing to change this rubber layer anytime when it gets weared out (while the actual handle is sturdy, stable, and time-proof - hopefully). This is something I do to some of my wooden and micarta handles as well while chopping and batonning. However, what really concerns me is the handle durability. Being like hard plastics, isn't this type of "Respirene-C" handle prone to chipping or cracking if my knife accidentally drops on a hard surface? How durable is it compared to the Scrapyard one? Should I expect a plastic deformation, elastic deformation, or a crach, if I drop it? How durable is it against aging in time? Does ultraviolet radiation age it quicker? (for example polypropylene ages quicker compared with ABS plastics when exposed to direct sunlight). How about solvents? How about the melting temperature? What exactly should I avoid to be sure that I won't destroy it by missadventure? I know it is covered by the warranty, but I always prefer to understand how to properly care my gear rather than get into warranty claims caused by missuse. Knowledge gives power and I want to gain some knowledge about this material and its properties. Because this is a proprietary material, I cannot find any information about its properties anywhere over the internet. Any input from anyone is highly appreciated.
Thank you!