Handle Design - Cutting Competition Vs Camp chores?

[C_Claycomb]

A lot of cutting competition knives have high traction handles, some made of rubber, some with stippling or other surface texture, or shaped with finger grooves. There seems to be a lot of effort spent on keeping the cutter's hand from slipping. In contrast, what I have read about using a knife in the field, and my own experiences of using parangs and the like, points towards a smooth handle that allows for a the grip to shift as the cut is made.

I have looked around here for threads on cutting comp knives and quite a few makers don't seem to differentiate all that much between the two areas of use, but some do. So far though I have found very few threads that discuss handle design.

I have also been experimenting a bit by using epoxy putty to over-mould a handle that conforms very closely to my hand shape. Using it out in the woods as a camp knife just felt plain weird though. I can imagine it causing hand fatigue because it forced me to grip and drive the knife, rather than swing it and use its own momentum, as I would with a smoother handle.

What are your views? How do you feel that competition differs from general chores? Is it enough of a difference to call for different critera on your handle design? If you go for high traction competition handles, how have they worked for you outside competition for camp chores or extended chopping?

I take a lot of care over the shaping of the handles on my smaller knives and really try to get the ergonomics right. Chopping knives are something new for me and while I know that competition is pretty fierce, I am hoping that some folks can share their experiences without giving away too much of their edge

 

[Bill Siegle]

I have made 1 knife with the rubber(horse stall matting) handles and it feels great! Looks like crap but works great. It is pretty solid feeling and not squishy so it allows for the hand to move as needed to me. Also no shock comes though the material to the user's hand. I also do a lot of smooth G10 handles with no real ill affects during cutting. I believe handle shape has more to do with fatigue or lack of than the handle materials do.

 

[SR_matt]

hmmm just a thought. not sure how any people play guitar here but if anyone uses the dunlop picks made form tortex then you know how it gains a grip some what to it with use from your skin oils going into it. i think that would be a great thing to give a try as a material (not sure if you can buy tortex though ) but it is smooth enough that you can readjust but it have a grip to it that your hand should not slip to much.

-matt

 

[Kevin R. Cashen]

I think you are correct. My competition knives had handles designed to maximize cut and stay in my hand while I moved it in ways I never would in real life use. My users are designed with comfort during all day use in mind. One can still maximize the cut but you don't need to worry about it leaving your hand as much when it is just you and a few saplings than need to be cleared. A formula one race car is great on the track at Indianapolis but I sure as heck wouldn't want to have to drive one 500 miles on the average highway

 

[Sam Salvati]

So it's like putting a recliner chair on an F1, sounds good. I always have a problem of how to make a handle feel more comfortable? It's like, is there anything to base what to do next to your handle to make it feel better, or is it all trial and error?

 

[Kevin R. Cashen]

Sam, I like to keep hardwood barn beams around just for testing handles. I would work up a prototype and then spend a half an hour trying to chop though one, taking careful note how my hand felt in the process. I also still feel that few things can beat spending an afternoon clearing a fence row with a knife. I have found that it is really easy to over complicate handle designs, normally what looks interesting feels terrible in extended use. I don't like a lot of bulges or protrusions wearing on me. Finger grooves never appealed to me because they tend to commit your hand to one position in all applications. I personally have evolved my designs to oval cross sections with a nice taper that widens toward the back to keep the knife comfortably in the hand. If it were up to me customers would be allowed to flog makers that give them blisters with broomstick handles or square cross sections on serious using knives. I insist on my handles being in line with or below the spine at all points and prefer the pommel to rest lower than the front of the handle.

 

[the possum]

I've debated with myself on this topic before, and still don't have the "right" answer. Or maybe I'm both right. I have a bunch of different things that pop up at me, and sometimes they conflict with each other. For instance, one of my particular uses requires a fast draw from the scabbard. This means the handle must be smooth enough for my hand to slide right on it, and shift/adjust positions as I'm drawing if necessary. But it still needs to be secure in use. I haven't come to a final conclusion here, because I can go months of use without issue, and then all of a sudden it slips a little and I damn near kill myself. Seriously. I may also be flipping the blade main edge up, to use the sharpened false edge, which throws a wrench into everything, design-wise. And of course I see differences between uses where you're doing a lot of fast and furious blade work for a short period, vs. a job that you can do at a steady pace all day.

 

[steelshaper]

I feel the way you grip something and how you use it may play a bigger role in fatigue than handle shape. to explain; I can swing a hammer for hours with no fatigue or blisters but give me a shovel and I will get blisters in a few minutes. The handles on the shovel and hammer are both round so thats not the problem. Its that my hand is used to some motions and not others. I think that if you try to mold a handle to fit your hand to well you will be stuck with a handle that only seams like it should work. Personally I feel a mildly porous fairly large oval handle is the best bet. Some swell at the butt helps keep the knife in your hand but not to much or it will get in the way.
good luck.