Handle material

I

indyhammer

Joined
Apr 7, 2015
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So just two days after buying my first traditional (Case Sodbuster Jr.) I am headed out to pick up a stockman. I was just wondering if anyone had any insight on what handle material works best for a work/camp knife?

And if you can convince me of a different setup than the stockman I am all ears [emoji3]

...to be fair I will most likely end up buying multiple traditionals anyway....
 
An alox Swiss army knife is hard to beat. A Farmer would be my choice.
img1049490611.jpg
 
Both bone and wood are good if you are careful with it. Synthetic is going to be more durable but I assume the sodbuster already had that covered so go with something you like the look and feel of.
 
Stag is a wonderful material for a stockman, is very tough and durable, and looks great as well. Here is a nice German Bulldog in stag.

BulldogQuarterHorseOpen_zps9cu9ruyz.jpg~original
 
My late husband and my MT husband had/have wood, bone and various types of stag on most of their knives. They had a few made in other materials too.

Some older ones had some type of famous name, old, plastic which name escapes me now! Sorry. Delrin?

Some of my MT husband's knives are fixed blades and they have elk horn on them. Ruana brand out of Bonner, Montana.

I like what Buck puts on their standard, factory knives. FB or folding knives - nice handles! I like wooden handles, Sambar stag, elk and some types of 'plastic' like what is on the only Cold Steel knife that I own - another Canadian belt knife too.

Cate
 
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The Buck 371 (China made, if that matters) Stockman has black and blue G10 covers.
The Buck 301 (USA made, if that matters) has black Derlin, or wood, depending on if you pop for the "Chairman" version.
I have both the 301 with Derlin covers, and the 371 with G10 covers.

The 371 might be available with their laminated walnut durawood as well, I'm not sure.
Both the 301 and 371 are great knives for the price. Buck has the brst heat treat of anyone on the 420HC stainless.
Both the Derlin and G10 are pretty much impervious to common chemicals and oils/greases found in the workplace.
 
afishhunter said:
The Buck 371 (China made, if that matters) Stockman has black and blue G10 covers.
The Buck 301 (USA made, if that matters) has black Derlin, or wood, depending on if you pop for the "Chairman" version.
I have both the 301 with Derlin covers, and the 371 with G10 covers.

The 371 might be available with their laminated walnut durawood as well, I'm not sure.
Both the 301 and 371 are great knives for the price. Buck has the best heat treat of anyone on the 420HC stainless.
Both the Derlin and G10 are pretty much impervious to common chemicals and oils/greases found in the workplace.
Click to expand...

I know the thread is about handle material, but the bolded text is important, too. The Buck 301 is a fine knife.
 
Indy, glad to have you here! For a working knife a heavy duty Stockman is a terrific choice - very hard to beat a traditional Buck 301 with the black Valox handles. For sheer beauty it is hard to beat jigged bone (of course we all have our personal preferences) - Case makes a nice variety of bone handled Stockman - here is one of my EDC Stockman, a Case 6347. Oh the fun of looking! OH

2012-10-24_14-29-01_281.jpg


Case_6347_SS_8_.JPG
 
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Well, there's what "works best" and then there's "what you like best" which isn't always the same thing.

Good news is there aren't any really bad choices. You'll do fine with any of the suggestions. Delrin, G10, Bone, Wood, Stag, Micarta, Acrylic. Just whatever you like the most.

If you like multiple blades, then a stockman is a fine choice. I happen to like jigged bone as a handle material over all others, but that's more for appearance and feel than anything else. For my uses, I'd never wear out a set of bone handles anyway, though I suppose they are subject to breaking if dropped the wrong way.

You can't just decide on the handle material in a vacuum, because you are dependent on what each maker offers in the patterns you are looking at. So you have to think of the knife+handle options at the same time.

If the size and blade profiles work for you, then the Buck 301 is a great knife for a work knife. I'd go with the black synthetic handles. No bone option.

If I were going out camping, then I'd take my Victorinox Farmer along for the range of tools, so that means Alox handles. Besides looking classy and having a decently textured surface for gripping, the silver stands out pretty well if you drop it in the leaves.

From the Case line, for a true working knife I might go with one of their jigged Delrin or G10 models. Smooth yellow or orange Delrin is nice too, just depends on your preferences and what is available for your choice of knife pattern.

Take a look at Rough Rider if you are on a budget. I don't have one of their stockman patterns but the two I have are good knives, especially for under $10 each. You'll have to research their handle choices, the ones I got have nicely done jigged bone.

For another bargain option, I am actually rather pleased with my (new, imported, Taylor Brands) Old Timer 93OT "Wrangler" that I got recently. It's basically a 2-blade medium stockman without the spey/pen at the opposite end. Not bad for a $15 knife. Sawcut Delrin is the only choice with that one, but it's a decent choice.
 
For a handle material on an hard use knife, I prefer micarta or G-10. Since you're shopping for a Case stockman, take a look at the Case/Carhartt line. Some of them have G-10 scales that Case refers to as "Rugged Duck".

Here is my medium stockman in Rugged Duck G-10:

gtklNUYh.jpg
 
Per a very respected member of our forum, the obvious choice is stag.

Buzzbait said:
What the heck is wrong with me? Stag is the wonder scale. Stag is the material that makes living worthwhile. Stag is better to feel than the buttery smooth buttocks skin of a supermodel. And as good as stag is, today I’m carrying a G-10 handled folder, a plastic handled SAK and a steel handled Leatherman. Somebody grab a deer horn and skewer me with it. At least I won’t forget my stag next time I leave the house, if it’s permanently lodged in my kidney. Don’t destine yourself to the same fate as I. Just grab a stag handled knife and keep it in your pocket.
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:D
 
LOL!!!!


If you stick around Bladeforums long enough, you will eat your words!!! I'm talking physical chewing on those words. And coughing and gagging as they hit the pit of your stomach.

I was on a roll that day!
 
You have things pretty much covered with the Sodbuster and Stockman and picking a frame is a much of the decision and often the hardest. Being new I don't know if I have any words of wisdom beyond these fine folks here. Pretty much any cover will do you good , although the synthetics such as micarta or delrin will take much more abuse. And horn will take some extra care. Just have to pick your budget, quantity over quality can be a factor.

For camping I always carry a SAK as is a good go into town knife
 
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lots of good handle material.
fantastic wood, Ebony, Osage Orange,Birdseye Maple,etc;
around we say all wood is good wood.
G10,Delrin,Micarta,Celluloid
i love the old Celluloid handled knives.
Ram's horn is one of my all time favorites, real gnarly stag is too.
can't beat colorful jigged bone.
knife patterns, Congress 4bld.,Whittler,Moose
all good

buzz
 
The stockman is a great pattern, but I personally don't like carrying them. I have a couple, they just don't get any pocket time. That's 100% personal preference though. I prefer a trapper because I get two full sized blades, which I find more convenient than one full sized blade and two half blades.

As far as handle material goes, unless you're doing something extreme just pick the one that looks the best to you. Natural materials might react to certain chemicals, so if you handle a lot of chemicals you might be better off with a synthetic, probably micarta, G10, or delrin. If you drop your knife a lot you might be better off with micarta, G10, or delrin. Natural materials and acrylics can break if dropped the wrong way onto a hard surface. If you're knife is going to be getting wet regularly, I'd recommend micarta as it tends to get grippier when wet. I prefer bone or horn on my folding knives and micarta on my fixed blades. I've never had a problem with any material, and I've tried them all except for G10. All of the things that I've mentioned are very small risks. I've gotten chemicals on and dropped my bone and horn handled knives with no ill effect. That's why I suggest to just pick what looks best to you. Most of the things that would harm any knife handle would be classified as abuse to most people. These knives have been made for many, many years. If there's a material that doesn't hold up well, it was weeded out long ago. Check out the Old Knives sticky at the top of the forum if you have any doubts about the longevity of natural materials.
 
You can always buy an inexpensive one, use it like a rented mule, and when it's chewed up and blades sharpened down to toothpicks, pitch it and get another one. It's what plenty of folks used to do. :eek:
 
Very good summation Cory. I tend to agree on all accounts.
Stag, bone then blackwood tend to be my favorites with Barlows, trappers and bullet end jacks being some of my favored patterns.

Chris
 
Bone and stag both look great and have a bonus of being tacky when wet. Stag wears very beautifully over time and keeps getting more interesting. Stag is my personal favorite.

I also like super hard woods, like desert ironwood, lignum vitae, and Osage orange. They look good and are super durable.

Delrin is a super durable plastic. It is practically indestructible. From a practicality perspective it is hard to beat, but I love bone, wood, and stag for their looks, and owning traditional knives for me is about the looks as much as practicality.
 
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