Handle Materials I Love and Hate

MelancholyMutt

MelancholyMutt

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Joined
Apr 13, 2002
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I don't like plastic or Kraton... I feel like they're gonna melt in the hot summer sun.

I sorta tolerate paracord wrap. Too absorbent for my likes.

I can't stand bone.. it just skeeves the living hell out of me.


I love wood, especially slab types I can change at a whim, whittle into the shape I want, and treat with "butcher block oil"

I like Micarta... sorta like wood, but less maintenance.

G-10 or similar, Carbon fiber... anything along those lines.
 
I like carbon fiber for it's looks anymore have always lived G-10 not so much for looks but use-ablility micarta comes next. Wood and bone handles I like for looks but don't care much for EDC. FRN,plastic,polymer don't matter how you phrase it I just dont care for except on Spyderco's Meerkat it just dont feel like FRN on it.
 
I like stag better than anything, followed by bone nekt. After that comes wood and micarta.

G-10 is all right if it isn't the boring black kind. My Ed Caffrey EBK has a blue/black G-10 that looks pretty good.

The zytel on my Calypso Jr. is functional, but doesn't make my heart go pitter patter or anything.

Probably my least favorite is the "pakkawood" or dymondwood (spelling?) that comes on some cheap knives, you know, the red/green stuff.:barf:
 
Kraton and Respirene are my favorites, especially on smaller knives. Nice and tacky, never lose my grip when wet. Can't stand stacked leather, don't care for bone or stag. Some delrin looks nice, really like micarta.
 
Originally posted by MelancholyMutt
I can't stand bone.. it just skeeves the living hell out of me.
Click to expand...

Infidel!!! Heretic!!! Hang him from the highest tree!!!
 
From least to most favorite:
Dog Sh*t
Teeth
Bone
Stag
Ivory
Leather
Wood
Stones
Fossil
Carbon Fiber
Plastics/G-10/Kraton (good for cold weather)
Aluminum (best for hot weather-it can be used like an ice cube)
Steel
Titanium
Mysterious Alien Metals
 
Not crazy about rubber handles(although the Busse Basic 9 handle is really comfortable), and cannot stand pakkawood/dymondwood. I love woods and stag. Jig bone is less of a favorite. I love micarta.

What I'm finding is that I will not buy full tang fixed blades with natural handle materials, since those materials shrink up and expose the steel tang. That shrinking bugs the heck out of me! If I buy a full tang knife now, it has to have synthetic slabs or ironwood(little to no shrinkage), or some stabilized wood.
 
I prefer natural materials. My favorite is ivory, but it also is most likely to crack. At this point , I look for abalone or pearl, especially black lip.
 
I like wood but only for the looks...for functionality i like G10 as well as the Thermorun they have on Fallkniven's...
 
G10 inserts on them are okay, too, but still perfer all Titanium more so.

Would love to someday see an all Platinum handle on a framelock folder, but I know that would be way too costly to build and especially sell.
 
best looking and all around best for light to medium us edc - Carbon fiber and Ti

best hard use beat the crap out of handle - frn and similar plastic handles

can't stand jigged bone, and most bone handles in general although some look nice

wood handles are ok sometimes
 
I detest any rubber, Zytel or plastic handles.

I definitely own more knives with Micarta handles than anything else. Probably the best all around material in my book. Very durable, comfy feeling and can even be very attractive if finished right. Looks right at home on everything including folders, hunters, fighters, combat knives and even the right bowie.

Of course certain knives require certain materials. IMO a nice damascus folder is much better looking adorned with either MOP or ivory scales. On the same note, a traditional forged bowie is more stunning when paired with either stag or a fine wood.

Just don't put plastic or rubber on anything :barf:
 
I don´t like delicate materials intended for collecting only, such as various stones.

I don´t like cheap plastics (including that on SAKs).

I don´t mind delrin on inexpensive pocket knives and actually like it on some.

I don´t mind a leather stacked handle in a traditional fixed blade but it can be terrible if not well made.

Wood varies from beautiful and tough to crappy

Aluminum is good, not expensive and fairly nice looking.

Zytel and other modern (usually black) materials are functional but not pretty, same goes for titanium and stainless steel.

Micarta is excellent, both good looking and tough.

Bone, Stag and Horn are very good and nice despite being prone to shrinking and cracking.

Celuloid looks nice in traditional pocket knives but I don´t want it because it´s chemically unstable.
 
I have fairly dry hands and find G-10, plastic and kevlar or zytel type materials to be slick. Carbon Fiber and Micarta have a much grippier feel, even when sanded or polished smooth, as well as being more esthetically appealing. For pure looks you can’t beat a nice wood burl, but for use, service and reliability I prefer titanium to all other materials. It helps that I live in a very temperate clime, I’m sure that metal handled knife are less popular in the frozen north.
 
Handle materials aside, my biggest peeve is that to me it takes more than finger grooves to make a comfortable handle. Actually no grooves at all are fine as long as there is a nice big palm swell and a little offset would be nice. Never seen one with any offset before except for one that my Grandfather had. I think had gotten bent by accident somewhere along the line, but it sure made a difference. Of coarse it does make it right or left handed specific.
 
Handle materials I don't like:
DYMONDWOOD
Reconstructed Stone
Zytel

Handle materials that I like to fondle:
Curly fiddleback Koa-Stabilized
Alfezia Lay-Stabilized
Tortoise
Gold with any color quartz
Thuya
Black Mother of Pearl
Sea Snail

The short list.
Jeff Pelz
 
Stag. All stag is good stag, I love the way it looks, the way it feels in the hand, and it"s pretty rugged.

Bone- Nice stuff, I especially like when it's dyed red or green.

Woods- I like it equally as much as bone. I really like the darker types.

Micarta- I use to hate the stuff, but then I found yellow micarta, and fell in love. The red, olive, and tan versions are nice as well.

Green Cattle Horn- you don't see it used much, but it's beautiful stuff. Colors range from yellow to jade.

Steel, Aluminum, etc...- No real reason, just like the stuff.

Oosic- I just like the way it looks.


Stuff I sorta like, but won't buy much.

Pearl, various shells- Pretty stuff, especially when used in certain patterns, but to fragile for me.

Ivory- See above.

G-10- Nice stuff, but too plain for me. I will buy a knife that uses it, if I don't
think there's any chance of seeing the knife in a different handle type.

Celluloid- This breaks my heart because I really love the stuff, but because it breaks down, and because of the special storage considerations it requires, I won't buy the stuff anymore.


Stuff I don't like-

Leather- I once had a leather handled knife that loosened up badly, sorta soured me to the stuff.

Cord wraps- I just need a real solid handle materiel.

Pakka-wood- Ugly, enough said.

Jigged wood- Really ugly.

That fake black stag(Rough Black, Plasti-stag, etc...) you see on antique knives- It looks like something that needs to be flushed, sinfully ugly, fugly.
 
The G-10 on my mini stryker rocks. The Zytel on my BM 350 is ok.

The Zytel on my M16-03Z rocks. The ? Zytel? on my Mirage is ok.

The Stainless on my Vapor and VaporII rocks! The Aluminum on my Outdoor Edge Magna rocks.

I don't have any fancy wood, bone, leather, or other materials on any of my knives.

Oh and the Plastic on my SAKS looks like crap, but functions well.
 
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