If you lust after stag like this (see pic) MUST you spend a fortune?

[scotchleaf]

If you lust after stag like this (see pics) MUST you spend a fortune?

What do you call these gorgeous materials? How are they prepared/treated to look that way?

 

[Core Knife Co.]

Well, you went and put up pictures from two of the best makers out there. I would expect the stag to be outstanding. With that said, I have seen some Great Eastern (Northfield) stag that is pretty outstanding in its own right. You're going to pay a premium for that stag from GEC but you're not talking custom dollars either. It might be worth looking into.

 

[rprocter]

Herman Williams worked for Schrade USA for many years building the custom knives that Schrade sold. He still does this work now on his own. He rebuilds older Schrade USA knives and puts on great Stag handles. I bought a Herman Williams 897UH a few hours ago for $85.
If you are interested, PM me and i'll give you a link to his site.
Also some of the pre 1960 Henckels knives have top quality stag and these show up on ebay from time to time but rarely go for under $100.
roland

 

[Mad_Maxx]

gec has a good one imo
mine looks and feels awesome

don't have much experience but have seen some good ones at non custom prices
Maxx

 

[FLymon]

I will second GEC for Burnt Stag. There was a thread about GEC Stag a few days ago, you might want to check it out:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=811783

If you shop around online you should be able to find great examples between $100-$200 in a variety of different patterns. This is one I have and it one of my favorite knives:

 

[comoha]

I paid $25 for an Old Culter Barlow right here on the Forums. It has some of the nicest popcorny stag I've ever seen.

 

[dalee100]

Hi,

While a good custom should have top shelf stag that appeals to the buyer. I think good stag is where you find it. I think natural materials are always going to be like that.

I'm generally not a fan of stag. But then Blues, Dennis, Waynorth, or somebody will post a photo of some killer stag. And my jaw will drop and I'll start to drool over the scales. So I keep an eye out for the one that will catch my eye.

Dale

 

[Blues]

You don't have to spend a fortune but you do have to get lucky.

A natural material like stag won't always reveal itself until late in the process and it could be just what you want or it might be something else. (Not necessarily bad, just not what you had in your mind's eye.)

There are many great examples of relatively inexpensive knives with nice stag...such as this Eye Brand stockman:

 

[puukkoman]

All you have to do is get one of the 2009 Traditional Forum Queen barlows...

 

[black mamba]

Blues is right on. Depending on what you like, you can find it (within reason) at several price points.

Rough Rider, $22

Eye Brand, $95

Northfield, $140

Howser Custom, $465

 

[scotchleaf]

Thanks all: Another question: how do you tell if it's real stag? Also, that black color comes from burning the stag?

 

[navihawk]

The black is natural, unless you get burnt stag, which you can tell because the white has a yellow/ brown burn to it.

another Eye...

Here's an example of burnt stag.

 

[JAB]

Another relatively inexspensive one.

 

[rprocter]

About 20-30 years ago, stag was very popular and hence the thicker the better.
These 'awesome thick stag' knives(as they are often advertised) look gross to me. The very best are the 100-150 year old stag handled Sheffield knives.
This time was the height of the British Empire and they were looting the world of all the good stuff (like the Elgin Marbles from Egypt). So they truly did have awesome stag and they cut it very thinly and hafted it perfectly. The result is a beautiful, not bulky knife. Examples do show up on ebay, but if the knife is in good condition, the price may exceed a modern custom like the 2 shown in the o.p.
roland