Laminated wood is maybe now considered a poor man's wood, but...

I like those gaudy colors and looks of laminated wood however the feel of real natural wood and it's ability to absorb moisture from the hand during use is not present with laminated or thick shellac coated woods which feel more like plastic. The difference to me is far from subtle and I prefer the feel of real (non or minimally coated) wood.

That being said laminated wood is not a deal breaker for me.

I would love a natural wood that looks like the inside of a skittles package (what a great thought) but I don't know of any.
 
The Crooked River has some decent scales.
Although I would have preferred a smooth finish.

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The reason laminated woods saw increased use is that by the late 60's there was a world wide shortage of good natural hardwoods. The furniture business was using them up. Hardwoods take a few years to dry properly and they were cutting trees and using them faster than they could be replaced. So you started seeing "kiln dried" hardwoods, plywoods, and compressed wood panels with veneers (and even cardboard) being introduced into furniture. Other industries also suffered. Gunmakers couldn't get walnut, Pool cues started to use plastics, etc. Resin impregnated and colored cheaper cuts of woods were what they had available so that's what got used.
 
eisman said:
The reason laminated woods saw increased use is that by the late 60's there was a world wide shortage of good natural hardwoods. The furniture business was using them up. Hardwoods take a few years to dry properly and they were cutting trees and using them faster than they could be replaced. So you started seeing "kiln dried" hardwoods, plywoods, and compressed wood panels with veneers (and even cardboard) being introduced into furniture. Other industries also suffered. Gunmakers couldn't get walnut, Pool cues started to use plastics, etc. Resin impregnated and colored cheaper cuts of woods were what they had available so that's what got used.
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I have a 1970's vintage S&W model 6010 Bowie headed my way, and the online pictures on the vendor's website show it having a fairly ugly laminated wood handle. Smith & Wesson called it their "WessonWood" 😅
Anyhow, although these vintage in house made knives seem to have been S&W's attempt at offering a quality knife product, they look really 70'ish! 😅

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The pics are off the website I purchased the knife from. The blade seems awesome, but the laminated wood, pommel, and guard... well, not so much! 1970's look, for sure! 😅
 
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If it is done well, I really like the resin/wood scales. I have a Remington stockman that I would have sworn to you was was scaled with ebony. I have carried that thing for years as a work knife and it has been a dandy.

One day it was sitting out on the saw horses and I noticed a pattern of grain to it that I had never seen. It was at a very high polish when I bought it but years of pocket wear knocked all that off. I could see the layers! This knife was a gift and I remember seeing the exact knife with scales that looked a little like Walnut but on closer inspection you could tell they were layered wood of some type.

I used to do a lot of work in phenolics and resins and done well they are almost indestructible. It is not the same as the homemade micarta made using a West Systems resin package that more closely resembles epoxy.

That being said, I really like how stable and tough the scales are on two or three knives that I have that use the phenolic / resin scales.

And I really hate the circus colors that they were using for a while that matched up red, green, orange, and anything else they felt like they had in the dye package that someone thought looked good.

To make the phenolic scales look great you have to stain the material to achieve the color you want, and likewise tint the phenolic resin to the same color. It's the same process they use when they make g10. The fiberglass scrim is the color they want and the resins complement it and it appears that it is a through and through color.
 
"And I really hate the circus colors that they were using for a while that matched up red, green, orange, and anything else they felt like they had in the dye package that someone thought looked good."

Someone like me thinks looks good :)
 
greater said:
"And I really hate the circus colors that they were using for a while that matched up red, green, orange, and anything else they felt like they had in the dye package that someone thought looked good."

Someone like me thinks looks good :)
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Hey... more power to you!! Seriously!

If there weren't a ton of people that liked and bought those color combinations they would have quit making them years ago. Someone has to like them enough to make them popular!
 
I do like them although they don't have the feel of natural wood it's not too bad . Unfortunately a lot of garbage knife companies like to use these color schemes and as a result these type of colorful laminated wood handles are unfairly associated with junk knives that will never take or hold a good edge. The laminated grips are probably the only good thing on those type of knives.
 
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