Micarta or rosewood handle?

StrangeDaze

StrangeDaze

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Hey everyone! I am almost ready to order my first Kailash blade!

I decided on a Sirupate with a 12 inch blade,
Brown western leather sheath, brass hardware and a raw finish. I am trying to decide between the forest micarta wrap and the rosewood handle.
i love the look of the rosewood, but know the micarta is the more stable and durable option. The micarta doesn’t look bad either, but definitely not traditional (i know a western sheath isn’t either, but still)

If you have experiences and or pictures please post them to help me make my decision!
 
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I posted photos of my 14" Sirupate with exactly the finish you're asking about (raw, rosewood, brass) in a review titled "Mk1 and Sirupate Review and Comparison" I typed this year. Otherwise, my only micarta handled blade so far is a Pensioner with the black material and steel hardware and I haven't had a chance to put it through any real paces yet.

It's a hard call to be honest but I don't think you will be disappointed with either. To me, wood always looks better and if I'm being honest, feels better than the rougher micarta. A properly oiled handle has a strangely grippy quality to it and with the wood being sealed up, it shouldn't give you much grief as moisture levels change. But don't take that to mean I dislike how the micarta feels either. Just a push coming to shove preference. I got the micarta for the Pensioner because I knew I wanted it as that go to, lifetime hard worker so I put more weight to durability/longevity for it.

I guess it could come down to what gives you more piece of mind. The curse of having options, right?
 
They're both great handle materials- it's not that one is strictly better. Sometimes that can make options extra tricky.
For a rat tail blade the stability differences between micarta and rosewood aren't as crucial as on full tang. The big difference is impact resistance- wood can and will chip if dropped onto hard surfaces (particularly the pommel and handle rings) while micarta is way more resistant to this kind of damage. Micarta is also grippier in hand which is particularly notable for blades that will see use with sweaty hands or in rain.
We've been chasing micarta that gives a traditional rosewood look for some time but have struggled a lot in this area. The best option we've found is a chocolate brown which while not particularly rosewood does look woodlike.
Here's some pictures of it.
https://kailashblades.com/wp-conten...lash-raw-chocolate-brown-micarta-1-scaled.jpg
https://kailashblades.com/wp-conten...lash-raw-chocolate-brown-micarta-2-scaled.jpg
As an alternative we also have a beetroot burgundy which I feel looks a little like purple heart wood.
It can be seen here.
We can also mix fabric colours together but the contrast is a bit high and it doesn't really give a woodlike look.
Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash
 
I have the12" white rosewood handle With brass fittings Sirupate . I had a brown western sheath with a webbing baldrick style carry rig made especially for it as well as a brown leather traditional Dap / scabbard , both well fitting . Excellent well made piece of kit .
 
StrangeDaze said:
Hey everyone! I am almost ready to order my first Kailash blade!

I decided on a Sirupate with a 12 inch blade,
Brown western leather sheath, brass hardware and a raw finish. I am trying to decide between the forest micarta wrap and the rosewood handle.
i love the look of the rosewood, but know the micarta is the more stable and durable option. The micarta doesn’t look bad either, but definitely not traditional (i know a western sheath isn’t either, but still)

If you have experiences and or pictures please post them to help me make my decision!
Click to expand...
 
I recently had a Bhura 6" made with a "Falo inspired" rosewood handle.
That might be an option to consider for your Sirupate. Though maybe the look is too rough for what you want.
The Bhura is raw finish, brass, brown western sheath, and a "Falo inspired" rosewood handle.
I found that I like the mild indexing feel of the flats on the handle, somewhat like the octagon handles on some knives. That was an unexpected benefit that I enjoy and was amused to discover.

Falo and Bhura pic:


OneDrive album of a few more pics:
Kailash Falo Bhura 6

The rosewood still looks heavily oiled in those pics.
 
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Thanks for sharing these pics M meboz !
I hadn't seen the little falo bhura crossover but it's turned out really nicely. I like the texturing on the falo too- adds a bit of gentle grippiness and makes you feel like you know where your hand is a little more.
 
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