New Case Caliber Folders?

Robert,

Reading of your Gerber Silver Knight had me curious. In looking at online listings of other synthetic-handled versions of that knife (Silver Knight), I'm seeing them described as either 'checkered Delrin' or 'ABS'. If so, neither of those would likely have the same abrasion-resistance as Zytel or FRN, both of which have integral fiberglass in the material. I don't think Delrin or ABS have ever had fiberglass in the mix, so far as I know. Fiberglass adds abrasion-resistance (as well as much greater strength), and that might account for why the checkering or other texturing on Zytel or FRN may not wear smooth as quickly as Delrin or ABS, both of which can scuff, wear or be sanded and polished very easily.


David
 
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Thanks for input, David.
Robert- For long lasting GRIPPY, have you tried an Emerson... if I may?
 
It would be too easy to compare all of the referenced handle materials to one another here, but I don't know how valid it is to compare nylon to Valox, or FRN to plastic. I'd bet the engineering is quite different.

You are quite correct, Robert. Not only are the processing parameters different, the material properties are different.


Robert,

Reading of your Gerber Silver Knight had me curious. In looking at online listings of other synthetic-handled versions of that knife (Silver Knight), I'm seeing them described as either 'checkered Delrin' or 'ABS'. If so, neither of those would likely have the same abrasion-resistance as Zytel or FRN, both of which have integral fiberglass in the material. I don't think Delrin or ABS have ever had fiberglass in the mix, so far as I know. Fiberglass adds abrasion-resistance (as well as much greater strength), and that might account for why the checkering or other texturing on Zytel or FRN may not wear smooth as quickly as Delrin or ABS, both of which can scuff, wear or be sanded and polished very easily.


David

Fiberglass adds strength. I am unaware of any addition of wear resistance.

Nylon (Zytel) wears better than Delrin due to higher inherent lubricity of the polymer.
Delrin has better dimensional stability than nylon. Nylon changes dimensions due to either moisture content or heat.


(EEK! all these big words after working hours. Icky.)
 
If you've tried sanding Zytel to a polish, the wear-resistance becomes more evident. I noticed this when cleaning up some rough edges/burrs on one of my Zytel-handled knives; the glass fibers become exposed and leave the surface somewhat hazy. It'll 'smooth' to a point, then sort of plateau out and resist further polishing. The glass is harder than the poly resin supporting and surrounding it; I sort of compare it to the effect of carbides in steel, in 'resisting' (but not preventing altogether) the sorts of abrasive wear that'd otherwise happen more easily to other materials. The hardness & wear resistance of glass fiber is most obvious if one has ever tried to cut materials containing it, and seen how quickly it dulls a knife's edge.


David
 
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i saw those the other day, and man theyre cheap! even at bass pro shop, they were all around the $15 area. i saw one being sold for $9.99. its pretty good for someone that wants the case brand, but doesnt want to spend too much on a knife.

as for the handle material, yeah, i dont really like their look or feel much at all, but it is a step up from their older carbon fiber/zytel handles, i felt like i could break those with my hands if i wanted to. of course i didnt buy it, so im sure people have used it way further than i have and have different experiences with it, i personally just didnt like how light it made it feel.
 
Thanks for input, David.
Robert- For long lasting GRIPPY, have you tried an Emerson... if I may?

No you may not! :D

I don't need to spend that kind of money on a work knife. Until a few years ago, I had never owned a one of those black handled liner lock blades so often derided as "tacticool" and other dismissive names. I now have several as they indeed superior work knives, but they aren't knives I love. I love my old CASE knives, a couple of old Bokers, and my Dad's old KeenKutter. These knives are more like owning a nice tool, you appreciate it when you use it, but you just don't get that attached. And seriously, try those Cold Steel scales...

You are quite correct, Robert. Not only are the processing parameters different, the material properties are different.

Add to the fact there are proprietary formulas, methodology of production that yield different variations on forumlas, etc., it is silly to speculate that all FRN or any other knife scale material is exactly the same or performs the same as specimens from different manufacturers. For example, FRN is simply "fiberglass reinforced nylon". It specifies no formula and there is no industry standard for its production. So it is entirely plausible, and even expected by me, that not all FRN knife scales would perform the same when coming from different manufacturers. So by extension, I add in other generic synthetics that are on the market that are used for knife scales. They simply aren't all the same.

Fiberglass adds strength. I am unaware of any addition of wear resistance.

That is because it doesn't. Not one bit. I am saddling up right now to go to the last gun/knife show of the year with a life long friend of mine that casts fiberglass for a living. He educated me years back on different grades of resin, different types of glass (woven into fibers) and its use. Fiberglass adds tensile strength and stability to resins, nothing more.

To make the point anyone that doubts that, my amigo told me that the easiest way to get it across is to take a piece of fiberglass cloth in you hand and scrub it around on itself. It is so brittle (well, after all, it is glass) and it will turn to powder it so fragile. He has been doing his fiberglass casting professionally for 30+ years, so I am going with him on this one.

Nylon (Zytel) wears better than Delrin due to higher inherent lubricity of the polymer.
Delrin has better dimensional stability than nylon. Nylon changes dimensions due to either moisture content or heat.
(EEK! all these big words after working hours. Icky.)

Heck... I was impressed! Nailed it!

Robert
 
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