Oppinions of para cord wrapped handles?

Z

zachtateknives

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May 4, 2010
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What do you all think of knife handles that are wrapped in para cord? Any real tactical use having some useable cord available for emergency situations, etc. Thanks for the time.
 
I love my PC wrapped handles, Thats almost all I do on any custom I build. 3 of 5 are cord wraps so far.
personally I like them for Usable cordage in the bush if the need calls for it, and I usually find cord wraps are more comfortable.
2 of 3 here are Cord Wrapped
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I think they are slightly more comfortable than bare metal handles, look slightly better than bare metal, and add a good degree of personalization to knives. I'd much rather have G10 or micarta or preferably a nice natural handle material though; the comfort and looks are worth the bulk and price. I do like the usable cord benefit, though. I wouldnt say theres a tactical use to it, but in a survival situation the cord could come in handy.
 
G10 is more comfortable but paracord is light and can be used in a pinch. My izula is paracord wrapped.
 
I don't care for wrapped handles. I tried Plasti-Dip and it was much better. It gives the best grip, is not bulky and cleans up after use.
 
The whole paracord concept is a stroke of genius on the part of tactical knife makers. For wrapping .05 cents of paracord on a bare tang, it lets the knife company get away with not putting a decent handle of G10, canvas micarta, wood, leather, or delrin, or any other handle material. Yeah, it's better than nothing, but after a while, it can get really messy, stink, and harbor all kinds of bacteria. If you're in a wet climate, it can get grungy fast.

But to some armchair commando's it looks cool, so it sells, and that makes the knife makers happy. :D
 
Not into it. I prefer to have handle material of some sort. Paracord gets dirty, can slip, and soaks up all kind of nastiness.
 
jackknife said:
The whole paracord concept is a stroke of genius on the part of tactical knife makers. For wrapping .05 cents of paracord on a bare tang, it lets the knife company get away with not putting a decent handle of G10, canvas micarta, wood, leather, or delrin, or any other handle material. Yeah, it's better than nothing, but after a while, it can get really messy, stink, and harbor all kinds of bacteria. If you're in a wet climate, it can get grungy fast.

But to some armchair commando's it looks cool, so it sells, and that makes the knife makers happy. :D
Click to expand...

You don't have to be an armchair commando to like paracord, however I do see where you're coming from as it does let many companies get away with saving effort, time and materials.. As for it getting dirty, it does, but its very easy to clean, I pull it off and wipe it down with a little Dawn and let it dry. Yes I am Cheap too :D
 
Rewrapping takes a few minutes and costs next to nothing. If you worry about bacteria just throw it away.
 
I like to carry my Izula ( original ) with a little bit of paracord wrapped onto the end of the pommel, but with the micarta scales on as well. Mostly I just do that to give it better grip, I would probably just use the full scales if I had an Izula II.

In any case it made me think... If I had a paracord handle I would already have way less grip, and then if there ever was some kind of SHTF situation where I somehow needed to sacrifice the handle for some string, then I'm left with a crippled knife. On the other hand, I already have 12-16" of paracord on the end of my Izula along with handles so if I had to sacrifice the paracord on the end of my handle my grip wouldn't be as effected.

I can't really imagine myself ever being in a situation where I'd need to worry about that though...
 
The reason I ask is Imainly make handles out of homemade micarta,but was asked for a good buddy of mine to set him up with paracord, so I bought some of the new fangled computerized desert camo paracord to match his uniform,and I just wanted to get some input on it. I asked him over and over "are you sure?" I prefer the micarta, easy to shape, strong, clean, etc. Thanks for the input, I guess I'll start offering it as an option. I used more than a nickels worth by the way, it was almost a dollars worth.
 
Duct tape on knife handle may turn irreplaceble in case of sewage pipe leaking...
And an electrician's tape may save your life some day...
It is about time for knife manufacturers to consider regular daily issues men have to face...
A piece of paracord may not solve all of them.

What about painter's tape? I can envision it coming very handy in a certain situation. And you can draw any kind of camo on it by hand using just a pen!
 
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jackknife said:
The whole paracord concept is a stroke of genius on the part of tactical knife makers. For wrapping .05 cents of paracord on a bare tang, it lets the knife company get away with not putting a decent handle of G10, canvas micarta, wood, leather, or delrin, or any other handle material. Yeah, it's better than nothing, but after a while, it can get really messy, stink, and harbor all kinds of bacteria. If you're in a wet climate, it can get grungy fast.

But to some armchair commando's it looks cool, so it sells, and that makes the knife makers happy. :D
Click to expand...

Pretty much this...it just means the handle is an unfinished blank and you have to wrap it yourself. If it gets wet damp, any liquid on it, it stinks and like you said gets grungy...

Great for the manufacture because they dont have to add anything to the handle...
 
I have tried it . The wrapping th eknife so you have a grip and emergency cordage if its needed .
I found that when it comes to actually using the cord tho , it leaves you with a knife that the handle is now uncomfortable , if it has one at all .
Its better than no knife , and no cord tho . Im way way more in favor of wrapping a sheath in cordage tho so when it comes to using it your knife is still a whole knife and not compromised . Maybe too hold more cordage on the sheath than the handle too , not sure .
 
It is a good way to carry additional moisture so I suppose you could suck on it if in a "tactical" survival situation.

Paracord is also a good harborer of grease, dirt, grime and bacteria. Nice to be able to carry some wherever you go. If you ever have to prepare food or actually process game, para will hold all that blood and waste as well.

If you really think a few feet of para will be useful, wrap some around your sheath but stick with solid grip materials.
 
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