Positron Handle Thickness

C

custombuff

Joined
Jun 4, 2006
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I apologize if this has already been covered, but I searched this forum and the web in general and didn't find an answer.

I have looked at and handled a lot of different knives, looking for the perfect (for me) EDC gentlemen's folder. Something that rides well in slacks, but has enough substance to handle most EDC tasks. The Positron is one of my finalists. I prefer to handle knives before purchasing (thank you GP Knives for having a storefront and great prices), but of course, that isn't an option right now for the Positron.

With a lot of online shops having attractive pre-order prices, I am tempted to just order it. Before I do, I was hoping to find out the handle thickness (at its largest point). Barring that, if someone has held one and can think of a comparable knife's handle thickness, that would help.

Thanks in advance to anyone able to provide information or insight.
 
The scales appear to be about as thick as the blade stock, which is ~0.115" (<1/8"), which means the overall thickness is likely around 3/8".
Brad posted the blade stock estimate on his Instagram. The rest are just my guesses.
 
One good thing about Spyderco is if you don't like it you can get most (or all) of your money back in the secondary market. I like to handle before buying if possible but I have just bought knives then flipped them later if I decide it is not for me.
 
I can't recall any exact specs on the handle thickness, but from the pictures the handle seems on the thick side relative to the overall size of the knife. For me this is a good thing, I like a more substantial handle, even on a smaller knife.

Perhaps Mr Blonde or anyone who has handled the Positron can provide something more specific.

I took another look at the Amsterdam meet photos, the scales look just a tad thicker than the blade along their edges. This means they are even thicker at the apex of the contouring, if only slightly.
 
I tried to estimate the handle thickness based on size relative to the blade stock. I also added some space for the bearing assemblies. Based on this, I estimated a handle between .4" and .5" thick.

For reference, I have a .5" thick handle on one of my smaller EDC knives and it's great for grip, but too thick for my pocket. Whereas, .4" was just about perfect for both. Apparently, that 1/10" makes a difference to me. If a difference that smaller matters, I may just have to buy and flip it if I don't like it.

Thanks for the responses so far.
 
Well, I couldn't help myself. It is quick and dirty, but gave me what I needed...sort of. The model I made (out of clay) seemed to be pretty accurate as best I could eyeball from pictures and using the length as a known reference. I tacked on the rolled up piece along each side after I played with my original model, in order to simulate some of the contouring. My model is probably a little thicker than actual, but I have a much better idea of how it would rest in my hand.

I believe that it would just barely fit my hand, but the width and thickness of the handle might offset some of my concerns about the length. The issue I then have is that it might feel bulky in my pocket. At this point, I think I can wait to purchase until I can handle it in person.

Positron 1.jpg Positron 2.jpg Positron 3.jpg Positron 4.jpg
 
custombuff said:
Well, I couldn't help myself. It is quick and dirty, but gave me what I needed...sort of. The model I made (out of clay) seemed to be pretty accurate as best I could eyeball from pictures and using the length as a known reference. I tacked on the rolled up piece along each side after I played with my original model, in order to simulate some of the contouring. My model is probably a little thicker than actual, but I have a much better idea of how it would rest in my hand.

I believe that it would just barely fit my hand, but the width and thickness of the handle might offset some of my concerns about the length. The issue I then have is that it might feel bulky in my pocket. At this point, I think I can wait to purchase until I can handle it in person.

View attachment 555997 View attachment 555998 View attachment 555999 View attachment 556000
Click to expand...

That is so awesome. I commend your obsessive spirit.
 
custombuff said:
The issue I then have is that it might feel bulky in my pocket. At this point, I think I can wait to purchase until I can handle it in person.
Click to expand...

Between the deep-carry wire pocket clip and the light weight, I wouldn't expect the knife to feel too bulky in the pocket. While the handles are thick, they don't look as out-of-proportionally thick as say, the Rubicon.
 
With the thinner blade-stock, one might expect a thin grip-width. But I don't think so. The original Southard flipper went 0.530" with the thicker blade-steel and G-10. The Positron uses "contoured" (think thick) carbon-fiber (think thick) and nested steel liners (think thin). Also, the 3" blade and 2.6 oz weight means that we don't have a big knife here. OTOH, it isn't a flat Caly or a Sage design either...so with the contouring, I suspect we'll get 0.400"-0.410" max grip thickness.
And, that would be a nice compromise, I think. Contouring and thick enuf to hang onto; thin enuf for easy carry. Should be interesting.
 
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