Stacked Leather or Kraton Handles on Fixed Blades

Neither in most areas, it's more of a personal preference. In very humid areas, like tropical humid, the leather will wear faster but you should be fine if you take care of it. In salt water conditions the leather will disintegrate very quickly so it's probably not a good choice there. There is a possibility that Kraton will dry rot, but this is very unlikely to happen. There is also the possibility of melting, but only if you do something incredibly stupid with it like drop it in a fire or leave it on a heated stove. A lot of people seem to think leather makes a bad handle but I've used leather handled knives for years with no issues whatsoever. If you're in the middle of a rainforest or are planning on going swimming in the ocean with it you might have some issues but in most other places you won't notice much of a difference in how well it holds up. Pretty much just get the one you think looks better.

However, there is a difference in the grippiness, which I was surprised to learn is a real word, Kraton is much better for gloved hands because it really gives good traction. Ungloved, the added traction is probably not necessary in most cases. Again, just get what you think looks and feels better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top