Stag and Horn Poll

Are Antler (Stag) and Horn a "Luxury" cover material on a traditional pocket knife?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 24 52.2%

  • No.

    Votes: 11 23.9%

  • Stag always ... It depends on which horn it is.

    Votes: 11 23.9%
  • Total voters
    46
afishhunter

afishhunter

Basic Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2014
Messages
14,434
In your opinion, are Stag and Horn considered a "luxury" cover material?

Poll will be open for seven days.
 
in all my time, ive only seen one brass scale mod. so horn may be open to interpretation 🥁
 
It really depends on the GRADE of Stag or Horn these days.

Sambar is the Prince but Elk, Red Deer, Père David are not to be sneered at either. Horn is more complicated- horn tip is held to be the best and Ram's Horn is certainly an expensive option and generally very durable. cheaper Ox horn and badly cured material can warp, blister and cause disappointment. C 19th Horn was often bias cut to show the pattern and it is likely that the art of curing and preparing Horn may have been lost

Casting your eye over old knife catalogues it seems the case that Stag & Horn were certainly more costly variants compared to most Woods or Bone and of course Synthetics. However, luxury scales were more likely to be the fragile and costly types such as Ivory, MOP or Tortoiseshell.

I consider both materials to be potentially very attractive choices when the quality is there.
 
As with everything, it depends. Antler is sold for dogs to chew on or can be a top handle material. Buffalo horn is soft and I won't use it anymore, but I have some beautiful black/blonde streaked mufflon horn scales waiting for the right project.
So I think it depends on the specific set of scales and how they are used.
Just using expensive, luxury handle material also doesn't guarantee a beautiful knife, how it is used and if it matches the knife or not also matters.
 
I've just ordered a mammoth ivory folder, in my eyes that's luxury.

I made an antler handled knife for my brother from a red stag that I shot not long ago. In my eyes as a hunter antler
afishhunter said:
In your opinion, are Stag and Horn considered a "luxury" cover material?

Poll will be open for seven days.
Click to expand...

very accessible.

I didn't realise sambar antler is held in such high regard. They're the most common deer in Australia and if you buy an antler handled knife from here you can almost guarantee its sambar.
 
Antler quality will depend on a variety of factors. Species - each has different characteristics, age - the rough texture (known as pearling in the hunting world) typically gets mire prominent with age, genetics - this will determine the overall quality and amount of antler, environment and plant life - what a deer rubs will determine the colour of antler, time of year - the best quality antler will be just after the stag/buck/bull has finished rubbing off the velvet. As the season progresses they get broken and chipped sections and when they are at the point of dropping their antlers some of the best pearling has really been worn back. That's why shot stags have the best pearling over cast antlers that have been picked up.
 
Vintage Sambar, in the right color with the right pattern, from the first cut, from the right cutler wins my heart every time.
 
In my opinion Stag is very practical and traditional although "GOOD" stag is becoming a luxury item cost wise. I guess these days Stag can be considered a luxury material.

Horn ( Buffalo horn is assumed) was at one time a very common place material for scales, It can be beautiful but you need to watch for bug (powder post beetles) damage and over time seems to deteriorate some with cracks and delamination although this may be the result of moisture or improper care.

Sheep Horn can be beautiful and probably falls into the luxury category
 
I know traditionally, those materials were considered premium; but I don't feel that way. Other materials are much more durable, are more inexpensive, and I just don't like the look of either horn nor antler.
 
Stelth said:
I know traditionally, those materials were considered premium; but I don't feel that way. Other materials are much more durable, are more inexpensive, and I just don't like the look of either horn nor antler.
Click to expand...


I hear you; That's why there is such a variety. While I like the look of the synthetics, Micarta, G-10, Acrylic etc I much prefer a natural material for the scales on my knives.
 
I consider stag and horn to be semi-luxury materials. Nothing really high end like ivory, but there is definitely a premium associated with these materials over wood, bone, and most synthetics. It depends how strict we want to get with the terminology, but most stag and horn knives do cost extra and have a following like that of a luxury good. Being a traditional material for knife handles doesn't change my opinion, as cost of ownership can vary overtime and certainly move materials and products into luxury category as time passes.
 
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