Hi Vivi, for pure traction, my sambar stag one is unbeatable. It is also my favorite bolstered one. The two all stainless ones I've had engraved also offer a lot of traction, with the Marcus Hunt one having a slight edge over the one by Antonio Montejano in the regard, pretty much what you'd expect when comparing cut and acid etched designs. Of the factory models, the jigged bone is definitely the best for traction and, in my opinion, the best looking.
Do wish Sal could rustle up enough stag for a batch of Kiwis, heck, considering the size pieces needed even red deer would work fine.
Santa Fe polishes all their stone, including the Dinosaur Bone, so none of them offer much in the way of traction, although at least some of the Dino Bone ones do have a bit of texture to them, so of all the stone ones, they'd be the least slick. Of the woods, the lignum vitae and ironwood offer decent traction, as they're so naturally oily that they are left in a natural state, there is no finish on them. The maple one is stabilized, so it's more like plastic than wood.
What I think would be really neat, but have not yet gotten around to figuring out a way to get done, would be wood scales with a sandblast textured surface like that found on some briar pipes. Think something like that would be both eye catching and offer excellent traction.
In fairness though, the shape and thickness of the bolster and scales Kiwi makes opening it totally reliable, even on those with the smooth highly polished scales. So choosing a handle material based on what appeals to your eye is perfectly ok. Heck, the other material I'd love to see Spyderco use on the Kiwi one of these years is tortoiseshell celluloid, which would have a smooth polished finish. As for grip security once it's open, the Kiwi handle and finger choil shape virtually marry the knife to your hand.
Paul
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