walnut vs. ironwood

TPVT

TPVT

Joined
Feb 14, 2012
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I have a couple knives on order with john. and, i have been considering the ironwood. i went with walnut on my custom order. but, rockywolf's post with his Pocket Scandi has me reconsidering...and inspired this post.

i know the ironwood is an extra $25. and honestly, i don't mind paying the extra cost on a knife that will last a lifetime(s). but, i have to ask the JK Knives fan club....

...What do you guys think? Walnut or Ironwood? is the ironwood that much better than the walnut? i am mostly interested in whether it is an aesthetics only preference.

and, as always....i would love to see your JK knife pics to try to sway me. :D

thanks.

-todd
 
I have a knife in claro walnut around here somewhere and it is gorgeous. I have three knives in ironwood and it is my favorite. Bocote is great looking too (just to throw out another pretty wood). Bloodwood, tulipwood, and olivewood are also nice (I own knives with all of them).

Back to the question: walnut or ironwood. Ironwood all the way.
 
Have to yet owned either wood but the Walnut has been calling my name and I have a knife ordered with it, so I'll vote walnut, the recent pic of the Scout jr with Ironwood sure was pretty though
 
Hi Todd -

I think the choice is purely aesthetic - either will perform equally imo, it boils down to which looks better to you.

best

mqqn
 
mqqn said:
Hi Todd -

I think the choice is purely aesthetic - either will perform equally imo, it boils down to which looks better to you.

best

mqqn
Click to expand...

ok...that is just what i was looking for mqqn. i LOVE the way the ironwood looks. just didn't know if it held up better than the walnut. so, the cost is mostly just supply and demand then, right? i.e. not as plentiful as the walnut....that kind of thing?

thanks for the responses guys.
 
Ironwood seems harder and denser to me. Is it worth the extra cost? I don`t make any more on an ironwood knife than on a walnut one, so it does not matter to me, only the customer.
 
thanks john. and, i wasn't suggesting you made more on ironwood. i was suggesting that the wood itself is more expensive to acquire. i am still considering my july custom order, but i might switch up the walnut for ironwood. i will be keeping an eye out for pics.

Where is Tahts-a-dats-ago? i know he is a walnut handle guy (from extensive forum research that he had us do) ;)

Hey Tahts....i would love to see pics of some of your walnut handle knives.

Happy Easter everyone!
 
Ironwood looks better than walnut to me. I have a small knife in ironwood (AA forge's necker entry) and it is very heavy for its size due to the ironwood scales. Just a thought.
 
TPVT said:
Where is Tahts-a-dats-ago? i know he is a walnut handle guy (from extensive forum research that he had us do) ;)

Hey Tahts....i would love to see pics of some of your walnut handle knives.

Happy Easter everyone!
Click to expand...

Hi Todd,

I do admit that I love Walnut handles (they're so warm and inviting to me) but Ironwood is sweet and seems (IMO) to be a far more dense material.

I've got two knives with Walnut handles - the Improved Bowie and the edc Kephart. Unfortunately, I've been slacking and don't have pictures of the little Kephart. I do have pictures of the Improved Bowie (in my review of that knife): http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/925970-JK-Improved-Bowie?p=10506788#post10506788

I have (I think) two more knives coming that have Walnut handles - but they're not finished yet. From memory, I do think I have one knife (another maker) with Ironwood handles, but don't believe I have any pictures of it. I actually do like Ironwood quite a lot, but just slightly prefer Walnut or Cocobolo for some reason (John is allergic to the latter, so he doesn't use that wood).

I have several of John's knives in Ebony wood - that is just sweet - and two in Bloodwood (also extremely nice). I really don't think you can pick something that you won't like - as long as you're picking something that appeals to you. I also have several of John's knives that feature Oak handles - again, they're very nice and I'm very happy with them.

Without a doubt, my favorite knife is my JKCBK (Ebony handles). It just does something for my soul. Closely behind that is my Trapline (Bloodwood) but my most used knife - the one that I'm always grabbing is the Michigan Trail knife (Black Micarta). I don't know why that is, but I find it to be beautiful too, albeit in an entirely different manner.
 
i saw your knife reviews (very well done, btw). i have to tell you....i love the CBK and the trapline. i am going to end up with one or both. ;)

i did see one knife in bloodwood and actually liked that too....along with the tulipwood. KYenglish's new Toby's Knife in ziricote is also very nice. decisions, decisions. sigh.

thanks tahts....i appreciate it.
 
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