What’s your favorite handle material and style for traditional pocket knives?

JM2

JM2

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I am a case, schrade, and buck fan. But I always have had a thing for case bone, and particularly the Appaloosa bone.

I had a 54 trapper in purple smooth Appaloosa bone and I have regretted trading it for 15 years now.

While I have delrin, and have had stag and wood (the wife currently has a wood 18 pattern stockman), bone is my favorite material for handles of pocket knives.

I can’t say I’m particular to color, I like the orange that case had a year or so back, though I didn’t get any except a mini sodbuster that was lost in the mail. But one thing I don’t care for is when case has a dark side and a light side on the same knife.

So what’s y’all’s favorites? Bonus points for pics of your preferred handle colors and styles.
 
Not sure I have a particular favorite material. Most of my pocket knives have natural materials: bone, wood, and antler.
I do have a few human made; Delrin/Staglon, reconstituted rocks, G-10/Micarta/Acrylic, stainless steel ... I'm pretty sure the aluminum on an old advertising knife I have is an alloy of some kind, so is "human made", like the stainless steel is.
Be much easier to declare my least favorites: "Celluloid" and "Gaudy".
 
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I'm not picky about handle materials.

Having said that, Desert Ironwood is my favorite.

Otherwise it can be Delrin, Kirinite, Richlite, Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Micarta, G10, Bone, Wood, Rubber/ Kraton, whatever... just depends on the material and how it works and looks on the knife.
 
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I just really, really like horn for folding knives, especially buffalo horn. I think it looks very elegant and timeless. Interestingly, however, I don't own any pocket knives with horn scales -- only a big-arse 19th-c. navaja with red-dyed horn scales.
 
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Stag : Carried but hardly used for any Work
zFZ2Giy.jpg

The $28 Old Pruner is carried and used for work but I like Bone for use .
yStlWQd.jpg
 
Old Engineer said:
Stag : Carried but hardly used for any Work
zFZ2Giy.jpg

The $28 Old Pruner is carried and used for work but I like Bone for use .
yStlWQd.jpg
Click to expand...
It’s cool to see all of your stag together, Harry. I’ve wondered when seeing your knives one or two at a time if you ever get any bad stag. Now I know, you don’t.
 
I’m not too picky about handle material. I do really like Case’s chestnut jigged bone and their yellow delrin is classic. I like micarta, ebony, bone with good jigging, and stag with some character that is not too thick.
 
I really like nice, tight grained wood, like ebony & ironwood. I'm careful with them until they get the first ding, but after that they're gtg. Not counting the ever present Vic Alox, I mostly carry some variety of bone. I don't care for celluloid, mother of pearl, or anything flashy.
 
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Sacto said:
It’s cool to see all of your stag together, Harry. I’ve wondered when seeing your knives one or two at a time if you ever get any bad stag. Now I know, you don’t.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the very kind remarks Bart . The photo shows about half of my Stag . I have never received any Bad Stag , but ....... I think that some of it is better than others .
Take care my friend .

Harry
 
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Old Engineer said:
Stag : Carried but hardly used for any Work
zFZ2Giy.jpg

The $28 Old Pruner is carried and used for work but I like Bone for use .
yStlWQd.jpg
Click to expand...
That is a very nice collection. The irony is that stag is the most durable handle material of all the natural choices. Thank you for sharing with us.
 
I enjoy a smooth and even finish and look, so I tend to like wood and micarta more than bone and stag. Blackwood and Ebony are the focus of my collection at this point, as I eventually had to focus on something.
 
Let's keep it traditional folks! Thanks!
 
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I have a peripheral question, when did mammoth tooth and ivory start being used for knife handles?
 
It would be easier to pick my least favorite handle material.
I do not particularly like acrylic.
 
Quality jigged bone first, cocobolo second place, linen micarta 3rd.
My preference is no shield, but I like a reverse New Orleans in a pinch.
 
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