What is the most ergonomic fixed blade handle? 🤔

MolokaiRider said:
I guess it's due to the Companion being so light, having a comfortable rubber grip, that allows me to use it for long periods of time with no blistering.

Sometimes when camping, I will sit quietly and whittle on stuff for hours. I do this to become acquainted with my knife, and also for relaxation.

Out of the many models I own, the basic Mora let's me work the longest.

Second is a Kellum Wolverine with a curly birch handle, but that wood is very grippy and eventually creates blisters.

Third is a Marttiini filet knife, likely due to its weight. When cutting up fish for three or four hours, the weight definitely becomes a factor.

A palm filling, neutral handle is just more comfortable in my hand.

I have an array of Joker knives that are also nice in hand, but again, that extra weight causes my hands to fatigue quicker.
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Good, one of my reasons was the rubberized handle as well but I thought Id get called out for liking such a cheap material
 
I hate to admit it, but the handle on the CRKT MINIMALIST, is amazing for a teeny knife.
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Blues said:
This mortised sheep horn handle by master smith Dan Farr is probably the most comfortable handle on any knife I own,

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I don’t think anyone did handles as well as Dan. He was a deeply introspective and thoughtful maker, and was constantly experimenting with designs that would offer improvement. Your knife was an earlier one, and he did nothing but improve until he elected to exit the knifemaking arena. He was perhaps my most important mentor, despite my unwillingness to adopt his style. It was his processes and, more to the point, his relentless self-criticism and passion to always improve that I hope I do justice to.
 
Matthew Gregory said:
I don’t think anyone did handles as well as Dan. He was a deeply introspective and thoughtful maker, and was constantly experimenting with designs that would offer improvement. Your knife was an earlier one, and he did nothing but improve until he elected to exit the knifemaking arena. He was perhaps my most important mentor, despite my unwillingness to adopt his style. It was his processes and, more to the point, his relentless self-criticism and passion to always improve that I hope I do justice to.
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I didn't know of your association, but I'm happy to hear of it and I've certainly been impressed by your work as seen on this site.

I have another knife from Dan in D2, (as opposed to the forged 52100 that I posted earlier), which has a synthetic handle that is equally ergonomic, but a completely different knife.

I'm sending you a message Matthew Gregory Matthew Gregory .
 
Slice O Life said:
What are your opinions on fixed blade handles? Which models or makers do you consider to have the most comfortable fixed blade handles? This discussion expands beyond just fixed blades and extends into knife ergonomics and overall comfort. While hand size and shape can vary, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on this topic. Additionally, your insights on comfortable fixed blade handles could potentially inform guesses about comfortable folder handles as well.
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I believe morakniv bushcraft series have the most comfortable fixed blade knife handles but for a folding knife suitable for long work. I whoud have to say the Buck 110 or the Opinel no. 10. I have used both extensively for carving and my hand doesn't cramp like it would with a modern folder that is more flat and pocket friendly. Just my $0.02.
 
Ergonomics are personal when it comes to anything beyond general features. I have hands of unusually large size, so my preference is for handles that are 4.5" or more, rounded, and fill my palm (Joker Trampero, Kellam Tracker, Casstrom Swedish Forest Knife No. 10, and KA-BAR Becker Harpoon). I can deal with shorter handles, but the ergonomics otherwise have to be exceptional (Fallkniven F1, White River M1 Pro Backpacker, and No.3 Boat Knife).

I don't like the thinner handles of the ESEE knives because they don't fill my palm right, so it wasn't until they issued the rounder HM handles that I bought the ESEE 4. I prefer the more generic swollen handles to the ones with bumps that fit a very specific hand that probably isn't mine. I like the designs of TOPS knives, but it's pretty obvious that the handles were designed for someone with very different hands than mine and they probably fit that hand perfectly.

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Slice O Life said:
How do I find this out? I wear XL work gloves and nitrile gloves.
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Having a bit of a dig into the world of "Anthropometry" (the study and measurement of human sizes and proportions) gets you all sorts of specialized information.

"Average adult grip size
Determining your grip size can help you with proper tool selection. According to a 2005 study, the optimal handle diameter is 19.7 percent of the user’s hand length.

For example, if your hand length is 7.6 inches, multiply that by 0.197 to get 1.49 inches. This means the optimum handle diameter for a tool such as a hammer would be about 1.5 inches."

How to choose gloves based on your hand size​

Glove sizes are determined by measuring the length and circumference of your hand, and then using the largest of these measurements to select gloves of the proper size.

Here’s a table you can use to select your glove size:

Hand size (the largest measurement of either length or circumference)Glove size
7 inchesXSmall
7.5–8 inchesSmall
8.5–9 inchesMedium
9.5–10 inchesLarge
10.5–11 inchesXLarge
11.5–12 inches2 XLarge
12–13.5 inches3 XLarge
 
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