What is your favorite wood handle?

P

PappaCutter

Joined
Jul 24, 2015
Messages
107
I see a variety wood being used. Is one better than the other. One more fine, but less durable.....it seems to be a horn vs wood only.

Please share with me your preference and why, all feedback much appreciated.

Pappa
 
There are definitely a variety of woods that HI uses, but from what I have gathered, they are all about the same (high) quality.

The rhododendron wood being used on the KLVUKs lately is beautiful in person, very light in color and a hard wood. I've read the Lali Gurash is one of the harder and prettier varieties of rhododendron too.

Dhar wood is also common, which can be anywhere from yellow to red in color, and is quite easy on the eyes. I requested dhar wood for the handle of a custom kitchen knife being made right now.

And then there's satisal wood, which I have gathered to be more of a family of wood than one specific species of tree. Some is dark, some is light, some is red and some yellow, but all very high quality.

There are other handle materials used by HIMALAYAN, but less commonly including bone and antler, probably others too.

I personally like light woods, and the red woods, doesn't matter what they are. The pic I posted of my Foxy Folly shows one of my favorite wood handles that I own, and my Micro Bowie is also at the top of my list for its handles. Hope that helps!
 
I think Satisal might be my favorite currently available just due to the possible array of colors you can get, but if I ever had a choice it'd be the Chandan? wood. That gorgeous red stuff that's illegal to export now unfortunately. Bone and horn look very nice as well.
 
I simply take what they put on there, as i got into the knives, back when sales were done via a phone call to Bill, due to them being an authentic Nepali work of no little renown and i wanted a real one, not some western idea of any aspect of the knife, whether blade or handle....they use traditional methods and materials which have worked fine for the entire existence of the knife, and so i just take what they send as what drew me to them in the first place.

I was happy to get the (assumed) lali gurash wood KLVUKs for a change of pace, but that is about it as for why happy....what wood they choose is a wood known for working on a tool handle through generations, and THAT is what makes the difference to me....

I have chunk of burl half the size of a cinderblock, and it would make a stunning handle on something, but even stabilized i bet it would not hold up half as well as the plainest Nepali chosen tool handle wood.
 
Last edited:
I just bought that KLVUK which has that stunning light colored wood. I have seen so many that looked so very nice it made me wonder. They are definitely using some very cool looking and functional wood, it begged the discussion.

Thanks for the feedback, it's interesting stuff.
 
I personally think that the sastisal is very similar to our Rose Woods and specifically Coco Bolo. Same characteristics, same color variations. Real pretty stuff usually.

And quite often when you remove all the polishing compound you end up with something even prettier.

That varies too, sometimes it's already removed, sometimes not. Always nice either way seems like.
 
Totally agree as for the rosewood/cocobolo family resemblance...in every respect....my first thought on seeing the lali gurash was mountain laurel, which it is.....very familiar with that in the SEUS...hard light strong closed-pore wood, good luck staining....the KLVUKs were bought for what they are, all purpose yard and back 40 chopper whether in Nepal or here, and seems perfect.....if i were a one-knife guy, and did not want pretty, it would be hard to beat....
 
For natural hardwoods I like Cocobolo,African black wood and Iron wood, stabilizing opens the door to a whole lot of other types of now like Box elder bur who ch is now becoming one of my favorites.
 
True that. Add some dyes and box elder can be just about anything you want it to be. Stunning.

I wish the stabilized woods weren't so expensive. Beauty of wood but much better chance of stability, no cracking, warping etc. No finish since it won't take any, just polish it up or wax it when you do your car.

Sadly not all stabilized wood is equal. Some they don't have the forumula right and it's brittle, sometimes the saturation is no complete leaving more voids or soft spots than there really should be.

The place I get mine doesn't like Buckeye Burl, my favorite, says too much waste, too many voids etc. But he can take Box Elder which he loves and it looks for all the world like Buckeye.
 
I think Satisal was many,many decades ago,{pre.ww2.} generally used for Dalbergia lattfolia or east Indian rosewood, but for many years now it has usually been Dalbergio sisso . Which I would guess, is a more predominant tree in Nepal.

Both are true rosewoods of high quality. Generally the heart is a figured red.

Chandan is originaly Santalum album or sandalwood, which has a glorious smell like incense. Although I think on the word timber markets today various Padueks are used to simulate its appearance.

spiral
 
Last edited:
My biggest thing is that if i am going to bother getting a khukuri from Nepal, then it is going to be a Nepali khukuri and not my western mind version of same....may as well paint it black or have it made from stainless and put a black or purple swirl micarta or G10 handle on the thing, and while at it, dump the cho, and etc etc.....so i just take what they send or ask Dear Yangdu if one is available with white metal, light wood, etc etc....western knives are a different thing and i do not hesitate to order something such as red micarta with all black spacers at either end and guard and pommel nickel silver and stuck in a black sheath.....just me......

Thanks for the wood education as for specifics and nice to hear the generics were not far off.....most sandlewood i have experience seemed to split quite easily but also talking cheap items from India...
 
Just been looking in my old books & doing a search on Sandlewood, it seems many timbers have been called such, so I might be wrong there. Can confirm the satisal stuff though.
 
When i was a kid i had a job working at an import outfit, most stuff was from India and much sandlewood....and incense and etc.....can still recall all the exotic scents..
 
I received my KVLUK with that light whitish wood handle. It was a little ruff, so I sanded it and cleaned it a bit. I know it needs treatment and I like the current color. What oil would you use? I'll get pics of the news kuks this weekend.
 
Of the woods that HI uses on handles, my favorite is satisal, but any of the hardwoods are perfectly fine from a functional point of view.

In terms of sheer beauty, color and ability to take a polish, Australian Bloodwood is a favorite of mine, but I haven't seen it used on a knife handle. Another favorite is Purpleheart (Peltogyne). These are both expensive woods not likely to be available in Nepal unless someone sent it there for a custom order.

I have one HI blade with a Purpleheart handle, an older Manjushri Sword by Bura, and a non-HI fighter called "Ol Bessie" by the maker. Here are some pictures:

View attachment 571432 View attachment 571433 View attachment 571434
 
I have quite a bit of Purpleheart, it's one of those ones that people either love or don't care for. I'm partial to it myself.

Same with zebrawood, it's a love/hate thing.
 
Pops, on the last photo of my KLVUK in my thread, the one next to the ruler, is the handle after a good rubdown with my wax/petrolatum/mineral oil goop....as you can see, not much effect....a hard, light, close-pored wood which does not darken much anyhow....laurel, rhododendron, etc all closely related....biggest thing you can do to keep it light is keep grime out of the wood via a hard seal....i probably will be going that route myself directly after a light sand to get to thoroughly clean wood and just past shop grinding residue....meanwhile just the goop for moisture....no protection except water....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top