Which do you prefer, brass or nickel silver bolsters?

If (more like when) I decide to get another 110 from the custom shop I would get it in brass. The brass gets that rugged look after a couple of months or so which I totally dig.
 
On the 300 series (and other slip-joints) I prefer the nickel look, but on the 110/112 I'm so used to brass that is simply looks "right". OH
 
Just out of curiosity, the oak scales that might be used on a custom 110, do you think it's American oak or imported?
 
I could be wrong csisland but I think the very beautiful to my eyes 110 Chairman model is N/S. Even though I can't stand the bulk I'm so tempted by that model!
 
gsea said:
Looked at the website and the only choices were buffalo or cherry. I would without hesitation take the cherry with n/s.
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There are more choices to choose from in addition to those two. You have to move the bar across and it shows you the other ones.
 
Patina and small dings on the brass of an EDC 110 or 112 seem natural to me. Same with the sheath--when it starts conforming to the shape of the knife, and there are a bunch of creases on the flap, it's fast becoming an old friend (like the one in Wazu013's photo).

I don't neglect maintenance...clean, dry, and serviceable, as the old phrase goes. Sharpen. Oil the joint. Mink oil on the sheath now and again. But the brass? I like for it to show its character. The Brasso and Never Dull can stay on the work bench.
 
sunandsteel said:
There are more choices to choose from in addition to those two. You have to move the bar across and it shows you the other ones.
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Never new that might order a custom my self. As far as your walnut my preference would be brass.
 
gsea said:
Never new that might order a custom my self. As far as your walnut my preference would be brass.
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I was thinking brass also if the choice is walnut. Also like the choice of nickel sliver with the cherry. It's a tough choice because they all look good to me.
 
csisland said:
Just out of curiosity, the oak scales that might be used on a custom 110, do you think it's American oak or imported?
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David Martin said:
It will be a laminate oak, more blonde. I think still made in the U.S.. DM
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I have a 110 Custom and it is a laminated American Oak. As for brass vs. n/s, I have always preferred brass for it's richer and warmer look. Kind of like the difference between a nickel and brass Zippo. Brass has class. :)
 
Brass,, though I wish they'd make something even less shiny, maybe bronze or blue carbon steel.
 
^ Brass can be blackened or antiqued and it looks pretty nice, I think. Blue Carbon steel wouldn't be a good idea, it would cause rusting in the joint and the blade underneath it, most likely.

I prefer nickle silver, prefer the color it has when polished and the fact it doesn't smell. I'd prefer stainless steel or titanium, as they don't tarnish nearly as much as Brass or Nickle silver.
 
A close call for me. I have brass on the 110s and 112s, but nickel-silver on the 500 and 501. On the whole, I think I prefer the brass — but I couldn't say why. I'd be perfectly content if my 500s had brass — but they do look nice even in n/s.

If I forced to say why brass seems preferable, I think it's the fact that brass tarnishes and shows wear much more easily than n/s does. To me, those are marks of honest use and age and good service. Like all of us, the brass-bound knives more readily show what they've been through!
 
My pecking order is yellow Gold, white Gold, Platinum, Stainless steel, Nickel Silver, and Brass. Nickel Silver is actually a white Brass as used in the bread of U.S. sandwich coins. It has no Silver but is an alloy of about 60% Copper, 20% Nickel, and 20% Zinc.
Push coming to shove, I sorta like the propertiies of Titanium. Light weight, corrosion resistant, great strength to weight ratio, low speciic heat (warm to to touch), and anodizable to prevent scratching. Too bad Buck discontinued the 186 and the 560.
 
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