Which is a better handle material?

[pinkfloyd101]

What do you guys prefer for handle between ram stag or black canvas micarta for a hard use camp/hiking/hunting knife? THANKS

 

[Guyon]

Stag looks damn nice, but I'll take the canvas micarta for hard use. It's grippier when wet. It needs no special care. It is impervious to chipping or cracking.

 

[kodiak]

Plus 1 for Canvas Micarta!

 

[Phillip Dobson]

I'd pick the micarta too. Never been a big fan of horn/antler.

 

[CWL]

Stag. It just looks so much better. While I believe that stag may fail, I don't know of any cases where it has.

I think that modern man's "hard use" doesn't come close to how people used knives 100, 200, 1000 years ago.

Stag 'personalizes' a knife.

 

[lukus]

Another vote for micarta. I think you'd be hard pressed to break a well done stag handle, but I like the long term stability of micarta. The grippier when wet is also a safety factor.

 

[Tiny86]

I would go with the micarta as well.

 

[fujita yuji]

black canvas micarta will not fail.

 

[allenC]

Stag looks damn nice, but I'll take the canvas micarta for hard use. It's grippier when wet. It needs no special care. It is impervious to chipping or cracking.

I agree that micarta is better for hard use than stag, but micarta is definitely NOT impervious to chipping and cracking.

Trust me, if you accidentally drop your micarta knife on to hard concrete, it could easily chip (mine did).
Of course, stag would have most likely faired even worse.