Wilderness Knife Handle Question

M

Mtn Hawk

Joined
Nov 8, 2005
Messages
270
The best knife handle material I've used in the wilderness is Resiprene C. I much prefer a grippy handle that fully encloses the tang and that provides shock absorption. I think Scrap Yard is the only manufacturer that uses this material but unfortunately they don't have the blade length I'm looking for (around 4", with a useable choil).

How "cool" or "tactical" a knife looks doesn't matter to me. My knives are users and I'm only interested in function, utility, and durability.

The only handle material I can find on the quality knives I'm looking at are hard slabs such as micarta, which leave the tang partially exposed. I'm concerned about hard handles not being grippy enough when covered with water or blood, and skin freezing to exposed metal in sub-freezing temps. I'm not as concerned about shock absorption as I would be with a large chopping knife.

Can anyone who has used knives such as this in the rain, snow, and cold, especially when hunting and fishing, give me some feedback on how the handle performs?

(Sorry if this question has been asked before. I don't have a "Search" function.)

Thanks!




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I like stag... grips well even with blood, water, beer on the handle. And it looks cool.
 
I am quite fond of the sanded micarta on Ranger knives. Seems real grippy, even when wet.
 
Sanded Micarta offers the best grip and comfort IMO. When it gets wet, it seems to grip even more. It's about as tough as the steel it's attached to, and is comfortable to hold.
 
The handle material on Fallkniven and some Cold Steel use different names like Kraton or Thermorun elastomer but are very similar to Resiprene C.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
The handle material on Fallkniven and some Cold Steel use different names like Kraton or Thermorun elastomer but are very similar to Resiprene C.
Click to expand...

Fallkniven and the newer Cold Steel knives (the older ones were too mushy) have excellent handles. They offer great grip and aren't so sticky that they raise hotspots.

My favorite though is micarta or g-10. I like it either glassy smooth or light sanded.
 
Mtn Hawk said:
I think Scrap Yard is the only manufacturer that uses this material but unfortunately they don't have the blade length I'm looking for (around 4", with a useable choil)
Click to expand...

They did make one, the SS4 in INFI, but it was a limited release. Scroll about 3/4 of the way down the page here They can be found on the secondary market but they do command a premium. Supposedly at some point they're going to make it out of a different steel so that might be an option.

I like canvas micarta, it doesn't get slick when wet and has a good grip. I can't stand G10 as it seems to get slicker the wetter it gets.
 
I have used a Cold Steel Master Hunter for years as my primary deer field dressing knife. I supplement it some with my Gerber Gator folder too. Most of my using a knife in the field has been when my hand was covered in blood and fat. I agree that a "rubbery" handle is the best to use and clean afterword for me. Had a Fallkniven and the handle felt too small for me. I keep wanting Scrapyard knives to make a thin drop point. They made a Combat Grade Yard Keeper recently that was very promising for around $70 but they sold out fast and I have not been able to catch one on the secondary market. I hope they will have some when I go the BLADE show. The original Yard Keeper was too thick for me.
 
actually I know someone who has some yardkeeper LE's... and I know some people that enlarge the coils...
idk.
you could PM if you want some info.

but the SS4 is also an AMAZING knife if you can find one.
:D

also... swamprat and busse have released knives (in the past) with res-c handles....
and I love the stuff too.... especially for all day chopping.
plus it really is super durable.
:D


oh, and I find that micarta and other materials don't have much grip when wet.
???
 
Take a look at a Bark River Nebula. I like mine for COLD weather bushcraft, camping and wet environments. Stainless that has been touched by the master of heat treatment, it holds an edge as well as good A2 and does not rust near as much.
Plus they have an enclosed mortised tang that does not have you gripping a cold piece of metal. I like blaze orange G-10 as it is hard to lose and is tacky even when wet.

Nebula_Blaze_Orange_S.jpg
 
on my KA-BAR i have the non slip grip Kraton-G its great, grippy when wet with water or blood from field dressings
 
Thanks for all the replies! :) Lots of good info.

IIRC, some years ago I read about a few Kraton handles coming loose from the tang. This was probably caused by how the manufacturer attached them and hopefully has been corrected by now.

I looked at Fallkniven and heard good things about them but I'm a big fan of choils and didn't see any on their knives.

I have a Master Hunter that I'll try to grind a choil into, as eatingmuchface mentioned. Whether I'll be successful or not I don't know but, if it works, it would greatly increase my options. Not many knives have both useable choils and the type of handle material I prefer.

Thanks for the tips about micarta, both sanded and canvas. The Ranger RD4 is one of the knives I'm considering, so that's a plus. I definitely prefer handles with fully enclosed tangs, though. I didn't know some Ka-Bars come with Kraton handles, so that was good to know.

BlackHills, thanks for the heads up about the SS4.

I'll check out all the manufacturers of the knives mentioned to see if they have what I'm looking for, or close to it.
 
If you ever have the chance to try BURLAP micarta, give it a go! It works very well for me, wet or dry. Looks kinda cool too- kinda like a corncob.
 
Like someone else said there is the Scrapyard SS4 but also look at the Swamprat Bandicoot and Swamprat Howlingrat( 1st or 2nd generation I can't remember which ) all of these come up on the for sale forum at good prices esp the Bandicoot !!!!
comp040.jpg
 
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