Would you buy a knife just because the stag handle is really nice?

Would you buy a knife just because the stag handle is really nice?

  • Yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Only if under $200

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Only if under $100

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
supratentorial

supratentorial

Joined
Dec 19, 2006
Messages
8,210
I saw a knife with some really nice stag handles but I don't particularly like the pattern. I've thought about buying it just because I like the handles so much but it seems foolish since I don't particularly care for the pattern and it's not an inexpensive knife. What would you do? I'm asking since your input might influence my decision. ;)
 
If I don't like the pattern, I'm probably not buying the knife regardless of the handle material. The only exception for me would be if the knife was too much of a bargain to pass on.

Jason
 
That's how I ended up with this one. Was sort of indifferent to the blade & pattern initially, but the stag scales really spoke to me. Good news was, the steel (damascus) turned out to be a very pleasant surprise, too. :)
 
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Yup, I even think of buying some of the old knife steels and kitchen utensils that have REALLY nice old stag tapers to use for a knife project. The old british ones are usually Indian sambar with nice popcorned look to it!
 
Robert.B said:
Yup, I even think of buying some of the old knife steels and kitchen utensils that have REALLY nice old stag tapers to use for a knife project. The old british ones are usually Indian sambar with nice popcorned look to it!
Click to expand...

Get out of my head, you! :D

henckelscarvingset1.jpg


- Christian
 
I voted NO. To me, a knife should be functional or I don't need it. I already have plenty of functional knives that I don't really need either, but that's another story. ;)
-Bruce
 
I too have carving sets just for the handles. It is easier to buy a knife than a suitable piece of stag.
 
No. The knife has to be appealing overall. The handles alone don't make any knife appealing.
 
Jake, do you want to spill what the pattern is?
I am not too sure, sometimes I am in this very position, and if I dont hear those little voices screaming at me to buy it anyway, usually I wont, which is not often dammit, but sometimes if you carry the knife it could grow on you....its such a personal thing really, and Im wondering really if any of our opinions matter until we all saw the knife?
It may be a good experiment to carry the knife for a while, if you don't grow to the pattern, well...you got a damn nice looking knife to gift someone!
supratentorial said:
I saw a knife with some really nice stag handles but I don't particularly like the pattern. I've thought about buying it just because I like the handles so much but it seems foolish since I don't particularly care for the pattern and it's not an inexpensive knife. What would you do? I'm asking since your input might influence my decision. ;)
Click to expand...
 
henckelscarvingset1.jpg


- Christian[/QUOTE]

Long admired those Carvers of Christian's. Mellowed stag and an even patina, be a treat to slice some decent roast with them:thumbup:

So, I voted yes! It is a quandry, but decent stag is hard to come by and if you really don't connect with the pattern, quality stag will make the knife easy to trade with someone else.
 
No, I dont feel the cost of stag is worth it. I am very happy with micarta or G-10. Jigged bone is also cool. What I look for is a nice pattern, and a nice shield. But the pattern more than anything.
 
Stag is by far my favorite handle material. I'm guilty of buying a stag handled knife just for the handle.
 
I may cause me to pay a bit more for a knife, but I wouldn't buy the knife just because it was pretty. There have been a couple of brands over the past years that made some really pretty knifes, and the steel was so soft that you could get the knife screaming sharp.

However, one was enough for me. It seemed that knife could get sharp by simply being in my pocket, no use needed. I could literally dull that knife by sharpening my carpenter's pencils a few times a day.

Sure was pretty, though!

Robert
 
That's a good looking Buck, David! I've also looked at serving sets as a source of stag. Some really nice stag on Christian's carving set, by the way! Duncan, I prefer not to specify the pattern since I don't want to offend anyone. You make some good points though. I don't have much experience with this pattern. It's a big single blade and I don't usually carry single blades (except for sodbusters or Opinels) or knives that big. That alone might not stop me but I also don't care for several features of the blade-- the type of grind, the type of pulls and the geometry. I have no doubt that it's a well made knife and I'm a fan of the company but I know that I tend not to hang on to anything that I don't use. :\
 
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I don't think I would.
Personally I'm no fan of stag, but I took the question in the wider meaning of "attractive handle material".
I may see it, and think it's nice, but if I don't like the knife overall, I wouldn't get it.
Unless I was a collector maybe...which I'm not.

Fausto
:cool:
 
Though I'm not a collector my take is this. The knife is a knife (pattern) with no matter the handle
material. That being said I don't think any thing will sell a knife quicker than quality (rare-expensive)
handle material. A lot of this thinking came from WG. Throw in Damascus on the blade and everything
Changes. Would I carry one because of the handle?- NO. Would I not carry one because of the handle?
Yes.
Ken.
 
supratentorial said:
That's a good looking Buck, David! I've also looked at serving sets as a source of stag. Some really nice stag on Christian's carving set, by the way! Duncan, I prefer not to specify the pattern since I don't want to offend anyone. You make some good points though. I don't have much experience with this pattern. It's a big single blade and I don't usually carry single blades (except for sodbusters or Opinels) or knives that big. That alone might not stop me but I also don't care for several features of the blade-- the type of grind, the type of pulls and the geometry. I have no doubt that it's a well made knife and I'm a fan of the company but I know that I tend not to hang on to anything that I don't use. :\
Click to expand...

The Buck was one that I'd seen on the 'auction site', and it was listed as having a 'black oxide blade'. The included box was even labelled as such. The seller's pics didn't quite reveal that it was actually damascus, so I'd just assumed it was a stag-handled Buck with a dark 420HC blade. It was darker (very) when I bought it, so much so that the damascus grain could hardly be seen. I've since cleaned off a good bit of the dark oxide. It has a VERY attractive grey patina now, and reveals more of the subtle grain of damascus. As I mentioned, the stag is what really grabbed my attention on that one.

I also have a very large Wayne Clay lockback in stag. I bought that one in response to a very similar impulse. It's too big to be practical for me, but the BIG, BEEFY stag handles are awesome on it. I'll have to take some photos of that one, too.

AND, the knife seen in my avatar pic (Case T.B.5339 SS Sowbelly) is one that I pounced on mainly due to the attractiveness of the stag scales. I was already accumulating some other of the Case sowbellies, so the pattern was already an interest for me.
 
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