Handle Material + Numskull

[razmuz]

Does anyone make a knife with a reasonable handle?  I mean a bright colored handle that can be seen when dropped.  You've got to be a real numskull to carry a black or brown knife.  Back when knives were tools they had yellow or light bone handles.  When I see an idiot at the 7/11 in his high rise pick up, combat boots and saw toothed blade I know that he probably hunts with a WSM.  What fools these boy's be.  They are knife and gun magazine educated.  They got no idea that all the different designs are just to get their money.  WAKE UP....DEMAND A YELLOW HANDLE.

[Wynn]

Your observations are mildly interesting. My pickup is not a low rise but it is black, I don't own a WSM but my rifles & handguns are all dark blued or parked. My catch dogs are also black or brindle. I work on a very large piece of property tending groves, pastures, cattle, fences and the wildlife. I use a variety of knives for different purposes pretty much daily. Most of my knives are made by me and have stag or very dark, horn handles and grips. I can't remember ever losing a knife. (Or my pickup, dog or a rifle for that matter) Does this still make me a Bonehead? Where am I going with this? Seems like if you can't take care of the tools of your trade, it doesn't matter what color they are.

[halfbreed]

Wynn well said, I too have several black handled knives, black flashlights, my FN-49 mauser is very dark, don't own a wsm either. Do own a 300 RUM  just awesome.
 Take care of your gear or stay at home, be concious of your surroundings or you will surely wish you had.
 Halfbreed

[Atomic Chicken]

Greetings!

I also find your comments interesting... I'm not sure quite what you are trying to say about dark colored knives and WSM's.  I personally don't hunt with or really see the need for WSM cartridges/guns, but that's a personal preference and doesn't have anything to do with knives that I can see.

Nearly all of my knives have dark handles.  I think knives with bright handles look like $#!7, but again that's a personal preference and not one that I'd recommend particularly for any reason other than my own preference.  I've owned probably 30-40 knives in my life, and I've NEVER lost one... although there have been a few I have on occasion wished I'd lose!

Historically (and maybe I'm wrong on this)... I think the reason for light colored handles had more to do with the materials available to the craftsmen of the day and less to do with visibility of the knife or losing it or whatever... after all, most knives of the past were NOT black teflon coated or blued, and tended to shine due to the exposed steel blade anyway making a light colored handle essentially redundant.  The fact that most woods available on the North American continent are light colored and deer antlers being light colored shouldn't be overlooked.

Whatever you choose, be happy with it... and care for it enough that you don't misplace it or drop it carelessly.  That goes a lot farther than any yellow or white handle will toward keeping your knife around to enjoy!

Best wishes,
Bawko

[alpini]

I don't know what a WSM is but, I've found a lot of knives in the field. I think orange, yellow and red handles could make a comeback as I have seen some for sale.

Yeah, I lost a knife before, mostly pocket knives. Pretty careless of me, so I got to useing lanyards when I can. Also, when I have the knife out and useing it, I'll always lay it down in comeplete veiw. Right in front of me and in the open, I haven't yet lost a knife that way.

As others have said, we have to take extra care of our stuff when we are in the field or we will lose it. Bright handle material could be spotted easier from a distance than black or brown, there is merit to brightly colored handles.

Still, despite handle color, people are going to lose knives.

[jhm]

For the cost of a can of spray paint you can have any color handle you want on a quality blade, in fact if you get to the local big-mart you might catch a YELLOW light special and get several different colors to add to your wardwrobe, Just kidding of course :grin: , what ever type of handle you use is a personel choice, I am of the darker finishes and would like to add I have never lost, or had to bring in search and rescue to help me find any of my favorite Puma Knives.    JIM

[Joel]

Well Raz, haven't seen you around for a while.  Haven't changed much, huh?
There is a certain grain of truth in using high visibility handle colours such as yellow; they can be easier to find in certain terrain if your in the habit of dropping yours every time you go out.  Makes life easier.  Case and, I think, Camillus are offering yellow handled jacks again.  I own a lot of knives, but haven't carried a yellow/orange/red one in a long, long time.  Only ones I've ever seemed to lose a lot are those red handled Swiss Army Knives.  Probably should only carry one of those on my lawn(after I mow).  My other ones are the usual mixture of colours/materials.  My last buy in fact was a Gerber AR3.0 in black/silver.  Been carrying it both around here, and at work kinda field testing it.  That silver aluminum should be easy to see on the back room floor of Walmart.  I DO often wonder why anyone would carry a Camo coloured knife into the woods, at times.  Maybe the guys down south/west who hunt in their shirtsleeves need'em up in those tree stands.  One of my favorite knives has a white ivory micarta handle with a malachite(green) spacer that I made several years ago. Ran over the poor thing in my pickup when I was skinning out a buck and a doe on snow covered ground, and had laid the knife down, not thinking.  Knife actually survived quite well(couple of minor scratches on the handle and blade); but you'd think I"d learn and carry something else.  Nope....still one of my favorite knives.  Moral of this story is that if you are a careless sort, your gonna lose just about anything you carry....If you are careful and value your hunting/woods tools, you'll do just fine with anything.  Don't care for the WSM's either.

[razmuz]

Sounds like a lot of nimrods stuck with dark handled knives.  That's all right, just replace it with a bright color when you lose the dark one, and you will lose the dark one.  Thanks for your support.  Common sense will always win out in the long run.

[espuma]

A reason to NOT carry a bright-handled knife is to not draw attention to yourself out in public.  These days you could get a SWAT team after you.  If I've ever lost a knife, I don't remember it.  I try to use my common sense before I put the knife down.

Joel - hunting in shirtsleeves is no problem since I got the Mossy Oak tatoos.  They're after me because I didn't pay a royalty for it, but when they come around I just stand real still and they walk right past... :grin:

[halfbreed]

Not to add any fuel to the firehere. BUT Raxmuz has just been put on my ignore list. I have no time or value for people whose only pleaure in life is to harrass people who do not think the same as him. I did not think name calling was allowed on these forums.
 I do not appreciate some individual trying to put me or any one else down because we made our own decisions. I purchase what I want and can afford. I like my tools and implements. If that does not suit "him/her" then too bad.
Halfbreed

[razmuz]

I'm sorry "Half Bred".  I should have used dumb rather than numskull.  Why would a knife be carried out in public?  My folder with a bright green handle rides in my pocket, even when I'm hunting.  Anyway, most folders are carried in a pouch that hides the color of the knife.  I can't believe most of you haven't lost a knife when field dressing.  Deer can only distinguish blue and yellow.  Turkey hunters only need a small knife that will ride in the pocket.  The perfect knife would be one of the old Buck 110's with a bright chartreuse scale.  I've found out that the "ultra light" knives will not cut the mustard.  You need weight and something to hang on to when cleaning a deer.  The 7-11 crowd needs the quick opening feature, holes in the blade and graphite material.  Those kind of knives are real handy when doing "scratch off's" and playing the marble table.  The bottom line is that I will be more warm and fuzzy when addressing the knife forum.  You guy's have won.  I'm going to rush out a by a "speedo" or what ever their called this week.

[Knifemaker]

Can't say I've never lost any, there have been several lost.  I still prefer darker or natural colors, as do most, if not all, that I provide custom knives for.  Surely I'm not the only one to believe that the bright colored handles tend to look rather chinsy..like something out of a bubblegum machine.
I can think of at least one reason some might carry knives in public, too.  Being somewhat disabled I carry a Large automatic knife on the outside of my pocket Everywhere I go. Yes, it's lost, for the time being. Yes, it will be replaced, with a NON-neon type handle.lol
I have to chuckle at parts of this thread because I once painted my four wheeler camo, and on more than one occasion walked right past it when returning to it after a hunt. :shock:  :lol:

Kinda new to this forum, but will surely be checking in frequently.

[rickyp]

I always have several knives with me when hunting.
1) is a red handled swiss army knife that I always have with me
2) a remington big game knife ( I love this knife) this had the stag handle and is on my side in the brown case.
3) wyoming knife in the back pack this is one of the true  ones that is crome
4) a P.O.S. knife that i got a long time ago from K-mart for utility work. this one has silver bolsters and wood handles.

I did at one time loose one knife it was a O.D green one I got from buckmasters it was nice but little.

I buy what will work for my needs and not by color. if I find a knife that is camo that fits my needs or wants i will buy it and use it If I find an orange one that does the same I buy it.

If you got a fixed blade knife that you are scared of loosing you can get orange para-cord and wrap the handle, this will give you a good grip as well and is easy to change if needed.

don't laugh, as a kid I wanted a black knife real bad  just like my dad's buck 119, so I got a can of black spray paint and an old brown old timer hunting fixed blade knife and painted it black along with the nice leather sheath. it worked well enough I used it for all kinds of hunting for years.

[JeffG]

I don't lose many or sell many, but I DO  give a few away.