2018 BF Knife Poll 5.301 - Materials Battle Royale

Which handle material for the 2018 BF Knife?

  • Ironwood

    Votes: 137 38.8%
  • Elk

    Votes: 179 50.7%
  • Burlap Micarta

    Votes: 37 10.5%

  • Total voters
    353
  • Poll closed .
Just a FRIENDLY reminder - eveness(?) in Elk should be considered. I lucked out. One side has a slight bulge that just happens to fit my hand and makes the knife very comfortable. If it was on the other side, it wouldn't fit as comfortably. Just sayin'.
 
I came back from a weekend hiking trip expecting the worst but I am quite thrilled to see that Elk is still maintaining a nice lead.

To the skeptics who continue to fret about fat/thick covers and quite possibly skimmed over the following comments, I have quoted them for your convenience below. With the amount of effort that SK and Buck have already put into this endeavor, I see no reason for us to distrust or question that they can actually deliver something exceptional.

Okay, just got back from Buck. Sorry for the prodigious pectoral muscle from my guy at Buck in the first photo.

I sat down with him and another rep that I deal with on all my projects and gave him the lay of the land for this project. I basically stated all the concerns that have been said with Elk and we talked about how this knife would be a representation of Buck to the greater Knife Forum community.

Here are a few notes from that:

Q: What would the thickness be on these elk handles.
A: Well we don't want a pregnant guppy, so we can make them nice and narrow.

Q: Quality control on each of these so that we have a good run of 250+ with happy customers?
A: We'll have Specials build this knife and keep a close eye on them as they come out.

Q: Can I assure the forum that these will look nice and not be fat?
A: Yes you can.


Q: Which part of the bark will you use?
A: Whichever you choose.

As to that last point, we went back into the factory to look at the elk. The first photo is just a shot of the antlers after they've been shed. The second are more elk parts, but the 3rd photo is important. This photo shows the two types of bark we can choose from. There is the darker bumpier stuff, and the white smooth stuff. I would vote dark all day, but that's just one man's vote, and as you can see looks super cool. The final photo is a knife they had on display right next to the antlers. Obviously that is a thick handle and has more white showing as they matched the bolsters.

Takeaway, I believe elk will be done right with very minimal unhappy customers. We can have them thinner and not so bulky and we can choose the bark. It was a nice get together with the folks over there.

View attachment 912118 View attachment 912119 View attachment 912120 View attachment 912121

Also, I just have to add this... :D

tHK6nD5.jpg
 
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Has anyone tried to scorch elk or dye it? That might give it more personality. Or turn out hideous . . .
 
I guess it will come down to whether or not you want something you can be sure of using comfortably or if you'd rather have a safe queen. Nobody doubts it will be exceptional.
 
All three materials in the poll should assuage any concerns that these knives wouldn't make good users. Elk is already an exceptionally tough material and since the concerns over fat covers have been addressed already, there shouldn't be any need to immediately relegate such to safe monarchy. Ironwood is one of the toughest woods out there. Aside from the inevitable darkening with use, it will hold up exceedingly well. Micarta is practically indestructible, nothing more to add in that regard.

We all know this, I am just mildly (and good-naturedly) curious why we are continuing to bemoan the idea that we are destined to have fat, mismatched, and/or heinously ugly elk covers. I get that Elk isn't everyone's taste but SK and Buck are practically bending over backwards to ensure we end up with the best of the best. I'm not sure what else there is to complain about other than simply not wanting elk at all.

Disclaimer: I say this all in good fun.
 
Just a FRIENDLY reminder - eveness(?) in Elk should be considered. I lucked out. One side has a slight bulge that just happens to fit my hand and makes the knife very comfortable. If it was on the other side, it wouldn't fit as comfortably. Just sayin'.
On an opposing 2-blade knife, which this knife will be, it would fit well when using one blade but not when using the other.
 
Famous alcoholic soccer player Georgie Best when asked what he spent all his fortune on replied ...
Fast cars and loose women ,the rest I squandered.

Excuses ,excuses Sailing Master.
Dont forget to cut in around the coving and skirting boards. I want that house ship shape and Bristol fashion afore we dock.
 
Oh man, sorry I've been MIA. Spent the last 4 days prepping and painting my house. It's been madness. I will redouble my efforts to get those samples tomorrow. We are at the mercy of Buck's generosity, but I will get back after it.
No problem, Stephen, I doubt that anyone here would deny you a life outside of SKBlades! Thanks for the explanation. Preston
 
I came back from a weekend hiking trip expecting the worst but I am quite thrilled to see that Elk is still maintaining a nice lead.

To the skeptics who continue to fret about fat/thick covers and quite possibly skimmed over the following comments, I have quoted them for your convenience below. With the amount of effort that SK and Buck have already put into this endeavor, I see no reason for us to distrust or question that they can actually deliver something exceptional.



Also, I just have to add this... :D

tHK6nD5.jpg
Thank you I had missed this. :thumbsup:
 
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