Noticed that some of the Ganzos come with wood handles, usually some small weight savings compared to G10 too.
Any feedback on the quality, longevity, fit & finish of these wood handles.
My pocket knives get used, so I am wondering if the wood handles would be too fragile and are meant more for collectors and display cases?
Should I just stick to G10?
Heck, if ya like wood I say USE it. Scratches and dings give it character IMO. Although G10 is more durable. I don't have any wood handled Ganzos. But have Enlan EL-01 in both wood and G10 handles. I use both equally not ever minding or thinkin bout scratchin up the natural wood. Character I say. So really, it doesn't matter.
Now if you spring for exotic wood like CocoBolo or Wenge, etc...yeh, take care of it. They are show pieces.
But the Ganzo line is so affordable, it just doesn't make any diff the handle be it wood or synthetic, at least to me.
Totally agree with Streamer!
I have 3 knives with wooden scales. They are all used regularly and with my usual carelessness and they hold up very well. The more you use them the better the look and feel.
It looks very nice
We are eyeballing 1 and cannot choose between it and a 720 (that has a larger blade)
Aren’t their “wood” handles just compressed sawdust with glue? I forget what they call it, but it’s not wood.
Pakka wood is the term. Sawdust asd resin, very durable.
Yeah. It’s more durable than wood I think.
I received my G738-W1 a couple of weeks ago. It looks really pleasing in real life too thanks to the nice grain patterns in the wood and it also feels pleasent holding in the hand. The scales are made of real wood which got a high polished finish + wax treatment. If you don’t soak it in water I wouldn’t worry about it.
What leads you to believe it’s real wood? What kind of wood is it?
Mine arrived with a scratch on one of the scales so I took the knife apart. The back side of the scales looks like ordinary unfinished wood.
I have no idea what sort of wood it’s made of but I managed to remove the scratch by sanding then polishing (800, 1000, 1200, 2000) and finally I waxed the scale to achive the original factory finish.
Interesting thread. The new Ganzo wood handles sure does looks gorgeous and making the knives looks less aggressive. Also a good thing they start making stonewash finish version on their newer models
Pakkawood has no irregularities, and is generally a better choice for durability
It is built layer on layer which looks like wood BUT it misses the natural wood fealing
The Ganzo handle scales are very individual in their appearance and if you like natural wood, they look great IMHO
For Xmas I ordered four G727 and later one G738, the scales all look different
Pakka doesn’t have the wood grain, it looks more like micarta.
Rosewood:
Pakka:
Quote from Isti242:
[quote=isti242]
I received my “G738-W1”:Steel Reviews: New Ganzo folders are coming - G727M-W1, G734, G738 a couple of weeks ago. It looks really pleasing in real life too thanks to the nice grain patterns in the wood and it also feels pleasent holding in the hand. The scales are made of real wood which got a high polished finish + wax treatment. If you don’t soak it in water I wouldn’t worry about it. "!
That looks like wood to me. The G7361 switchblades are available in light wood (W1) and black-wood (W2). From the pics on line, the W1 model looks just like the wood scale image above. The black-wood is not appealing to me. May as well be black g10 for all that matter.
Thanks for the replies.
As long as the fit and finish is good and is durable (i.e. will not crack with normal use) I will seriously consider ordering it.
@Isti - the 738 is the model I was thinking of getting with the wood (pakka?) handles. Supposedly some weight saving over G10 too.