[kannonfyre]

I've heard a lot about peoples' many and varied taste for knife handle materials. One thing however, concerns me a great deal and that is criticism of kraton as a handle material (almost all of the knives I own have kraton handles)...:what:

Is there any truth to statements that kraton will "rot" when exposed to DEET based bug repellent? Or that gun lubricating oil might adversely affect it? Is kraton an inferior/less durable handle material? How does it compare to micarta, zytel, prylon, thermorun?

[hksw]

MIcarta® and Zytel® are resins/thermoplastics. They are pretty stable and are generally more resistant to fluids and the environment than the syntheic rubbers and elastomers like Kraton® and Thermorun®. (I've actually have never run into Thermorun so I'm going on like it's similar to Kraton®, Santoprene®, Neoprene®, etc. It seems to be similar to those as from what I've read about it.)

Although I've never tested Kraton® against DEET, my guess is that it is more susceptible to DEET's carrier than DEET itself. I'm sure DEET could affect it some but the organic carrier is more likely the cause for degradation.

Kraton® is a synthetic rubber that is crosslinked to become the flexible hard spongy material you're accustomed to. Despite being 'cured', the chemical bonds between the molecules can be cleaved causing it to break down and become either liquid (by using a very strong solvents, acids, etc.) or crumbly/brittle (through solvents, oxidation, UV, ozone, etc.). It acts similar to any rubber like your tires. I'm sure Thermorun® would act the same way, maybe slightly better, maybe slightly worse. [I think, though, that tires would probable hold up better than K or T as they are of a much more tougher binder and have a lot more additives and filler to improve performance.]

IMO, if you don't dunk your Kraton® handled knife in DEET and leave it unwiped, it's no big deal to just wipe off any bug repellant that gets on it and not worry about it. I gone this long without any bad effects on my Kraton® handles knives, can't see why I can't go on further. Just keep them away from light when storing and out of the jar of toluene.

[Lone Star]

There are different grades of Kraton. Fallkniven says their Kraton and Thermorun handles passed Swedish and US govt. tests that involved exposure to DEET, but I'd sure wipe it off with a damp rag real fast, just to be safe. Their F1 and S1 are approved for US aircrew use. The F1 is Swedish AF standard survival issue.

www.fallkniven.com to read about these excellent knives. The NL series is somewhat Randall-like, with leather handles.

Lone Star