FRN as a handle material, Longevity, who knows???

FRN as a handle material, Longevity, who knows???


Years ago skateboard trucks were made of this composite material and now many outdoor products feature the use of FRN. It can come in a multitude of colors. However, nylon is not known for being resistant to Ultra violet light, nor is it resistant to the absorption of water over time. Now these may not be concerns for you, it depends upon what your end use is. 1000 hours exposure to blistering sunlight in the desert may affect the mechanical properties of FRN. At best, the performance against UV light is "fair".

As far as knife handles are concerned UV resistance is not that high up on the list but resistance to Ozone maybe over time. How does FRN fare here? Well, Nylon is poor at OZONE resistance. Why am I telling you all of this. Well if you think that this knife handle will still be in good nick in 20 years time then it may not due to Nylon's inherent disadvantages against Ozone and UV. That's the reason why one should retire their climbing ropes not only because of getting close to the maximum number of falls it's rated at but because nylon will loose it's mechanical properties over time. So if you want that knife handle to be still useful in 20 years time then it needs to be kept out of the light when not being used. Look at skateboard trucks which are older than 20 years the FRN is knackered. KRATON, however, I know will go the distance of well over 20 years hard use. How do i know this? Because of my 20 year plus old ONTARIO SPEC PLUS knife. The handle is still in great shape despite the saltwater and rough as guts treatment this knife has seen from impromptu hunting trips (if there is such a thing) to camping all around the globe. The blade might be a bit rusty, heck it is made from 1095 steel; and the scabbard almost knackered but that handle is still rocking!