favorite vintage western knife handle?

[Choppin]

I was thinking the other day about my own preferences and got curious - what kind of western-style handle you prefer? I'm thinking particularly about vintage knives but I guess the same applies to current production ones.

I have a soft spot for Nogent handles, love the simple design and forward balance. I also like some slimmer versions of Sabatier's classic and Canadian handles (pics here - the Canadian is mine, the other one is from a seller in the 'bay, from an early Sab supposedly from the 1920's).

I'm not a fan of thick bolsterless handles, like some vintage Masakane. The transition from handle to blade is not comfortable for my grip. But grinding some taper in them usually solves it for me.

 

[McMan]

Tough call. I actually like the riveted sab handles better than most of nogent handles (which, unless pretty early, I find usually a little blocky). Blasphemy, I know!

Here’s a sleeper—old F. Dick.
They had this little upsweep that blended the bolster to the tang instead of making it a hard transition. The wood followed the contour. Super comfortable for a pinch grip. Old Wusthofs did this too, but a little less.
Pulled this photo from online:

 

[Choppin]

Tough call. I actually like the riveted sab handles better than most of nogent handles (which, unless pretty early, I find usually a little blocky). Blasphemy, I know!.

Here’s a sleeper—old F. Dick.
They had this little upsweep that blended the bolster to the tang instead of making it a hard transition. The wood followed the countor. Super comfortable for a pinch grip. Old Wusthofs did this too, but a little less.
Pulled this photo from online:
View attachment 254098

yeah many Nogent handles have a weird transition from a blocky square handle to a round ferrule. the really early ones are rounder and slimmer, like the example below.

this is my Tichet 8" chef's knife, from the 20's or so. super ergo and comfy.

 

[stringer]

Simple Forgecraft/Old Hickory style full tang with tapered wood block scales are super comfortable to me. But I also like the utilitarian Japanese Western handles with ferrule and no bolster like on Ashi, Kanehide, Tojiro, etc.

 

[Qapla']

From a western production maker, I'd say Messermeister's full-tang half-bolster.

 

[MarcelNL]

If Andrei Markin counts as western I'd vote for his style of handle

 

[Heckel7302]

Tough call. I actually like the riveted sab handles better than most of nogent handles (which, unless pretty early, I find usually a little blocky). Blasphemy, I know!

Here’s a sleeper—old F. Dick.
They had this little upsweep that blended the bolster to the tang instead of making it a hard transition. The wood followed the contour. Super comfortable for a pinch grip. Old Wusthofs did this too, but a little less.
Pulled this photo from online:
View attachment 254098

Both my F.Dick and WW1 era Wusthoff have that little return. Quite comfortable, especially the Wusthoff.

 

[jonnachang]

I’d have to say out of all the old school western knives I have the handle that I wish they all had is my vintage Anton Wingen 8.5 inch Chef knife.