How strong is FRN ?

[ebbingtide]

Just wondered how strong FRN was . Has anyone had a handle crack or could one crack if say the pocket clip was tightened too much ?

[JD Spydo]

That's a great question "ebbingtide" :) I'm here to tell you that Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon ( FRN ) is truly a great handle material. My current EDC ( 440V, SE, Golden CO USA, NATIVE) has a FRN handle and I've had great success with it as an every day carry>> which get's used quite a lot.

There are many knife afis and knife users who tend to look down their nose at FRN because of it's plastic-like appearance. And I'll be the first to admit that it doesn't win any beauty contests. But like a lot of things that Spyderco does engineering wise is that they do many things for function rather than for looks and/or aesthetic appeal.

FRN I think it's fair to say is designed for hard use, corrosion resistance and solely for enduring function. It's truly a user's handle and not a big collector item like Carbon Fiber, Micarta, Titanium and a few other handle materials I could mention.

I want you and the other brethren to know that I put my work knives though the same hellish abuse that brother Yablanowitz puts his through :D And I've never cracked, broken or significantly damaged any of the FRN Spyders I've used for the past few years.

If you're buying a blade for hard use, casual use or just because you want to save a few bucks over the Spyders with the high caliber handles>> I can say with 100% honesty that FRN is a great handle material>> functionally speaking>>very colorful too

[ebbingtide]

Thanks for the quick and indepth reply :) I just wanted some reasurance as I carry an Atlantic Salt for Search and Rescue on the coast and as they are very expensive here in the UK I wanted to make sure I'd made the right choice .

Dunc

[The Deacon]

FRN is both tough and flexible. I had Steve Rice (STR) rebuild an Atlantic Salt for me with stabilized maple scales over titanium liners. When he returned the knife to me, he also sent back the two FRN "slabs" from the original handle. I've bent one of them until the ends almost touched several times. You might squash it a bit if you seriously over tighten the clip, but unless your working in the type of extreme cold found only near the poles, cracking should never be a problem.

[yowzer]

The only picture of a broken FRN handle I've seen involved the knife in question getting stabbed into the ground and then run over with a trackhoe. It's strong enough, in other words.

[angusW]

The only picture of a broken FRN handle I've seen involved the knife in question getting stabbed into the ground and then run over with a trackhoe. It's strong enough, in other words.

Ya, I remember that thread. Pretty amazing. Check it out here.

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... t=warranty

[Falco]

I'll second JD's opinions on FRN, its a great durable material. I've carried an Endura 2 for many years working in a warehouse. It's been scraped, dropped, thrashed, and severely abused because I once considered it my beater knife.

But after resharpening the blade, and maybe replacing the pocket clip, you'd never know the things its been through, because the FRN wears no scars whatsoever of its past.

[yowzer]

Ya, I remember that thread. Pretty amazing. Check it out here.

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthre ... t=warranty

Unfortunately, the images are gone. David should post them again...

[huugh]

Just wondered how strong FRN was . Has anyone had a handle crack or could one crack if say the pocket clip was tightened too much ?

I would say it is not very strong* - in terms of being firm, which is not surprising, considering it is fiberglass reinforced NYLON.
But as you can see in posts above, it is flexible and resilient...


*-M-W.com:

strength
2 : power to resist force : solidity, toughness

[vivi]

It's very, very tough stuff in my experience. If I listed all that my Spyderco FRN has been through I'd make some members cringe :)

[Fred Sanford]

Unfortunately, the images are gone. David should post them again...

I forgot about that. I knew some things would have bad links when I moved pictures. I'll put them up tonight.

[clovisc]

It's very, very tough stuff in my experience. If I listed all that my Spyderco FRN has been through I'd make some members cringe :)

i'm intrigued! do you need us to beg you?!!! please share!!!

[Fred Sanford]

The pics in my old thread are back. Enjoy. :)

Remember this was not under normal use and was totally my fault.

http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35715

For those that don't know some of the BobCat's can go 6000+ lbs.