How important is scale color?

[JuPaul]

Yep, scales are pretty important to me: color, material, and texture. I want color, and while I definitely love unique colors, I'm not super picky about color in general. Even gray makes me happier than boring ol' black, and I genuinely like brown. I will occasionally buy a knife with black g10/frn or carbon fiber if I really love the design (the upcoming Astute, for example), or if I really want to try the steel/blade (combo edge 52100 pm2, for example), but I'm way more likely to do that if aftermarket scales are available. With that said, everyone needs to go buy an Astute asap so people will start making new scales for it!

Reading your post automatically brings to my mind all the beautiful terotuf scales you've shown us here and that makes me wonder:
How much does material/texture actually influence how a color is perceived?
I mean by that for example that a color on a terotuf scale might look great, but the exact same color just ok-ish on FRN... or vice versa

That's an interesting question. I do have some micarta scales that would probably be pretty boring colors of g10 or frn, like the green putman micarta scales I love so much. The texture and material makes them much more interesting. Terotuf (and some micarta) also has a really interesting texture that makes colors look washed out or faded. I love that added character in the color, and I think it makes some sort of "average" colors look much more unique.

But I definitely have a few colors that I like in any material, like teal/seafoam/turquoise, which I've got in frn, terotuf, and alox. If someone makes it in g10, I'll probably have to buy it.

[Tucson Tom]

Hmmm. Sometimes it is and sometimes it ain't. I guess the answer is "it depends".

Most of the time though it doesn't matter. I do appreciate something that looks good (to me, eh?).
They say "art is what you like" and I guess that is true about color. I have warmed up to things that at first
jolted me (like burnt orange). Don't ask me why that put me off at first.

But some bright colors look more like they belong on toys in a babies crib to me. Some of the FRCP colors
strike me that way. On the other hand I have grown to appreciate bright colors in wilderness settings.
It is harder to walk away and not see a piece of gear on the ground when it is a bright color.

And I am not into playing the tactical "mall ninja" so bright colors are fine in that regard.

The "jade" in the jade M4 series put me off at first, but I warmed up to it. The M4 steel carried the day at first though.

[SG89]

For me some days it's important some days it's not. I like variety

[ykspydiefan]

I would like all my hunting knives to glow in the dark. Until then, I have been picky about orange and high visibility. My Gerber Gator came in black and if I lost it, $30ish is sad but not bad. Sometimes you get a chance at game and a choice of dressing in the dark or passing it up. Loosing a $200 knife in the dark would be bad for me. Hard to justify a new one vs go back to the Gator. Really, I would like everything that comes out of the pack to glow in the dark. I do not like the loss of money, time searching for said item, second guessing, emotionality etc that goes with loosing gear.

I do not want a high vis blade in the park cutting hotdog sticks. Black G10 Tenacious, proper color for a picnic. Right now one of my kids is fixated on Mermaids so I bought a Boker Rainbow Mermaid. Right colors right time right theme. It really is a time of epic choice. Still new to the depth of knife-ness I am looking forward to my first scale job on my first mule.

[Notsurewhy]

If I really like a design/steel combo I can deal with most colors but I am bored to death with grey scales. There is little as bleh as a grey blade with grey scales and grey hardware. I think of it as Ned Flanders spec (some plain white bread, maybe with a glass of water on the side for dippin'!) :D

[Naperville]

Steel choice and handle/grip are all there is, so I'd say either one of them can break the bank.

I'd love to have a Manix 2 XL in S90V, but I guess I'd have to buy it on the secondary market. If you want S30V there are plenty of knives to choose from, but I rarely buy knives, so when I do, I want nothing but the best.

CUSTOM SHOP OR BUST

[TomAiello]

I honestly don't care about scale color. If it's 'meh' I can live with it. If it's bad, I can change it. I don't think I've ever not carried a knife because of the color. The worst (to my personal taste) Spyderco color I've had is the burnt orange (Rex 45 sprint) and I can carry that one just fine. I'm not a huge fan of toxic green, but I've never had a knife in that color. And If it was a steel/model I really wanted, I wouldn't shy away from buying it--I'd just order replacement scales at the same time.

[TomAiello]

There is little as bleh as a grey blade with grey scales and grey hardware.

I actually really dig the grey scales/black blade/black hardware combination. And the grey scales on the Maxamet Manix and Native are totally fine with me. I think they'd take Rit Dye really well, though, if I didn't like them.

[Wartstein]

.......

But some bright colors look more like they belong on toys in a babies crib to me. Some of the FRCP colors
strike me that way. On the other hand I have grown to appreciate bright colors in wilderness settings.
It is harder to walk away and not see a piece of gear on the ground when it is a bright color.

.......

That´s a main practical point for bright colors for me too (not only in knives, but in most - especially smaller - pieces of gear).

It is not about literally loosing stuff, but just as you describe: Not to leave it behind accidently.

Typical situation would be for example: Having to leave some primitive mountain shelter at 3 am (cause otherwise the snow would get too soft and dangerous for the hike / climb to the summit). Still sleepy, bad lighting by just a headlamp, having to pack up rather fast. Quick look around if you forgot something before leaving camp... : While you might overlook a black small piece of gear then, not so much a bright orange one...

[Sharp Guy]

There is little as bleh as a grey blade with grey scales and grey hardware.

I actually really dig the grey scales/black blade/black hardware combination. And the grey scales on the Maxamet Manix and Native are totally fine with me. I think they'd take Rit Dye really well, though, if I didn't like them.

This is probably my favorite Manix 2 and it'll be with me tomorrow

[Abyss_Fish]

It's very important to me. I try to distance myself from the murdery side of the knife industry so I always go for a pop of color here and there. Simple is good but if I have the opportunity to anodize my backspacer purple then imma do it. I literally have a watu sitting in my roll until custom scales arrive.

Plain black is fine, and both of my working blades are black g10, but if it's not getting too grody then why have black g10 when you could have jade? or purple? Plus my work knife is bright orange frn, so that I can find it if I drop it. color isn't just vanity, it's incredibly useful as well. But it's mostly vanity.

[standy99]

I would like all my hunting knives to glow in the dark. Until then, I have been picky about orange and high visibility. My Gerber Gator came in black and if I lost it, $30ish is sad but not bad. Sometimes you get a chance at game and a choice of dressing in the dark or passing it up. Loosing a $200 knife in the dark would be bad for me. Hard to justify a new one vs go back to the Gator. Really, I would like everything that comes out of the pack to glow in the dark. I do not like the loss of money, time searching for said item, second guessing, emotionality etc that goes with loosing gear.

I do not want a high vis blade in the park cutting hotdog sticks. Black G10 Tenacious, proper color for a picnic. Right now one of my kids is fixated on Mermaids so I bought a Boker Rainbow Mermaid. Right colors right time right theme. It really is a time of epic choice. Still new to the depth of knife-ness I am looking forward to my first scale job on my first mule.

Got that sorted for a mule with some glow scales ordered

[Sonorum]

It both matters and doesn't matter. I really wanted to try the Endela so I didn't care that it was all black so it isn't a deal breaker. But I did order a dealer exclusive just because it was orange :p I specifically wanted an orange knife for hiking and then that made me realise I like colourful knives. Enough so that I'll put a colourful lanyard on a black knife to spice things up.
As someone said, I like to get away from the "murdery" aspect of knives.

[ladybug93]

i just remembered... i actually passed on a manix in a steel i wanted to try out because of the scale color. i think satin blades and red scales look terrible together. it reminds me of cheap hardware store knives. if it were dlc, that would help, but i’m just not a fan of the bright red, not to mention that’s a trainer color for spyderco. the m390 in brown was much more compelling than the 20cv in red, especially since it was also available with dlc.

[Larry_Mott]

Not important, or rather, important in that i will never - ever buy a knife with mismatched, lime green or other gaudy color scales. If in doubt choose black for me :)
Then again i love wood and micarta..

[rabbitanarchy14]

color is extremely important to me. more so than the steel it comes with. i can explain, i would rather have a bunch of colored scales to a knife with s30v as i am very content with it, even tho i love m390 more. i have said many times if all the knives they sold were like the delica where you could choose a color scale with stock steel but they still do sprints. i honestly would have a bunch of different colors and the same steel.

[The Deacon]

Not very. I'd prefer not to have a pink handle on a knife I plan on carrying but, aside from that, almost any FRN color is acceptable. On the other hand, patterns and combinations of colors are considerably more important to me. Don't care for camo, regardless of type and colors, don't care for Zome, don't care for CF in colors other than the "traditional" black/grey weave, don't care for some color combinations on layered 2 tone G-10 and wood laminates.

[JustinB]

Colour is pretty important to me, but usually doesn't stop me from getting models that I am interested in. Overall, I like when we have lots of colour options for models

[JuPaul]

It's very important to me. I try to distance myself from the murdery side of the knife industry so I always go for a pop of color here and there. Simple is good but if I have the opportunity to anodize my backspacer purple then imma do it. I literally have a watu sitting in my roll until custom scales arrive.

Plain black is fine, and both of my working blades are black g10, but if it's not getting too grody then why have black g10 when you could have jade? or purple? Plus my work knife is bright orange frn, so that I can find it if I drop it. color isn't just vanity, it's incredibly useful as well. But it's mostly vanity.

Have you found someone that'll make custom scales for the Watu??

[benben]

Not really all that important to me, although I don't plan on ever buying a pink knife! I did however pause on buying a yellow Pacific Salt, for a long time actually, just didn't want a yellow knife! Now.....it's just another Spyderco that works, and works dang well for me, it's in my pocket right now and I never look at it as my "odd yellow knife".

I do however think OD green G-10 is beautiful, always have and pretty sure I always will, it's my favorite color!