I'm in love with Ultem...

[jmj3esq]

Recently purchased the exclusive Cruwear Native 5 in smooth G10. Im always looking for a scale upgrade and was fortunate enough to score some Ultem scales for my Native 5 from Ripp's Garage Tech. I cant tell you how much I love these scales. They are strong and tough as **** and very translucent, given them a very cool look. the Ultem itself is absolutely gorgeous accented by the black hardware and DLC blade. Just thought i'd share. Get you some!

[Evil D]

Well obvious first question, what can it do that FRCP can't do? Besides being available from custom makers.

[mongo1958]

Well obvious first question, what can it do that FRCP can't do? Besides being available from custom makers.

It goes to 11
It does look nice.

[Mushroom]

Well obvious first question, what can it do that FRCP can't do? Besides being available from custom makers.

It can be easily machined or injection molded. FRCP is injection mold only.

It wouldn't break the internet but some bi-directional textured ultem scales would certainly make some waves!

[kennethsime]

Have you dropped it yet?

It seems to me like Ultem is great until it needs to be tough.

[jmj3esq]

I have not dropped it, but read that it is supposed to be pretty tough stuff. We will see.

[JRinFL]

Apparently there is a range of Ultem and it's made by more than one company. Colors can be black or range from well hydrated golden yellow to severely dehydrated dark yellow-orange. This might explain some of the varying results people are seeing.

I have my eye on one scale set now, but I'm not yet committed to buying.

[TheGiant80]

I saw a Shaman on Reddit with ultem scales, and both of them had fractures near the pivot. It seems like that’s the exception though, and not the rule.

Your knife looks great, as I’m sure you’re already aware. :)

[olywa]

Pricey stuff but I'm intrigued. Would like to see some additional translucent colors like orange or blue or green. Let us know how it ages.

[VashHash]

well hydrated golden yellow to severely dehydrated dark yellow-orange.

I see what you did there.

[SpyderPhreak]

The color of the material puts me off. It very much reminds me of old-school SLA parts. Those were great for rapid prototyping and light test pieces, but the material wasn't all that strong and was not stable as a long-term product (it's still very plastic, and did move a LOT over time; parts that were a few years old would literally start puddling in place, like they were melting).

I know this is a different material, but I can't get past the color.

[ladybug93]

i've not tried ultem in anything but guitar picks so far. i will say it's not my favorite material for that use, but that has little relevance to knife scales. from what i've read, ultem is incredibly strong, but usually that means it's more brittle. not sure how much that matters until we see some ultem scales get dropped in comparison to frn/frcp or even g10 and micarta.

regardless, i really don't find the more hydrated end of the spectrum (to use jr's terminology) to be attractive. the less hydrated is more attractive to me. neither is particularly attractive to me though and i've said before that translucent yellow reminds me of urine. it does look nicer with that black blade and hardware though.

also, i didn't realize that ultem could be injection molded. if that's the case, maybe there is a possibility it could find it's way into a spyderco model like the magnacut manix lw. i sure would hate to pay extra for these scales though, especially if they are brittle and unattractive. i will say that, if spyderco were to go that direction for the magnacut manix, i hope they choose a color that is closer to the orange end of the spectrum and give us coated blades and hardware, whether it's a salt or not.



op, i'm glad you like your knife. it's always rewarding when you make a favorite your own and it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of it as long as you love it and put it to use. congrats!

[JRinFL]

It can have embedded fiber in the mix, just like FRN/FRCP. Looks like the black version would be welcomed more easily.

[Coastal]

For me, the translucent yellow color is the main attraction of Ultem. I have to admit Ripp's black Ultem PM2 scales look pretty darn awesome, though.

[Guts]

I was familiar with Ultem from the 3D printing world where it's also known as PEI. I've never printed with it, it's literally 10x more expensive per 1kg spool than most common filaments, but most build plates for 3D printers these days usually come covered with a sheet of PEI. The stuff is super tough, very tear and heat resistant that's for sure. Definitely interested to try it out in some scales, but I'm curious how it takes to Rit Dye.

[ZrowsN1s]

Im not into it. But that doesn't mean you can't be.

[billdoier72]

The color reminds me of the old translucent roller skate wheels and brakes back in the late 70s and early 80s

[jmj3esq]

In hand they look just like amber. The edges are polished and are perfectly translucent. I think im going to get a set of the black ultem PM2 scales as well.

[Unbrokenchain33]

They definitely crack, especially if you’re putting a screw in it.

[jmj3esq]

I think you all are underestimating the strength of this material. I put in all screws without cracking anything. I dont see these scales getting banged up or cracked like you all fear. Its strong, tough, stuff.