Fixed-blade knife for rugged service and its manufacture

A knife, comprising:

• a blade that is elongated in an elongation direction;
• a tang extending from the blade generally parallel to the elongation direction;
• a handle attached to the tang of the blade, the handle comprising:
• a plastic base fixed to the tang and having an externally visible exposed plastic portion, and
• a rubber grip fixed to the plastic base and having an externally visible exposed rubber portion,
• wherein the handle of the knife has a top, a bottom, two sides, and a butt remote from the blade, and wherein
• the exposed plastic portion of the plastic base extends generally parallel to the tang of the knife along the top of the knife and forms the butt of the knife and wherein the exposed plastic portion of the plastic base further includes a hilt extending generally perpendicularly to the elongation direction and a guard fixed to the hilt adjacent to the top of the knife, and wherein
• at least a part of the exposed rubber portion of the rubber grip extends generally parallel to the tang of the knife along the bottom and the two sides of the knife, and wherein the exposed rubber portion of the rubber grip further includes a rubber thumb rest adjacent to the guard.