the paint job held up fairly well to a little light work, chopping branches and such, but like the crinkle finish it would have definitely worn if I had done any batoning with it. I was thinking that with the texture of the Res-c that the paint would have something to adhere to, but one of the dogs on here (Monsterdog I believe) pointed out to me that it is non-porous, and adhesion was less than satisfactory, even after giving it 24 hours to cure. Any use that resulted in an impact caused the paint to chip and bubble, kinda like painting a ballon and stretching it out. It will work to paint the handles, but only for a short term solution. You might try some other types of paint, I used Krylon Camo paint, and see if you can't find something that adheres better, but otherwise I'd say it won't hold up. Orange Lanyard maybe?