THE GUIDE: THE DIFFERENT KNIFE HANDLE MATERIALS
The Ultimate Guide to Knife Handle Materials
In this article, we will compare the different types of knife handle materials. Beginners often fall into the trap of assuming that the knife handle is simply an aesthetic choice. However, in reality, the handle type is very important to the overall performance and characteristics of the knife.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the most common handles you’ll typically find in knife handles today. These materials can be metallic , synthetic , or natural , and each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Whether you’re looking for a pocket knife , hunting knife , fixed blade knife , or simply a collectible, this guide should help you determine the best knife handle material to suit your needs.
Stainless steel
Stainless steel offers excellent durability and corrosion resistance but is not particularly lightweight. Additionally, stainless steel handles can be rather slippery, so manufacturers must incorporate etching or ridges to provide the required friction. Quite often you will see stainless steel used in combination with plastic or rubber, to improve grip, but stainless steel handles are generally to be avoided in EDC or heavy knives, due to the added weight.
Benefits: Strong, durable and corrosion resistant
Disadvantages: Heavy, can be slippery
Examples of stainless steel handles
Titanium
Titanium is a lightweight metal alloy and offers the best corrosion (rust) resistance of any metal. It is a little heavier than aluminum but still considered a light metal and much stronger. Unfortunately, it is also more expensive to machine.
Titanium is one of those rare metals that has a warm feel to it, so it doesn't hurt you as much in the winter as something like aluminum. Note that both titanium and aluminum suffer from being prone to scratches compared to stainless steel.
Titanium can be given a unique and attractive color through the anodizing process which is especially common on custom knives. Additionally, it can be textured by shot blasting .
Beware of the Titanium marketing machine, though. You'll often see Titanium getting more credit than it deserves due to effective marketing. It is far from indestructible and not all alloys are as strong as stainless steel.
Benefits: Strong, lightweight, corrosion resistance
Disadvantages: Relatively expensive, prone to scratches
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber is a somewhat generic term referring to thin strands of carbon woven tightly together and then set in resin. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer is what you get when you buy a knife marketed with a 'carbon fiber handle'. The result? An extremely strong yet lightweight material that is also quite expensive. Although strong, it is far from indestructible and suffers from being brittle. Think of carbon fiber as a bunch of straws glued together - it is very strong (much stronger than steel) in one direction but begins to separate when stressed in other directions. Because it is brittle, it can crack if subjected to violent shocks.
Because of the way the carbon 'weave' reflects light, you can achieve beautiful results with a knife handle. However, producing carbon fiber handles is a labor-intensive process, so it is typically only found on high-end knives. This stuff isn't cheap!
Benefits: strong, light, catchy
Disadvantages: expensive, brittle
Micarta®
Micarta is an example of a popular brand of a phelonic - which refers to various substances made with the organic compound Phenol .
Thin layers of linen fabric are soaked in a phenolic resin, producing a product that is lightweight, strong, and a little dressier than G-10. It was originally introduced as an electrical insulator and easily one of the best plastics for making knife handles.
Unfortunately, Micarta itself has absolutely no surface texture, is very slippery and slick, and requires quite a bit of manual work to produce and then carve some sort of texture into the knife. This makes it Dear , which results in a more expensive knife. Note that many will tell you that Micarta can be easily scratched but let me assure you that is not the case. Micarta is very hard and not easy to scratch at all. Sure, it will scratch under attack from sharpened steel, just like G-10 and carbon fiber, but overall it holds up very well.
Benefits: Robust, lightweight, durable
Disadvantages: Dear, fragile
G-10
G-10 has very similar properties (perhaps slightly inferior) to carbon fiber but can be obtained for almost a fraction of the cost. The manufacturer takes layers of fiberglass fabric and dips them in resin, then compresses and pressure bakes them. The material that makes it extremely strong, hard, very light and strong. In fact, G-10 is considered the strongest of all fiberglass resin laminates and tougher (although more brittle) than Micarta.
Checks and other patterns add texture to the handle, making it a solid and comfortable grip. The production process may use many layers of the same color or different colors to achieve a unique cosmetic appearance on the G-10 handle.
Benefits: Robust, lightweight, durable
Disadvantages: fragile, lack of elegance
BONE
Bone handles have been used since the dawn of man and are still very popular among the knife collecting community; in fact, it is the most common material today for classic pocket knives. The bone comes from naturally deceased animals and from a wide variety of animals including elephant and giraffe. Yet the most common and profitable bone used today is the abundant cow bone. Besides bones, similar materials like antlers (deer, elk, etc.), horns (sheep, cow, buffalo, etc.) and tusks (elephant, walrus) will often be used.
Of course, many love bone handles simply because of tradition. The bone can be dyed to achieve bright colors and can be textured to make it easier to grip.
Unfortunately, bone is somewhat slippery under heavy use and is porous, which affects its stability and makes it susceptible to warping and cracking. Temperature, light and humidity can all impact the characteristics of a bone handle, making them unsuitable for many.
Benefits: Inexpensive, the use of dyes creates eye-catching, traditional designs
Disadvantages: porous, liable to crack, somewhat slippery
Drink
Just like bone, wood has been used as a knife handle since the birth of knives. A good quality wooden handle can be durable and attractive, making wood a relatively inexpensive material for heavy knives. Wood also adds a lot of beauty to a knife, making wood handled knives popular among collectors.
Different types of wood are used in knife handles, so you need to choose wisely depending on how and where you are going to use the knife. If you plan on using it often in wet conditions, you don't want your knife handle to be made of soft or thin woods like black walnut; It is better to use hardwood or stabilized wood, where the wood is injected with plastic.
Of course, there is a wide variety of prices among wooden handles depending on the type and rarity of the wood used.
Benefits: Lots of variety, attractive, durable, comfortable to hold
Disadvantages: Porous and unstable
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