G-10, Carbon Fiber & Carbon/Kevlar durability

A

Alex p. Schorsc

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Feb 18, 2003
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Hi folks, concerning durability, I know that G-10 is practically unbeatable as far as handle material goes. What about Carbon Fiber? Can Carbon Fiber compare to Micarta or G-10 as far as strength and durability go? Another question is that I have seen Carbon Fiber mixed with Kevlar for handle slabs as well and I would be interested in knowing how this new material (Carbon/Kevlar) compares to traditional Micarta and G-10. Thanks in advance for any input.
 
As the saying goes; if you break it, you weren't using the right tool.
 
G-10 is tough, micarta it tough, and CF is lighter and as or more tough in my experience. Pickup a S90V/CF Military and try to break the handle. ;)
 
CF will scratch easily I understand, in all of these products (not sure about kevlar) is it the resin thats the material is mixed with that lends the strength.
From my experiance both G10 and micarta are super stong and feel good in the hand (i.e. will not slip out). G10 (to me) feels a little rougher, whereas my micarta feels slightly smoother - but that could just be the finish, both are available to buy as slabs, not sure about CF.
 
Seems like nobody has given a very definate answer, but it seems that carbon fiber can be a tough handle material as well as micarta and G-10. Wish somebody had a more authorative answer - like based on real tests. Where are the specialists?
 
They are all pretty tough materials but in my experince CF is the superior of the 3 as far as strength and toughness goes but the other two are not far behind.
CF and G-10 are not too dissimilar, one using glass fibers and the other using carbon fibers, micarta uses some sort of cloth.
I also think CF looks the best as it dosnt have the same layered look as you sand through it you get with micarta or G-10.

Having "tested" all 3 to some extent (in no scientific way what so ever) by hitting bits of scrap with a hammer, hamering nails into them, splitting them through the weave etc.
I would say CF is the "strongest" but can still be split easily, the micarta I had didnt really want to split at all but didnt hold up as well to being hammered. I also find CF and G-10 easier to cut or file than micarta.
 
What about the resins ? G10 I understand uses phenolic resin which has been around for many years.It was used for radio circuit boards in the old days. What's used for the others ?
 
In my limited experience carbon fiber is very strong and rigid, but also more brittle and subject to chipping/scratching/peeling. G10 on the other hand seems more flexible and impact resistant. I would think that CF would be superior in a linerless application because of it's rigidity and light weight, while G10 seems better suited when paired with a liner. Personally I much prefer the feel of G10 in the hand. It should be noted that I have no experience with the raw materials themselves, my input is based on owning and handling knives with G10/CF handles.
 
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I had a thread about micarta vs. G-10 long ago, and a guy who seemed very knowledgable pointed out that handle failure is very unlikely, and either is more than adequate.

I once asked Tim Wegner of BladeTech about G-10 vs. carbon fiber. At the time he was offering both on his folding-hunter. He said that the CF had a dressier look that some guys like and that was why he offered it. He also said (paraphrase) that if the knife is going to be stressed enough to break it, the handle is probably one of the last parts that is going to break.
 
From the little I know about CF (fishing rods, repairing small boats) there is a wide difference in quality. The strength depends on the weave and resin used. CF cloth comes in many different weaves (biaxial, triaxial etc) but essentially they're all made the same way. The weaves affect their rigidity and overall strength when the stuff has cured. There are no fixed resin type either, polyesters and epoxies are both used in CF products. Some resins may actually react to the UV from the sun, turn "cloudy" and lose it's lustre over time but from my experience with Spyderco's CF (Sage) it doesn't seem to have much effect on the scales despite a few fishing trips. Do note that I live in a tropical country and we're very close to the equator and it's hot and humid all year round. Only thing I hate about CF is it's slickness. Wish they could texture CF scales like G10s and FRNs. I see very little weight difference among the 3. In terms of toughness I'd think CF may be superior. A few years ago the bro in law and me completed a "stitch" boat with CF bottom (resin used was an epoxy by an American company whose name escapes me now). It's been dragged over gravel and stuff when we're out fishing in Thailand and seems none the worst over the years. Can't see myself doing that with a fibreglass bottom boat. No experience with CF/ Kevlar composites. Not much of a definitive answer but I hope it helps. There may be some materials expert around here so be patient, they might chime in on the subject.
 
Alex p. Schorsc said:
Hi folks, concerning durability, I know that G-10 is practically unbeatable as far as handle material goes. What about Carbon Fiber? Can Carbon Fiber compare to Micarta or G-10 as far as strength and durability go? Another question is that I have seen Carbon Fiber mixed with Kevlar for handle slabs as well and I would be interested in knowing how this new material (Carbon/Kevlar) compares to traditional Micarta and G-10. Thanks in advance for any input.
Click to expand...

G10 is epoxy resin reinforced with glass fabric. There is a spec for it (that spec is the source of the name "G10") , but the specification is for circuit board material, so the properties that knife folks want are not covered by that spec and can vary depending on whose G10 is used.

Carbon fiber is typically epoxy resin reinforced with carbon fiber fabric. While carbon fiber has a better strength to weigh ratio than glass, you'll never notice the difference in a knife handle. The only difference you will notice is the appearance. Since both G10 and carbon fiber have little limit on exactly which epoxy resin formulation is used, and since much of the properties depend on the resin and processing technique, for a knife handle you'll never notice the difference.

Micarta is layers of reinforcement encapsulated in resin. The reinforcement is always sheet material but that's about the only limitation on the reinforcement. Common reinforcements are paper and canvas. The resin can be silicone, phenolic, or epoxy.

For a knife handle, I see no advantage in kevlar/carbon fiber over any other reinforcement.
 
Ok, thanks for the contributions, everyone. I have a better understanding of G-10, micarta, Carbon Fiber and phenolics in general now. I guess we can say that all three are very durable. No news on the Carbon/Kevlar material.
 
Carbon fiber & kevlar are not "mixed", they are just built-up in alternate layers and held together with resin. They each retain their own abilities. Their strength really depends on the resin used & whether the materials had been previously been damaged by heat, moisture, UV radiation...

The only benefit I see from adding kevlar is that it may offer better protection from shattering or penetration when used as grips on guns that have KaBoomed. Can't think of any way for knife scales to easily fail.

Most of this is pure "coolness" factor since knives and other tools have used wood, leather, bone, stone, whatever for thousands of years without noteworthy complaints.
 
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