Grippiest handle materials

DeadFall27

DeadFall27

Joined
May 18, 2011
Messages
1,476
What handle materials offer the most grip, even when your hands are wet and greasy?

What is Blue Twill like? Does Lightning Strike CF have better grip than regular CF? What about CF Shred?

Thanks for your time guys!
 
My diamond pattern Curtiss F3, if you own one, or have handled one before, you know what I'm talking about, sticky is the only way I can describe the feel, this knife gives me better grip than any other knife I own, bar none!!
 
The material in and of itself isn't the defining factor. For example, G10 can be textured very coarse (eg. some Cold Steel knives) or made completely smooth (eg. Buck Vantage Pro). Similar with FRN (eg. Spyderco Delica vs. Centofante).

The coarser G10 textures do provide good grip, even if your hands are wet/greasy. Similarly with the more aggressive FRN patterns, like on the Delica/Endura/etc. The 3-D machined pattern on the otherwise smooth G10 scales on the ZT 0200 and 0300 also provide good grip, even when wet. Linen micarta (and possibly other micarta materials) can actually be a bit more grippy when wet than dry. The rubber TracTec inserts Kerrshaw uses on the Blur (and upcoming Camber) also provide good grip, even when wet.
 
^Ok, I should have asked my question better. Let me think of a better way to ask this then...
 
Ok, how about this (I should have been more clear, my apologies all):

If I took 400 grit sandpaper to G-10, micarta, lightning strike kevlar, cf, cf shred, lightning strike cf, blue twill, etc and it had no texturing whatsoever...what material would offer the most grip, even when wet?

I am hoping to have a scale made for my 0550 (and maybe a couple for some other knives I own), and I want to have a baseline of the characteristics of each material before I choose one, and decide on how I want it finished..
 
DeadFall27 I think I understand your question. It's not just the material your after. It will be a combination of the material and how it is finished out that will provide that grip your after.

An example might be canvas micarta which finished at 120 grit will be very toothy. Add to that bead blast finishing it will be very textured. That same item finished at 400 grit will have almost no texture, smooth as a baby's butt. Hope that makes sense to you.

Now there are materials that start out with texture (grip) and can be made grippier in the finishing. Tero Tuff comes to mind. Use that and finish it with a bead blast and you'll have a highly textured handle.

WingNuts
 
Rough micarta.

There are a lot of grippy materials but one thing that is unique to micarta is that it gets grippier when wet, where as some materials that are very grippy when dry become slippery when wet, and others are no more grippy wet vs dry.

Additionally, it's a pretty easy material to refinish if you want more aggressive handles.
 
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