New material (for me) G10/Carbon Fiber laminate...thoughts...

Rival1314

Rival1314

Joined
Aug 17, 2012
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hey all,

Playing with a new material, looking for thoughts. This is a G10/Carbon Fiber laminate, meaning the top layer is a carbon fiber weave layer laminated to a g10 slab. Gives the beauty of CF, with a price closer to G10. Alot of people are turned off by the price of a custom made full CF scale, this would allow for a price only a few $$ more than G10.

What do you think...is it (in your opinion) worth paying more for full CF...ir nice to have a less expensive option??

9646573164_eb611c686d_c.jpg

9643330573_0db198dd09_c.jpg
 
I think it looks awesome, not only does it help the price, it also looks like you could get some sick color into a carbon fiber scale, best of both worlds :)
 
Rival1314 said:
hey all,

Playing with a new material, looking for thoughts. This is a G10/Carbon Fiber laminate, meaning the top layer is a carbon fiber weave layer laminated to a g10 slab. Gives the beauty of CF, with a price closer to G10. Alot of people are turned off by the price of a custom made full CF scale, this would allow for a price only a few $$ more than G10.

What do you think...is it (in your opinion) worth paying more for full CF...ir nice to have a less expensive option??

9646573164_eb611c686d_c.jpg

9643330573_0db198dd09_c.jpg
Click to expand...

Looks good but I would prefer to pay for real CF. Are you pulling a Spyderco Keith? :)
 
From what I've seen, the laminate shows surface scratches more because of its high polish. I have also seen it fracture before, so it may not have the strength of regular CF. It does look nice though.

As long as you're up front about it not being legitimate CF, I guess it's fine.

Fractured pic:

Capture.jpg
 
From what I've seen, the laminate shows surface scratches more because of its high polish. I have also seen it fracture before, so it may not have the strength of regular CF.
Click to expand...

Thats great feedback, I was planning on EDC-ing this one for a bit to test it. Just in shipping the sheet of material a few surface scratches had to be polished out. I agree that is a downside. I only plan on using this by customer request when price is an issue for someone wanting CF, and of course being up front & honest is what Im all about.
 
Makes no difference to me. I have had solid carbon fiber chip out too. Spyderco has successfully used it for quite awhile now.
 
Laminate CF is fine and looks good as in many Spydercos now. You can't get it as thin as pure CF.

So, on that ZT 0550 what's the price difference of one side scale between pure CF and CF/G10 laminate?
 
xICEMANx said:
Looks good but I would prefer to pay for real CF. Are you pulling a Spyderco Keith? :)
Click to expand...

+1

I would rather have full CF or polished G10. CF Laminate just reminds me of all the Fast & Furious kids who put cf stickers on every piece of their 96 Honda Civic that they can.
 
I would still choose real CF, but I don't see anything wrong with offering the laminate as a cheaper option.

Speaking of your CF....

:D
 
I much prefer solid Carbon Fiber myself and would gladly pay more for it, but giving people a less expensive option is a good thing I guess.
If this material is now readily available I hope all are honest about it when they resell their knives with the laminate.
 
Glad to hear there are alot out there who prefer the real deal:-) This stuff is getting to be alot more accessible if you look around, and it is noce to have a more affordable option. About half the people who inquire about CF scales are put off by the prices.

So, on that ZT 0550 what's the price difference of one side scale between pure CF and CF/G10 laminate?
Click to expand...
Its about $20 less on an 0550. On a knife with a full set of scales (2 sides) you are going to be talking a savings of $40-$50. I can get a 6x12in sheet of this stuff for the price of a 3x5in chunk of CF

I understand why manufacturers are tempted by this type of material. But its all about making sure the consumer knows what they are getting.
 
Rival1314 said:
Glad to hear there are alot out there who prefer the real deal:-) This stuff is getting to be alot more accessible if you look around, and it is noce to have a more affordable option. About half the people who inquire about CF scales are put off by the prices.


Its about $20 less on an 0550. On a knife with a full set of scales (2 sides) you are going to be talking a savings of $40-$50. I can get a 6x12in sheet of this stuff for the price of a 3x5in chunk of CF

I understand why manufacturers are tempted by this type of material. But its all about making sure the consumer knows what they are getting.
Click to expand...

Do the people who are put off by the price of full CF wind up ordering G10 instead or just not ordering? I don't think $20 savings for one scale would be enough to sway me.

I know I'm not in the majority but aftermarket scales for me are all about matching the factory contours and texturing.
 
Based solely on looks I prefer the full carbon fiber to the CF/G10 laminate. To make a polished paint job on a car analogy, when was young I used to wax my cars every day for about 2 weeks at a time to have a deep shine. A single wax job was nice, but it wasn't as nice. To me it seems that full carbon fiber scales look nicer(deeper?) than a CF/G10 laminate.
 
Isn't G10 more durable than carbon fiber? Pretty sure that's why Spyderco uses it on their GB folder instead of full CF.
 
XiaolongJackson said:
Isn't G10 more durable than carbon fiber? Pretty sure that's why Spyderco uses it on their GB folder instead of full CF.
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Hmmm, then I guess Formula 1 needs to start making cars out of G10. Pretty sure Spyderco uses it because of cost issues.
 
Pretty sure that's why Spyderco uses it on their GB folder instead of full CF
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Its cost...pure & simple...its a bit easier to work with too.

Do the people who are put off by the price of full CF wind up ordering G10 instead or just not ordering?
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The things that scare people off the most are prices, some take for granted the fact my stuff is hand made and cost reflects my time in addition to materials. there is a large abandonment rate once you start talking cost, its kinda hard to justify spending $$ on pimping your $50 tenacious;-) Most people that are serious and knowledgeable about what they want find i can drive them a great deal though.

I know I'm not in the majority but aftermarket scales for me are all about matching the factory contours and texturing.
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Alot of people feel the same way, its a shame manufacturers don't have a scale market as well, they could make a killing. I do alot of scales with peel-ply as many people just want a "factory" scale that is not black:-)
 
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