Pros and Cons of Carbon Fiber handle/scales

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99cuts

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Apr 18, 2013
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Lighter, will not permanently bend, warmer feeling in the cold.

I really doubt this is possible but having had it happen with other CF things before:

If you somehow manage to shatter some, typically due to hard impact on a point object (basically impossible with CF scales on a knife to get enough flex for it) or if the ends aren't finished well you can get a heck of a painful splinter. I have never heard of that happening with knife scales, but it is possible if you had a really terribly shaped and unfinished set of scales. Not a problem with those Bokers.
 
Pros: Lightweight. Looks cool, and is often admired by non-knife people. Many different ways to finish it - roughed up, polished, etc. Wears fairly well, though it doesn't generally look better with wear the way titanium does (IMO). Feels "warmer" than Ti does when it's cold outside.

Cons: Polished finish can be slick, much like polished or satin Ti. Not as sturdy as Ti, but it's still more than you're likely to need unless you do a lot of prying. Often has some imperfections in the weave, which may or may not bother you.

I really like CF, though I own more Ti handled knives than CF. I don't know anything about Boker's CF, but the few non-CF Bokers I've handled were junk and I would never buy one myself. Just my $.02.
 
CF is a tried and true material for many applications requiring light weight & strength. Looks nice as well. Not all CF is equal though in knife scales. Some is slick feeling, but the type used on the 940-1 and (some) Spydies actually have decent grip. I didn't care much for the hybrid stuff on the Sage & others.

There is no con that I can think of unless a person doesn't care for any material except natural.
 
thanks guys. I'm a little concerned about CF touching my food. Perhaps because it is not a natural material, it's particles being a carcinogen. Is my concern irrational?

CF seems to be all the craze this year, I was just considering Boker today, but I've looked at many other models.

ZT: 0566cf, 0770cf
BM: 940-1
Spyderco: Native 5 S110V CF

The Native 5 scales are finished with a grippy G10 feel, very interesting.
 
Carbon Fiber can be hit or miss, depending on how it is done. For example, the CF on Spyderco's Gayle Bradley is beautiful and offers excellent grip, whereas the Caly 3 CF is very smooth and slippery (hence why I'm selling mine).
 
Pros: cool factor, weight, strength.
Cons: expensive, slick, if you drop it on a hard surface it will chip. It does not take impacts well at all.
 
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