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This week's discussion is about handle material. Sometimes we choose a handle to feel good but sometimes we choose it for good looking or lightweight. Let's discuss it!
What handle material do you think has the best feeling in hand? How is that feeling?
- Thread starter Kizer Cutlery
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My top 3: carbon fiber, titanium, and micarta.
Chronovore
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Lately, I find myself loving Micarta. Whether burlap, canvas, linen, or whatever; it just makes me happy. The world needs more Micarta!
I love a good wood too. There hasn't been enough wood in the Chinese budget knife Renaissance. Wood has its own character and I prefer that it not be marred up with a texture like the Civivi Incite. Kubey actually had some nice wood-scaled knives at incredible prices over the last couple of years. I'd love to see some wood from Kizer.
This one might be controversial but a good Kirinite scale can be cool. It all depends on what's in it and how it is cut. QSP released a few fixed blades with what looks to be copper or bronze Kirinite. I'd have ordered one but the Kydex sheaths for them are currently unavailable due to the pandemic.
I love a good wood too. There hasn't been enough wood in the Chinese budget knife Renaissance. Wood has its own character and I prefer that it not be marred up with a texture like the Civivi Incite. Kubey actually had some nice wood-scaled knives at incredible prices over the last couple of years. I'd love to see some wood from Kizer.
This one might be controversial but a good Kirinite scale can be cool. It all depends on what's in it and how it is cut. QSP released a few fixed blades with what looks to be copper or bronze Kirinite. I'd have ordered one but the Kydex sheaths for them are currently unavailable due to the pandemic.
GatorFlash1
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I edc a GB 1 with combo CF handle so I guess that is my favorite handle material for folders. The shape and feel of that CF just feels real good in my hand.
That said probably my favorite material is Fibrox. What in the h*** is Fibrox. It is the handle material on all our Victorinox kitchen cutlery. It has a nice grippy texture, plastic material of some sort, and you can work with it all day, and night too. Never heard of it? Check out this video by a working chef. Try one sometime, very affordable. They make a great filet and boning knife and a bunch of others. These Victorinox Fibrox knives are ones that get the most use in my house.
That said probably my favorite material is Fibrox. What in the h*** is Fibrox. It is the handle material on all our Victorinox kitchen cutlery. It has a nice grippy texture, plastic material of some sort, and you can work with it all day, and night too. Never heard of it? Check out this video by a working chef. Try one sometime, very affordable. They make a great filet and boning knife and a bunch of others. These Victorinox Fibrox knives are ones that get the most use in my house.
For folders for me it is Micarta first and then G10. The are warmer to the touch and usually, unless polished, offer good grip. CF is fancy, but slick. All metals come at the very end... heavy, show scratches more and are ccccccccold if bare handed.
For fixed blades I would say some kind of rubber if I plan to chop (ala Busee Basic, Falkniven originals, etc). Then Micarta/G10.
Mikel
For fixed blades I would say some kind of rubber if I plan to chop (ala Busee Basic, Falkniven originals, etc). Then Micarta/G10.
Mikel
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Mircarta or G10 are pretty durable and stable scale material, which I like. Titanium handle is also decent, so as long it is not used in freezing cold. CF is the absolute worse, it may look good with lesser weight, but I have plenty experience working with CF in my previous life and once chipped/cracked, it gave the worst splinter ever.
gazz98
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1. G-10 and Micarta.
2. FRN etc. Spyderco Delica/Endura or Ontario Rat 1 handles are just fine with me.
I like the synthetics/plastic stuff.
1. I like a knife that has grip and texture.
2. A ton of colors are available.
I'm not a fan of metal or carbon fiber handle materials. In my experience, they are too slick. I don't need Ti or CF to lighten a knife. I'm 6'7" or so, 290 lbs. I don't belong to the "oh that folder weighs 7 oz, too heavy for me" category.
I thought about buying a copper handled knife only to see the evolution of the patina over time.
I seem to be one of the few of that hasn't jumped on the Ti flipper craze over the last few years.
2. FRN etc. Spyderco Delica/Endura or Ontario Rat 1 handles are just fine with me.
I like the synthetics/plastic stuff.
1. I like a knife that has grip and texture.
2. A ton of colors are available.
I'm not a fan of metal or carbon fiber handle materials. In my experience, they are too slick. I don't need Ti or CF to lighten a knife. I'm 6'7" or so, 290 lbs. I don't belong to the "oh that folder weighs 7 oz, too heavy for me" category.
I thought about buying a copper handled knife only to see the evolution of the patina over time.
I seem to be one of the few of that hasn't jumped on the Ti flipper craze over the last few years.
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Micarta first... then Titanium... then G10. But I really love Micarta.
Rubber is nice for a knife that is going to be used around water a lot. The old Gerber Gator was very nice and secure in the hand even when wet.
Or the Buck Nighthawk...
For a traditional folder, like a stockman or trapper or congress, I LOVE yellow delrin.
And the yellow really looks fantastic with carbon blades that patina and darken.
Micarta is outstanding and just beautiful most of the time.
Wood is also warm and friendly and just makes me feel more connected to the Earth. And it's easy to customize/personalize by carving or burning.
And some woods are just so beautiful...curly maple, walnut, koa, orange osage, mahogany, some spalted wood...just beautiful!
G-10 is strong and can be made very grippy, but it lacks that certain vibe that makes micarta so nice.
Maybe because it's used on too many "tacticool" knives.
Metal:
Steel--too heavy and too slippery.
Aluminum--it's okay, but why not just upgrade to titanium?
Titanium--it's nice but still not one of my favorites, and it can be slippery too.
Having said that, I often carry this one...
Carbon fiber is just plain out ugly to my eyes.
Water buffalo, elk antler, stag, are all awesome. Beautiful and strong and connects you with our ancestors and the Earth.
FRN and other similar plastics:
They're okay and they certainly do what is asked of them...but nobody ever said "what gorgeous and stunning FRN".
Today it's the working man's handle material...inexpensive, durable enough, etc...
Paracord (or as we called it in the Army, 550 cord):
Much like the FRN and other plastics, it performs well, but again, it's not going to impress anybody. And it's not beautiful to the eye.
Leather handles: I'm just not a fan of these. Yeah, they work but I just don't like them.
Or the Buck Nighthawk...
For a traditional folder, like a stockman or trapper or congress, I LOVE yellow delrin.
And the yellow really looks fantastic with carbon blades that patina and darken.
Micarta is outstanding and just beautiful most of the time.
Wood is also warm and friendly and just makes me feel more connected to the Earth. And it's easy to customize/personalize by carving or burning.
And some woods are just so beautiful...curly maple, walnut, koa, orange osage, mahogany, some spalted wood...just beautiful!
G-10 is strong and can be made very grippy, but it lacks that certain vibe that makes micarta so nice.
Maybe because it's used on too many "tacticool" knives.
Metal:
Steel--too heavy and too slippery.
Aluminum--it's okay, but why not just upgrade to titanium?
Titanium--it's nice but still not one of my favorites, and it can be slippery too.
Having said that, I often carry this one...
Carbon fiber is just plain out ugly to my eyes.
Water buffalo, elk antler, stag, are all awesome. Beautiful and strong and connects you with our ancestors and the Earth.
FRN and other similar plastics:
They're okay and they certainly do what is asked of them...but nobody ever said "what gorgeous and stunning FRN".
Today it's the working man's handle material...inexpensive, durable enough, etc...
Paracord (or as we called it in the Army, 550 cord):
Much like the FRN and other plastics, it performs well, but again, it's not going to impress anybody. And it's not beautiful to the eye.
Leather handles: I'm just not a fan of these. Yeah, they work but I just don't like them.
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Currently I like polished G10 and jigged bone the most. They are smooth but have some grip to not be fly out your hand slippery like polished metal.
I would love to try more micarta. It is very hard to find a folder with that handle where I live. I have only one and tried another at a show.
The material feels really nice, but I'm not sure how it handles wet or dirt.
I would love to try more micarta. It is very hard to find a folder with that handle where I live. I have only one and tried another at a show.
The material feels really nice, but I'm not sure how it handles wet or dirt.
Peter Hartwig
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Durability and feel-micarta
Love the look and feel of wood also
most of the rest G10,CF ti I am fine with, but the 1st 2 are my favorites
Love the look and feel of wood also
most of the rest G10,CF ti I am fine with, but the 1st 2 are my favorites
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Like some others have said, micarta in various configurations would be my first choice. I seem to gravitate to canvas micarta first, then linen. Never had burlap micarta. After that, it gets... "unusual".
- My next choices would be FRN, BM's "Noryl" and CF-Elite, or whatever another company wants to call its polymer, FRN-like material. I like it because it's tough, more impact-resistant than G10, and very light.
- My third choice would be G10 if it's textured like Spyderco does it to help my grip. I don't like smooth G10, or aggressive G10 like Emerson does his.
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Aluminum is significantly lighter than the titanium alloys used for knife handles. If you don't need the flex of titanium to make the lock work (e.g. frame lock), aluminum can give you all the structural integrity you need, lower weight, and lower cost (both the raw material and in terms of production). Even on a tiny knife like the ProTech Sprint, the titanium handle version weighs 30% more than the regular aluminum version.
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For me, the material needs to fit the intended use of the knife. A hard-use knife needs something that is tough and grippy, like Micarta or G10. A gentleman's knife should be lightweight, smooth enough to not tear up your suit, and have a classy appearance (e.g. bone, wood, carbon). Finish is just as important as the material itself. The surface finish on a Micarta scale for a Hinderer isn't going to be polished like the Micarta on a Pena trapper, and they wouldn't fit well if you reversed them.
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I'll tell you all my knife preferences Kizer Cutlery, but you have to answer my questions too. Let's try this out.
My favorite handle material if I had to pick just one would be titanium. But it's needs a rugged finish. Heavy bead blast is preferred. But the most important thing about the handle material is that it's held together by high quality fasteners. I've owned a few of your knives and the aspect I was the least impressed with was the quality and size of your screws. My advice? Study Chris Reeve, Rick Hinderer and Mick Strider's screws. We like those. Change over to something like that and make a huge deal about it on social media. Flex on Reate and WE in the post too. Calling out their little T6 inadequacies. This would endear good faith in the knife community to your brand.
Now here's my first question. (I hope you'll answer more).:
Who would win a tag team wrestling match? The staff of Kizer, WE Knives or Reate?
My favorite handle material if I had to pick just one would be titanium. But it's needs a rugged finish. Heavy bead blast is preferred. But the most important thing about the handle material is that it's held together by high quality fasteners. I've owned a few of your knives and the aspect I was the least impressed with was the quality and size of your screws. My advice? Study Chris Reeve, Rick Hinderer and Mick Strider's screws. We like those. Change over to something like that and make a huge deal about it on social media. Flex on Reate and WE in the post too. Calling out their little T6 inadequacies. This would endear good faith in the knife community to your brand.
Now here's my first question. (I hope you'll answer more).:
Who would win a tag team wrestling match? The staff of Kizer, WE Knives or Reate?
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I could be happy with basically just Micarta handles as my only option
dannyp
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I would say that my favorite handle materials are the composites like micarta, G10, terotuf, etc. They are the best overall blend of what I like in a handle. They feel good in hand, offer a lot of color/texture options, they're durable, and are attractive.
I like molded plastics like FRN for their range of color, durability, and the savings in weight and cost. They don't feel great most of the time though.
Natural materials like wood, antler, fossil, bone, horn, etc. look beautiful and feel good. Each piece is unique, which is really cool. The downside is some can be fragile, some can be expensive, some can be affected by weather changes or insects, and some have ethical sourcing issues. Now these issues are usually minimal and they are far outweighed by their natural beauty, but it is something to consider when comparing materials.
Carbon fiber looks good and is lightweight, but doesn't feel as good as other materials and can be expensive.
Metal handles........well, they're durable. That's about all the good I have to say about them. I don't like the look or feel and they would be my last choice. In fact, there are knives that I liked otherwise but didn't end up getting because they had aluminum or titanium handles.
I like molded plastics like FRN for their range of color, durability, and the savings in weight and cost. They don't feel great most of the time though.
Natural materials like wood, antler, fossil, bone, horn, etc. look beautiful and feel good. Each piece is unique, which is really cool. The downside is some can be fragile, some can be expensive, some can be affected by weather changes or insects, and some have ethical sourcing issues. Now these issues are usually minimal and they are far outweighed by their natural beauty, but it is something to consider when comparing materials.
Carbon fiber looks good and is lightweight, but doesn't feel as good as other materials and can be expensive.
Metal handles........well, they're durable. That's about all the good I have to say about them. I don't like the look or feel and they would be my last choice. In fact, there are knives that I liked otherwise but didn't end up getting because they had aluminum or titanium handles.