What is the best knife handle material? It all depends on what you value the most. Do you want something that looks great? Fancy carbon fiber or beautifully patterned wood may be what you crave. Do you need something super durable? G10 or titanium are both solid foundations for heavy-duty cutting tools. Please continue reading to find the most suitable handle material for you.
G10
G10 is a high-pressure fiberglass laminated board that is both hard and relatively lightweight. It is an excellent handle material because it is durable, easy to process, and does not shrink, soften, or become brittle over time. It has multiple colors to choose from, including layered multi-color options, which look great when designed as a handle outline. It can have texture for easy grip, or be polished to a high gloss surface when smooth.
micarta
We compress Micata from multiple layers of fabric (usually canvas or linen, sometimes paper) and fill it with phenolic resin, making it a very stable material for the handle. Some people say that it feels more “natural” than G10, and the advantage of Micata when wet is that it has a slightly stronger grip than when dry. The rougher the finished texture, the more pronounced this effect becomes, but Mikata can also handle polished finishes well.
titanium
Titanium metal has unparalleled strength to weight ratio and extremely strong corrosion resistance, making it a popular material for making high-end folding knife handles, especially those that use frame locking mechanisms. Titanium metal can undergo various surface treatments, including heat treatment or electro anodizing.
Aluminum
Aluminum is lighter than titanium, but not as strong, making it a good choice for making knife handles. Aluminum usually has some kind of coating or hard anodizing to protect the surface, which provides additional durability and can bring various colors to the finished knife.
steel
Steel handles are heavier than aluminum or titanium, but usually cheaper and very durable when used as handles.
wood
According to the grade, natural wood can be used to make various items, from cheap knives to high-end collectibles. Natural wood is not as strong as most artificial handle materials, and if abused, the wood will break and become prone to bending or cracking over time.
It is possible to stabilize certain types of wood by immersing the handle in resin and using a vacuum chamber to immerse the resin into the wood, in order to increase its durability and resistance to warping.
Some woods, including desert ironwood, olive wood, etc., have high natural density and usually do not require stability.
carbon fibre
We make carbon fiber from carbon fibers in resin. It is stronger and lighter than any other handle material. Usually, we weave these fibers together, but we can also arrange them in “fragments” or “marble patterns”. Usually used for gentleman knives to create a high-end appearance.
nylon
People can use nylon or plastic to achieve complex handle shapes through injection molding, which is more economical than mechanical processing.
Names of various types of nylon: GFN (glass filled nylon), GRN (glass reinforced nylon), FRN (fiber reinforced nylon), ZYTEL ®、Grivory、Ultramid、Kraton
rubber
Rubber usually has very strong grip, and people consider it a good choice if they encounter wet conditions when using it for fishing knives, diving knives, or hunting knives.Rubber is also a good choice in cold weather because it can protect your hands from damage from metal parts of cutting tools, and is also suitable for larger tools because it can reduce the vibration generated during cutting or heavy use of tools.
Bones/Antlers
These natural materials have been used to make knife handles since early human history. No two works are exactly the same, their natural beauty makes collectors particularly appreciate them, but they are not as stable as artificial materials, and if not properly maintained, they will deteriorate or break over time.
Brass/Copper
Although brass or copper does not show significant improvement in practicality compared to other metals, people favor these materials for producing copper green when using them.This gives each tool a unique personality, allowing you to have a unique personality when using the tool.
Ultham
Ultem is a semi transparent polymer with high heat resistance and dimensional stability, harder but lighter than FRN. The medical industry has taken the lead in using it as a substitute for plastic components that are resistant to high temperatures and even flames. When used for knife handles, it is usually amber in color and is highly praised for its beauty and rigidity during use.
Umbrella rope
People make umbrella rope, also known as 550 rope, with a tensile strength of 550 pounds. It consists of 7 nylon threads wrapped in a woven nylon jacket. People can use it to ‘wrap’ the hollow straight knife handle, giving the handle extra circumference and texture and thereby increasing grip strength.
Richlite
We make Richlite from recycled paper fibers and thermosetting resin. Its finished form is almost identical to paper Micata, with the same advantages (see above).