Aluminum as a Handle Material vs. Titanium

nccole

nccole

Joined
Jun 2, 2011
Messages
2,972
I am carrying my R.A.M. today and it got me thinking why there are not more Aluminum handled knives. I have kind of shied away myself, but after using the R.A.M. I realized I don't dislike it any more than any other Metal handled knife. I was also thinking about other metal handled knives and what people do and don't like, and Titanium of course came to mind. People like that it is strong and light. I have realized though Ti is not really that light, just lighter than steel. I checked on the lightness of Aluminum and it really is a lot lighter than Ti. For instance, a 4.5" x 1" x .25" piece of stock (enough to make two reasonably sized handle slabs) in Al vs Ti is crazy percentage wise. The Al piece would be about 1.76 oz. (using 6061 @ 2.71 g/cm^3), the Ti would be about 2.928 oz (using not sure on alloy @ 4.5 g/cm^3), and steel would be about 5.04 oz (using 440C @ 7.75 g/cm^3). Keep in mind this is a solid piece, but the percentages would not change. Steel inserts could be used in Al for frame locks, and many other lock styles wouldn't be affected. So why not? Hogue and Lionsteel do it, it has to be cheaper than Ti, and lighter. So why is Ti the darling of handle material and not Al? My R.A.M. is holding up quite well, not too soft or anything.
 
What I don't like about metal handled knives is that they can get really hot or cold. I have an aluminum handled knife that I keep in my center console, and It hasn't burned me, but it's gotten pretty hot down here in Texas.
 
It's not as cool! :D More seriously though, I prefer ti because of the "solidity" of it. I've got a pirhanna with aluminum handles, and it almost feels cheap to me. I just think for a light knife, I'd rather have some FRN or something, and for a sturdy knife, I'd prefer ti or steel.
 
I like aluminium a lot. It's my favourite handle material for sure. A lot of people don't like it because it's quite soft and will scratch / deform, mucking up the anodized finish. Plus, it's probably as less fancy and space-age than Titanium - it's less expensive, therefore less desirable? Not sure, but could be a big factor for some people.

Personally, nothing beats a sculpted aluminium handle in my book.
 
I have Benchmade 940's and 943's in Aluminum and Titanium. The Al models weigh 82gm, and the Ti models weigh 92gm. Not much of a penalty. The Ti has a higher strength to weight ratio than Al or Fe, so you can use less of it.
In Ti frame lock folders, the leaf/lock spring can be Ti. In Al folders, the leaf/lock spring must be a steel or Ti liner. The extra parts in a liner lock reduce the ease of cleaning and increase the likelihood of breakdown.
 
IMO Aluminum sucks in a, at least expensive, knife because it either turns your hand black (oxidization) or requires coating... & in my experience even the hardest type anodizing gets ugly.

Flashlights are a different story. For some reason I don't mind a nice aluminum light getting a little boogered up.
 
For some folder designs that rely on material strength for blade stop integrity or other design elements that involve impact of steel to other material, I would think aluminum would gall easier too although it has never been a problem in my knife life - so far . . .
 
I love the handle on my Kershaw Blur. It's aluminum with carbon fiber inlays. It's smooth, and the anodizing is quite hard and doesn't wear easily. It's much harder than the anodizing I've experienced on paintball guns which scratches remarkably easily.

The steel lock bar performs very well, and is very strong. As someone who's always withdrawing the knife from my jeans or slacks, I appreciate the smooth material.
 
Agreed and it has to do with the same concept in tile. The fired surface on tile is typically ceramic glass and we all know how hard and impervious glass is but the thin layer of glass is only as strong as the base it is applied to.

Porcelain tile is very strong. Cheap counter tile that is not porcelain will dimple the ceramic surface into the base material with little effort. Porcelain tile should always be used for flooring if you use tile at all.

Same with anodizing. Although you will hear that anodizing can reach HRC levels between 70 and 80, the anodized layer is thin and the base is relatively soft.

Result - scratches and marring with normal use. This is also my main complaint with my iPhone 5 versus the 4. ANODIZIZED aluminum - UGH :(

That's my observation anyway.

archieblue said:
in my experience even the hardest type anodizing gets ugly.
Click to expand...
 
tiguy7 said:
I have Benchmade 940's and 943's in Aluminum and Titanium. The Al models weigh 82gm, and the Ti models weigh 92gm. Not much of a penalty. The Ti has a higher strength to weight ratio than Al or Fe, so you can use less of it.
In Ti frame lock folders, the leaf/lock spring can be Ti. In Al folders, the leaf/lock spring must be a steel or Ti liner. The extra parts in a liner lock reduce the ease of cleaning and increase the likelihood of breakdown.
Click to expand...
I was wondering that, I bet that explains the weight difference not being that different.

I am not sure about Al scratching easier, my Ti scratches pretty easily. I wonder if you could stone wash Al though. I am thinking my view could be slightly off because my only experience is with the R.A.M. which has G10 overlays, but I really like the Al on that knife.

Parbajtor, can you elaborate on the brittleness more? I have never heard that.
 
parbajtor said:
Aluminum goes brittle over time.
Click to expand...
I've seen it crack, but never turn brittle around aircraft.
Aluminum in "0" condition (pretty soft) will naturally age harden to a "T4" condition, but if you work your parts in "0" and have it heat treated/artificially age hardened (I don't remember the proper terms for the "heat treatments") to a "T6" condition you'll be hitting a lot of specs for the harder state.
 
nccole said:
So why is Ti the darling of handle material and not Al?
Click to expand...

Aside from the few functional reasons, the biggest reason Ti is picked over Al is marketing. Titanium, being more exotic and expensive, sounds cooler than Aluminum and people want to be cool.
 
I don't have a lot of experience with titanium to compare the two but aluminum is incredibly easy to damage. I find it hard to believe that you could manufacture a "hard use" frame lock folder with it, not because it would break easily but because it would just get so dinged up so fast.
 
Al fails when fatigued in high stress use like for airplane fuselages and wings. That ain't going to happen when used for knife slabs.

Only real problem is that it is relatively soft, even when hard anodized. It will scuff, scratch & chip from carry. That softness and relative in-elasticity means that it can't be used like Ti for Frame lock or liner lock functions.

Only knife I've carried that uses Al is my Benchmade 940. Had that for ~15 years and it certainly looks it. Scales are really beat-up looking.
 
CWL said:
Al fails when fatigued in high stress use like for airplane fuselages and wings. That ain't going to happen when used for knife slabs.

Only real problem is that it is relatively soft, even when hard anodized. It will scuff, scratch & chip from carry. That softness and relative in-elasticity means that it can't be used like Ti for Frame lock or liner lock functions.

Only knife I've carried that uses Al is my Benchmade 940. Had that for ~15 years and it certainly looks it. Scales are really beat-up looking.
Click to expand...
There are Al frame locks
 
Sure in MTechs and $6 Schrades.

If you mean in Lionsteel knives, sure, but they need to add a steel contact to the lock because AL would wear away & fail if it was the only material in contact with the steel blade.
 
Rockstead and Lionsteel do them, but I don't know how the Al handles cycling the lock compared to Ti, and they have inserts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top