Aluminum handles

[J.Mattson]

yeah, I forgot to mention, aluminum will dissipate heat more efficiently than any other handle material that you'll probably encounter.

Could you explain this a little more?

 

[Gator97]

I think that might be referring to the fact that metal handles get very cold in a cold weather. I've heard that as an argument against metal, and Al handles specifically before.

As for my preferences, I like Al and metal handles in general.

 

[presz]

I like metal handles also, but not aluminum. At least not in the winter. Aluminum is very conductive 2nd only to copper. That means it transfers body heat very well. I carried a Schrade for a while with aluminum handles and always had a cold spot where I carried it. In your hand it also gets very cold. Even with gloves on it was colder than other handle material. In the summer it was fine no problems. It is also soft and gets scratched up easily.

 

[puukkoman]

Very sturdy, lightweight & strong, but if it's got a finish applied to the surface, it will scratch and show wear. No biggie, just cosmetic.

 

[CountyRat]

I just got a knife with aluminum handles and it's really light. I'm wondering what the general consesensus is on aluminum verses other materials. Is it tough enough for hard use?

If your only concern is toughness, you have nothing to worry about. Aluminum handles will survive anything that you can survive, and then some. The scuffing and cold handling issues are seperate, and depend on whether they are relevant to you and when, where, how, and why you use that particular knife.