Buffed or not buffed, that is my question.

JustinFournier

JustinFournier

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May 7, 2012
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So this one is directed to you guys out there using buffed and unbuffed.

Is the improvement in grip notable? The subjective nature of aesthetics leaves the argument of which one looks better up to us as individuals I suppose.

Considering which FK handle to go with as a user. :) I'll probably go with the same handle material for all users.

I like black to be black so G10 looks great and I have always been a believer that the shape of the handle is the most important factor but don't want to ignore the contribution of the material.

If someone had one and switched that would be telling.

At this point I'm going buffed but want to make sure it's the best call.
 
my fk is buffed g10, but I definitely prefer the less slippery non buffed option, although it doesn't look as nice
 
I get G10 on blades that will come in contact with blood or food. Buffed micarta otherwise

I've never had a problem with blades slipping out so and I prefer the looks of buffed micarta so i'll be going with that vs unbuffed micarta

my $0.02
 
Could someone post pics of each finish side by side? Asking for anyone who has zero CPKs so far. Thanks!
 
Black buffed, Natural Buffed, Black Unbuffed, Natural Unbuffed, TeroTuf.

1.jpg~original
 
Thanks, those pictures are very helpful. I have experience with "finished" vs. "matte" micarta when it comes to smooth handle scales from other makers. If you oil and/or age the micarta on a matte finish it makes a big difference in appearance, but in my experience it is still less slippery than a buffed handle scale. For CPK, I guess the more important question is whether the difference in microscopic texture is useful when there is already a macroscopic patterned texture on the handle.
 
I think it is accurate to say the unbuffed if more grippy. Holding one I think that is the case.

The part that I am not sure of, is does the unbuffed add enough grip that it offsets the ugly.
 
I'm definitely going to be ordering a set of unbuffed micarta scales for my FK, just to have the option. Or maybe just a second FK altogether :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
This may sound as a dumb question and if so I apologize now :-)
But when you say " buffed " are you saying the scales get polished ?
Like one would polish a blade or a cars paint with a form of buffer / compound ? Or are they coated first and then polished ?
I have some regular g10 and hand sanded g10 plus micarta now
 
I'm not sure the exact order of operations but I suspect similar to buffing wheel and compound. What I can tell you is they end up with richer colour, smoother texture and a different feel in the hand.
 
They're buffed with a ~200 grit cutting compound that reduces the roughness of the milled finish. It looks better, and it feels smoother to my dainty machinist hands, but offers less grip. It's not like buffing a car where you're polishing it to a mirror finish. There are buffing compounds that will do that, but that's not what we're doing.
 
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