Carbon fiber handles could conceivably be cool, but very lightweight. But one of the real hassles with 'fiber is the machining costs, so it would be a pricey deal, adn you'd want sanwich-style, with a lot of supporting stuff. I don't know how it would hold up structurally with pivots, so you'd want an inserted sleeve made of steel for that.
As for a blade... it could probably be done, but it wouldn't really be worthwhile. Carbon fiber materials ARE really strong, for what they are, and for their weight, but not made for holding an edge. It's like glue-impregnated cloth, in a way. And any and every time you drop it, you'll start damaging it. And anyone that's seen carbon fiber stuff start to go can tell you that when it goes, it's not pretty. Once it starts, it's like a hole in a plastic bag, it's just gonna get worse.
Every time you put the edge to a fiber blade, you'll wear away the glue, which will loosen up the fiber. So basically you'd wear away the blade by using it.
It's strongest by weight, essentially. Meaning, for a given piece of the material that weighs a certain amount, it will show less deflection under a load than a different material. Doesn't mean it's tougher, just that it will support a load. Aluminum, for example, is stronger by weight than steel. But it's also relatively soft and easily deformed.
Steel, if you want to turn the equation around, is stronger by volume, meaning a given volume of steel will hold more... ie, you dont'need as big a piece.
Yeah, Carbon fiber is strong, adn oh-so-pretty (just look at the LCCs)
But nto an appropriate material for a blade. Handles, possibly, but I think better as an inlay where it won't face the rigors of supporting a blade.
As for titanium, it's good, strong, both for weight and volume, but it's brittle. You could have an edge put on it, but one of the benefits of steel is that it will deform, rather than chip. Titanium won't bend, so little by little it'll start having problems. And if you ever dropped it, you'd lose a lot of the point, because it would break before it bent. Not saying it couldn't be done, certainly far better than Carbon fiber, but again, it's not necessarily the most appropriate material for the application. Lightweight is great, as long as it's not too easily f***ed up.
