Do aluminum handle folders hold up?

[David Mary]

I haven’t had aluminum handles before but the idea of checkered or textured scales in this alloy on a knife is very appealing to me.

Hard anodize (type III) holds up extremely well with a typical range in the low 60's on the

Rockwell B scale, actually, just thought you might appreciate knowing.

 

[Skywalker31]

They will hold up and keep working just fine, but also expect gradual wear on high points/corners/edges of the scales.

 

[SharpBits]

They will hold up and keep working just fine, but also expect gradual wear on high points/corners/edges of the scales.

Finally pictures! Thanks for posting.

 

[badmatt]

Rockwell B scale, actually, just thought you might appreciate knowing.

C scale actually for surface hardness. @.002” thick. 50/50 penetration and build up. We do a lot of parts.

Also the typical conversion from B scale to C scale stops at 82HRB. Which is 1 on a C scale. 6061 in T6 condition comes in at 107hrb / 33hrc typical.

So with your statement above.. type III is softer than the parent material? Alright.

 

[David Mary]

Sounds like you know more about it than I do. I’ll just go back to making knives now. Have a good day

 

[badmatt]

Sounds like you know more about it than I do. I’ll just go back to making knives now. Have a good day

Have a great day!

 

[bikerector]

I've always enjoyed aluminum, seems like a no brainer for a knife handle material. I realize there are different grades of aluminum with different tempers and densities, but I have no experience with painted or colored aluminum outside of SAK's. People love the worn down colored saks, me not so much which is why I prefer the "natural" colored versions.

My question is for those who edc knives in colored aluminum like we, civivi, etc... do they hold up or does the first scratch show silver underneath?

I think they hold up well, from my experience with alum handled knives and alum bike parts. Anodized stuff in particular does really well.

For the color, it's only on the surface so think of it like a paint scratch, but it won't flake like paint once there's a scratch. Denting is more common and that keeps the color. I like the worn look, personally.

As mentioned already, it won't handle the abuse as well as steel or ti since it's softer and more porous metal, but it's a great choice, IMO. It weighs close to ti but much less expensive. It's not used a lot, though it does seem more prevalent in autos. I know there are some out there but nothing like the synthetic materials, wood, or even stainless steel (I see a lot of SS handled budget folders).