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G-10, ect.
- Thread starter BJE
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2005
- Messages
- 547
G10 and Micarta are pretty flawless in my book, they have a somewhat smooth touch but really grip to your hand and are still comforable after hours of use, as well a being extremely durable. However I find zytel to be a bit rough and rigid (unless it has no texture and then it doesn't have much of a grip). Personaly I find carbon fiber isn't as grippy as I would like it to be however, it is still like it very much and it is generally held in high regard.
G-10 is a fiberglass weave bonded by eboxy. It is very strong, hard to scratch, hard to break. When bead blasted, it reveals the fiberglass strands (since the eboxy is worn away faster in the bead blasting) which leaves a rough, grippy surface. When polished, G-10 looks like carbon fiber (below). See Spyderco Manix, Al Mar SERE 2000.
Micarta isn't quite as strong as G-10, and it is easier to scratch, but it is still very strong. Micarta comes in three types: paper, liner, and canvas. These materials are layed with epoxy. Paper is the "weakest" and shows very little grain. It looks like a solid color. Linen Micarta is stonger and shows a wood-like grain. Canvas is the strongest and shows a weave-like pattern. Micarta is sort of like a more "classy" G-10 since it is very strong but looks a little nicer. Micarta is usually smooth, but can be bead blasted. Canvas Micarta takes a nice grippy finish when bead blasted. See various Bob Dozier knives, Ontario Hossom folders.
Carbon Fiber is a carbon (graphite) weave. It is very light and very hard, but it is brittle. When polished it is easy to scratch. It is a very nice looking material and has an almost holographic effect to it. It can be left rough and will be grippy but is more often polished to bring out the effect of the weave. G-10 looks similar when polished but is more often bead blasted because the material takes to bead blasting better and leaves a great grippy surface. See Benchmade Activator (polished black carbon fiber, grey polished G-10), Spyderco CF Military (not polished CF).
Zytel is a brandname of Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon (FRN). FRN is basically plastic. It is pretty tough stuff, and light, but it is easy to bend and is easier to break and deform than the above materials. See Spyderco Native, Benchmade Griptilian.
The top three materials are "premium". G-10 is probably the toughest overall, but Micarta and carbon fiber are often prefered for their looks and still very good strength. FRN is an inexpensive material usually used to be cost effective and deliver a lot of knife for the money.
Micarta isn't quite as strong as G-10, and it is easier to scratch, but it is still very strong. Micarta comes in three types: paper, liner, and canvas. These materials are layed with epoxy. Paper is the "weakest" and shows very little grain. It looks like a solid color. Linen Micarta is stonger and shows a wood-like grain. Canvas is the strongest and shows a weave-like pattern. Micarta is sort of like a more "classy" G-10 since it is very strong but looks a little nicer. Micarta is usually smooth, but can be bead blasted. Canvas Micarta takes a nice grippy finish when bead blasted. See various Bob Dozier knives, Ontario Hossom folders.
Carbon Fiber is a carbon (graphite) weave. It is very light and very hard, but it is brittle. When polished it is easy to scratch. It is a very nice looking material and has an almost holographic effect to it. It can be left rough and will be grippy but is more often polished to bring out the effect of the weave. G-10 looks similar when polished but is more often bead blasted because the material takes to bead blasting better and leaves a great grippy surface. See Benchmade Activator (polished black carbon fiber, grey polished G-10), Spyderco CF Military (not polished CF).
Zytel is a brandname of Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon (FRN). FRN is basically plastic. It is pretty tough stuff, and light, but it is easy to bend and is easier to break and deform than the above materials. See Spyderco Native, Benchmade Griptilian.
The top three materials are "premium". G-10 is probably the toughest overall, but Micarta and carbon fiber are often prefered for their looks and still very good strength. FRN is an inexpensive material usually used to be cost effective and deliver a lot of knife for the money.
They're all composites. In this case, a fiber in a resin. They're all plenty strong and durable for knife applications
FRN/Zytel has strands of glass in a nylon resin. It's easily injection molded and quite strong. Cheap to produce and light.
G-10 is layers of glass cloth in a resin, compressed and baked. It is cut/milled/ground to shape. More rigid than similarly shaped FRN, but similar in composition. it is also used for circuit board material
Micarta is layers of cloth or paper in a resin, again, compressed and baked/cured. Micarta seems heavier to me than some of the other composites here. That could be desirable in balancing a bigger blade.
Carbon fiber is again, layered sheets of woven carbon fiber in a resin, compressed and cured. In my experience, CF may chip during drilling. But I've only had CF from Benchmade and that could be a result of Benchmade's methods or CF sources.
They're all stupid strong for their weight. Various visual and tactile effects are achieved with corlored resins or colored fiber and how they are shaped. Except for Zytel, they're all layered products so shaping them can produce the appearance of wood grain.
The dust from all of them is bad for you. They should be shaped only while wearing proper protective gear.
Of them all, I prefer G-10 as it seems least prone to damage when dropped. The high gloss of CF is beatiful, but easily marred. Zytel is a touch soft and can pick up dings if dropped or bashed. I've mushed a corner on some canvas micarta when it encountered some concrete. Minor issue, and is subjective to my knife uses. I have knives in all of these materials and like them all. Well, not CF anymore, I sold all of those.
I'd buy a knife in any of them again as well.
Phil
FRN/Zytel has strands of glass in a nylon resin. It's easily injection molded and quite strong. Cheap to produce and light.
G-10 is layers of glass cloth in a resin, compressed and baked. It is cut/milled/ground to shape. More rigid than similarly shaped FRN, but similar in composition. it is also used for circuit board material
Micarta is layers of cloth or paper in a resin, again, compressed and baked/cured. Micarta seems heavier to me than some of the other composites here. That could be desirable in balancing a bigger blade.
Carbon fiber is again, layered sheets of woven carbon fiber in a resin, compressed and cured. In my experience, CF may chip during drilling. But I've only had CF from Benchmade and that could be a result of Benchmade's methods or CF sources.
They're all stupid strong for their weight. Various visual and tactile effects are achieved with corlored resins or colored fiber and how they are shaped. Except for Zytel, they're all layered products so shaping them can produce the appearance of wood grain.
The dust from all of them is bad for you. They should be shaped only while wearing proper protective gear.
Of them all, I prefer G-10 as it seems least prone to damage when dropped. The high gloss of CF is beatiful, but easily marred. Zytel is a touch soft and can pick up dings if dropped or bashed. I've mushed a corner on some canvas micarta when it encountered some concrete. Minor issue, and is subjective to my knife uses. I have knives in all of these materials and like them all. Well, not CF anymore, I sold all of those.
I'd buy a knife in any of them again as well.
Phil
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2004
- Messages
- 6,997
I'd echo what these guys said, except for the following addition:
For all intents and purposes, it makes no difference which one most people would choose. It's highly unlikely that most knife users would ever, during the course of normal use, subject their tools to any conditions that would severely damage any of these materials.
For all intents and purposes, it makes no difference which one most people would choose. It's highly unlikely that most knife users would ever, during the course of normal use, subject their tools to any conditions that would severely damage any of these materials.