G10 and Micarta

Moloko Plus

Moloko Plus

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Jan 20, 2008
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As far as I can tell, G10 and Micarta are made in pretty much the same way (resinated and compressed layers of material), but G10 is made using woven glass and Micarta uses paper or cloth.

One industrial website even mentions that G10 "is also known as Micarta or Garolite."

Nonetheless, I am still hesitant to get any knife with G10 handles unless I have no other choice. Canvas and linen Micarta have never let me down, but since Busse makes a large range of knives using G10 I figure I should learn more about it.

Here are my questions:

Does G10 chip or crack?
Is G10 more or less shock absorbant than Micarta?
Is G10 slippery when wet?
Does G10 cause more stress on the hand after extended use than Micarta does?

Any and all help would be appreciated. Thank you!
 
1: I don't know about cracking, but yes, it will chip....but so will micarta if it gets hit right.

2: I don't know for sure, but it seems that Micarta is more shock absorbant.

3: Smooth G-10 can get slippery when wet....not too bad, but Micarta is much better when wet....specifically canvas.

4: Doesn't cause any more stress for me, but hey....every one's different.

G-10 is also heavier than Micarta. I really like the textured G-10 on my ASH-1 SE...it's very sharply textured and grips very well in the hand....G-10 when textured is usually much sharper...bitier/aggressive/abrasive than Micarta....in smaller knives I like that, but over 6'' blade and I want Micarta :D a lot of it is just personal preference....everyone has their tastes ;) Busse wouldn't be using G-10 if it were inferior...it's just.....different.
 
Does G10 chip or crack?... No not really..... maybe... depends what you were doing to it. :D

Is G10 more or less shock absorbant than Micarta?... maybe more... certainly not less.

Is G10 slippery when wet?... depends what made it wet. :)

Does G10 cause more stress on the hand after extended use than Micarta does?... depends what shape the handle is. :)

G10 is a Fibreglass laminate in resin... just like the mother board of your computer.

Micarta can be canvas or linen or denim... or just about anything that has been laminated in resin.

G10 is probably stronger overall.
 
At about 4:40 you'll learn some very interesting things about G-10:

[youtube]CNerD3edtO4[/youtube]
 
G-10 can definitely take a likin' and keep on tickin'... :thumbup::thumbup:
 
Don't know why but I always grin when I see Noss beating on that poor FFBM. Awesome ! :D:D:D
G-10 is unbelievable. :thumbup:
 
WOW! Thanks for the video clip! I still like the look of micarta better but I won't worry too much about G-10's performance...
 
I was a bit apprehensive about G-10 vs micarta before Noss made that destruction test video. Now my only question is - which is actually tougher?

I'd love to see a G-10 vs micarta destruction test!
 
I think the vise was getting more of a beating than the FFBM. Nice video :D

In my experience, g10 is inherently smoother than micarta and will perform worse when wet unless it has good texturing. On my spyderco military, the g10 is textured very well and is fine when wet. No big sharp edges--just a uniform rough bumpy surface.

I had an FBM with g10 slabs and thought they were slippery. Before that I had an FFBM, AD, AA, and RK with micarta and they were much better. Somehow I ended up with a BATAC that has g-10 handles though. Don't know why.
 
I now own 2 knives that have G-10 slabs. I like it better than micarta. I still like micarta but I will more than likely order future Busse offerings with G-10 over micarta. There is just something about it that feels knice, uh, nice. Better or worse? Just more comfortable to me.
 
I've got a pair of Lazza MonkeyGrips in Horned Lizard from Larry Davidson on my Springfield EMP (and had the same grips on my Kimber Pro TLE/RLII before I sold it) and they are GREAT for long days of hard use. G-10 is VERY strong and does not absorb oils or fluids like Micarta does, though some would argue that Micarta looks nicer.
 
Subjectivity,

After handling G-10 handled Busse knives at Blade Show West I made the carefully thought out decision to avoid it because the knives I handled would be to tough to hang onto swung full power(Large knives)

Even paper micarta is grippier than the G-10 I felt on the Busse knives at Blade West.

I really like Canvas Micarta.
 
Grimspoon said:
I was a bit apprehensive about G-10 vs micarta before Noss made that destruction test video. Now my only question is - which is actually tougher?

I'd love to see a G-10 vs micarta destruction test!
Click to expand...
It is almost as bad as saying which steel is tougher, without listing the steels. You would expect G-10 to be more uniform, but there better grades of G-10 than others. With Micarta, it gets really confusing as the definition has smeared over time. Which micarta, what resin was used, which ingredient (paper, canvas, etc.)...and that is all I know about the subject. Just enough to know it isn't a simple question to answer. :o:D
 
i like em both! then again i swing a 23 oz. framing hammer 5-6 days a week, so no problemo!!!
 
I'm no micarta expert, but I can say I prefer the grip and feel of Busse's unpolished micarta over G10 any day.
 
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