G10 vs. Carbon Fiber

SkagSig40

SkagSig40

Joined
Feb 1, 2001
Messages
2,671
What exactly ar these two materials made up of? Also which is the stronger more wear resistant material and which takes impacts better? Also which breaks down over time faster?

How close do they compair to each other over all?
Many thanks!
 
Think fiberglass.

G-10 actually has an official specification. On knives, it's basically a lamination of synthetic fabric and some kind of hardened resin. Presumably epoxy. It almost always seems to be fabricated in sheets, and machined into shape for a knife handle. I don't think G-10 made for knife handles necessarily meets the official spec.

Carbon fiber is very similar, except it uses carbon fiber fabric instead of the fiberglass. Presumably the reason is purely cosmetic, as knife handles simply don't need the kind of advantages cf would normally impart in such laminates. Every CF handled knife I've seen seemed to have the handles fabricated specifically for the knife, rather than machined into shape, as is typical with G-10. AFAIK, cf pretty much always is in the same black fabric look, as CF only seems to come in black. I have seen some fabric blends such as Kevlar/cf, which I suppose could also be used for a different color scheme. I've never seen it on knives, however.

For knife handles, they're similarly wear resistant and durable. They should last centuries.
 
SkagSig40 said:
What exactly ar these two materials made up of? Also which is the stronger more wear resistant material and which takes impacts better? Also which breaks down over time faster?

How close do they compair to each other over all?
Many thanks!
Click to expand...

Howdy,
Here is a link to a post I made that will tell you more than you want to know about G10:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5149227&postcount=10

G10 consists of layers of fiberglass fabric impregnated with epoxy resin.
"Carbon fiber" is layers of carbon fiber fabric impregnated with epoxy resin.

There are thousands of commercial epoxy formulations. And the properties that make such materials of interest to knife lovers are mostly resin dependent. So you will find a certain amount of variation from G10 to G10 and from carbon to carbon.

carbon fiber composite has a higher strength to weight ratio than G10, but for a knife I doubt you would notice the difference. Volume for volume, they are probably pretty close in strength.

Impact resistance is a resin controlled characteristic. Since the resins in both G10 and carbon fiber vary from mfg to mfg, you really cannot say that there is a difference between G10 and carbon fiber.

Deterioration is also a function of the resin, not the fiber reinforcement, so again you really cannot differentiate between G10 and carbon fiber.

(Epoxy resin is relatively impervious to solvents, oils, and moisture. It is sensitive to UV radiation, as is found in direct sunlight. If you left a G10 or carbon fiber handled knife out where it got direct sunlight for 10 hours a day every day for 3 months, you might see some chalkyness on the outer surface as the resin deteriorated. But it would mostly be a surface phenomenon. )

Overall, the performance characteristics of G10 and carbon fiber are quite similar and will be more dependent on how it was finished and exactly whose material was used, rather than on the fiber reinforcement that was used.
 
I prefer the Looks of Carbon Fiber and I like the Smooth texture. As for G-10 it is one Tough Material that usually has great grip retention and holds up well to all situations and enviroments. I have many knives with G-10 and CF and have never been Dissapointed....
 
babakanoosh45 said:
I prefer the Looks of Carbon Fiber and I like the Smooth texture. As for G-10 it is one Tough Material that usually has great grip retention and holds up well to all situations and enviroments. I have many knives with G-10 and CF and have never been Dissapointed....
Click to expand...
He hit it on the head. For looks, CF is great, for use, go with G10.
I think G10 is tougher, but CF looks fantastic.
 
Carbon fiber can be used to make a grippy handle also. Example is the Spyderco CF military. It's grippy even when wet.
 
babakanoosh45 said:
I prefer the Looks of Carbon Fiber and I like the Smooth texture. As for G-10 it is one Tough Material that usually has great grip retention and holds up well to all situations and enviroments. "I have many knives" with G-10 and CF and have never been Dissapointed....
Click to expand...



+1:thumbup: What he said...except for "I have many knives":D
 
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