Handle Materials

Nathan Ihrke

Nathan Ihrke

Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Messages
864
So, I've been looking at handle materials a lot lately... I noticed that people swear by micarta and G-10. My dad's Randall has micarta and he swears by it. I'm wondering how stag will hold up in the field and if anyone knows whether there is anything comparable to micarta and g-10?
 
Nathan Ihrke said:
So, I've been looking at handle materials a lot lately... I noticed that people swear by micarta and G-10. My dad's Randall has micarta and he swears by it. I'm wondering how stag will hold up in the field and if anyone knows whether there is anything comparable to micarta and g-10?
Click to expand...

I'm finding I prefer carbon fiber a great deal now that I have four CF scaled knives. It has superior grip and weight to strength imho over G-10 but I'm not sure how inert it is compared to G-10.
 
Stag should hold up just fine, BUT..... like bone and wood, it can in time be subject to some cracking or checking (depending, of course, on the elements, care given to it, and the passage of how much time).

G-10 and Micarta, both made of epoxies, glass, and paper or cloth, have the edge in longevity, I believe.
 
The synthetics mentioned will last forever. Stag will last only slighty less time with decent care. Notice how many stag handled knives there are in museums that would still work quite well today. I doubt the owners of those knives had any complaints.

It all boils down to what you want and like. I personally prefer natural materials but certainly see the applications of the synthetics. A good compromise are some of the stabilized woods. They have the appeal of the natural material with the stability of a synthetic.

Just my thoughts.
SDS
 
Nathan, the choice is between durability and appearance. Zytel, G-10 and micarta are extremely durable and, in my opinion at least, not attractive at all. The other options will be better looking and less durable. CF scratches easily, bone and stag can chip and crack, wood is soft and so forth. It isn't any more complicated than that. Just decide what is more important to you.
 
There's no doubt that G-10 and micarta are very durable and extremely strong, but stag is not exactly fragile....

http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...PiSOmXBpmSrAK9xf3iBA&q=buck+fight&vt=lf&hl=en

A stag handle will most likely last for the rest of your life.

As far as appearance....
You really can't compare stag and G-10 or micarta....apples and oranges.
But I do think that some nice stag scales looks good on a knife.

HPIM4154.jpg
 
allenC said:
There's no doubt that G-10 and micarta are very durable and extremely strong, but stag is not exactly fragile....

http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...PiSOmXBpmSrAK9xf3iBA&q=buck+fight&vt=lf&hl=en

A stag handle will most likely last for the rest of your life.

As far as appearance....
You really can't compare stag and G-10 or micarta....apples and oranges.
But I do think that some nice stag scales looks good on a knife.

HPIM4154.jpg
Click to expand...

Very delicate compared to the synthetics. I've personally broken two stag scales by dropping them. I can't think of much that would break Zytel or micarta or G-10.
 
If treated properly and regularly stag should last ok (seen them clash together), however if not treated then will wear/crack.

Micarta and G10 will last forever (given normal use) and should also stay on the handle under harsh conditions.
 
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