Low weight pocket knife scales?

N

Naphtali

Joined
May 20, 2002
Messages
148
Among linen Micarta®, canvas Micarta, paper Micarta, G-10, Sambar stag, and carbon fiber, which material has least weight for EDC pocket knife scales?
 
A better question is:
"Will a fraction of an ounce one way or the other really make a differance?"

Which do you like the looks of best?
Just go with that, since you won't be happy with the others.

Any weight differances will be insignificant.
 
The best way to compare solid materials for knife handles/scales would be to look at Specific Gravity. Specific Gravity is a way of comparing how much heavier a material is than an equal volume of water at a specified temperature.

Micarta in almost all forms will come in the lightest with Paper, Linen and Canvas ranging from 1.3 to 1.4 in that order.

Carbon Fiber falls in between Micarta and G10, but usually much closer to G10. CF can range from 1.6 to 1.7 with values nearer to 1.7 most common in the formulations used in knife handles. Keep in mind that much knife "carbon fiber" is really G10 with a CF skin on the surface.

G10 is a fairly specific formulation coming in at 1.8 in most variations.

Bone/Stag/Horn is hard to quantify. Being organic, there's a lot of variation from sample to sample. I've handled some bone scales that seemed light as a feather and others that were dense and heavy. Bone density can vary by age, gender, species and part of the body it came from. That's why when choosing a bone handled knife, it really helps to feel it in hand before buying.

As a point of reference Aluminum is around 2.7, Titanium is around 4.4 and Steel is around 7.7.

That being said the real world difference between Micarta, CF and G10 is so slight that they'd be hard to tell apart in practice. Liners, frame and blade make up such a large percentage of the weight of a knife that it's hard for the lightweight scale materials to have much impact on the overall bulk of a knife.
 
Perhaps I am more sensitive to small weight differences in my pocket than others. I presently am comfortable with my EDC weighing 2.8 ounces. I own a far superior folding knife of the same gross dimensions weighing 4.9 ounces. This knife sits in my safe. Every so often I convince myself that a single ounce should not preclude carrying the superior knife. I remain convinced for as much as two weeks before I revert to the lighter one. I am at the stage where I am willing to have a knife maker make and heat treat a replica blade of superior steel for my preferred EDC. At an extravagant cost my dilemma disappears.

If such a "fix" is infeasible, I'll try some combination of lighter scales paired with a knife whose gross dimensions match the others — plus blade shape and material I prefer.
Hackenslash said:
The best way to compare solid materials for knife handles/scales would be to look at Specific Gravity. Specific Gravity is a way of comparing how much heavier a material is than an equal volume of water at a specified temperature.

Micarta in almost all forms will come in the lightest with Paper, Linen and Canvas ranging from 1.3 to 1.4 in that order.

Carbon Fiber falls in between Micarta and G10, but usually much closer to G10. CF can range from 1.6 to 1.7 with values nearer to 1.7 most common in the formulations used in knife handles. Keep in mind that much knife "carbon fiber" is really G10 with a CF skin on the surface.

G10 is a fairly specific formulation coming in at 1.8 in most variations.

Bone/Stag/Horn is hard to quantify. Being organic, there's a lot of variation from sample to sample. I've handled some bone scales that seemed light as a feather and others that were dense and heavy. Bone density can vary by age, gender, species and part of the body it came from. That's why when choosing a bone handled knife, it really helps to feel it in hand before buying.

As a point of reference Aluminum is around 2.7, Titanium is around 4.4 and Steel is around 7.7.

That being said the real world difference between Micarta, CF and G10 is so slight that they'd be hard to tell apart in practice. Liners, frame and blade make up such a large percentage of the weight of a knife that it's hard for the lightweight scale materials to have much impact on the overall bulk of a knife.
Click to expand...
 
If I carried a very light-weight knife I would be patting myself constantly over fear I lost it. In fact, I don't really mind a folder with a 4.5 inch overall length because it gently pokes me in the thigh as I sit down. I did get a few rubber handled Bucks, and I made sure that the pocket clip was rated "heavy to stern."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top