Odd question: are there easy ways for noobs to adjust knife handles?

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bdaabat

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Jul 2, 2025
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Odd question for the community: are there easy ways for noobs to adjust knife handles?

The reason for the question. I have an old, cheap knife that cuts like a charm (super thin blade), but the handle is poo. It's a super basic wood handle that is just too small and fells funky.

For quick prep jobs, it's the tool I reach for most often because it cuts so well. AND, any time I need to do more than a couple quick cuts, I get a reminder when using this cheap-o knife why the cost was so low.

I don't have a shop, any wood working tools or any wood working experience.

Thank you in advance!
Bruce
 
With certain types of choppers, I'll wrap silicone tape around the handles giving me the palm swell and grip I wanted

Also you could rehandle the knife with wood or micarta or other material
I've done a few. NOT worth spending a hundred dollars on a rehandling job on $3 knife though.
 
If you can find some heat shrink tubing in the proper diameter, that might work well enough for you. I have put that on knife handles before. Or, as someone mentioned above, some kind of tape would work well. Especially self sealing silicone tape.
 
RustyIron said:
Now is the perfect opportunity to buy yourself a few tools and create your woodworking experience. What's the minimum you need? Get yourself a drill, hammer, coping saw, two files--you're ready to learn.
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Ha! That's how this all starts...just a couple tools, and then pretty soon, it's time to get a new, heated shed with dust collection to house the planer, the drill press, the band saw, etc. :cool:

Bruce
 
What about the handle do you not like? Thats a pretty typical handle on budget priced knife. Does the handle bite your hand or have a hotspot. If it looks cheap to you now its gonna look like crap with tape on it.
 
donnord said:
What about the handle do you not like? Thats a pretty typical handle on budget priced knife. Does the handle bite your hand or have a hotspot. If it looks cheap to you now its gonna look like crap with tape on it.
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I believe it's mainly the width. So, yes, I could put tape on it and have it look more consistent with it's cost, but feel better in the hand. Maybe.

FWIW: I love the way these knives cut. The blades are thin. The steel is decent. They take a super keen edge and hold it reasonably well. And, you can get them from Amazon next day for < $14 for a set of two knives. They are so far ahead of what "cheap" knives are at a similar price point that many people purchase (e.g., Oneida, Ikea, etc.).

I've gifted these to several family and friends who are just starting off in their independent, adult lives as part of an overall getting-your-kitchen-stuff-together package. What is that? It's all the stuff that you need when you're just tarting off and is not terribly pricey on an individual basis, but adds up quickly when you start putting everything together (e.g., utensils, mixing bowls, colanders, knives, spices, etc.). Some of my nephews still rave about these knives, even 8+ years after getting them. They aren't raving to me about the colanders.

I'd love to be able to do some sort of simple handle adjustment that help the knives to feel better in the hand for myself as well as for future getting-your-kitchen-stuff-together gifts.

Probably (definitely?) easier to just get a knife that works as well (or close to it) that comes with a better handle and be done with it.

Bruce
 
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