'Paper' micarta, does it offer the grip of canvas?

[338 Stalker]

How does the 'paper' micarta differ from 'canvas' micarta in the Busse lineup?

It looks allot like G10 but it's hard to tell from pic's.

I really like the feel(grip) of my Skinny ASH with it's canvas micarta, so when I decide to buy another Busse I was wondering if the paper offers any extra grip or benefits?


Thanks in advance :thumbup:

 

[ronybear]

If you are looking for grip, go with canvas. Paper micarta is very smooth and is more for looks. It has very little texture but is still a very nice grip.

 

[MustardMan]

Agreed - paper looks awesome but feels a bit slick compared to canvas. I love the smooth, hand-shaped canvas micarta handle on my NMSFNO, but would be worried swinging a paper micarta handled knife if the scales were that smooth.

 

[VoxHog]

Paper is the looker of the bunch. Canvas is the tough & grippy user. Linen is in the middle.

 

[Ed Ricketts]

Paper is the looker of the bunch. Canvas is the tough & grippy user. Linen is in the middle.

+1...however...

A. Canvas may be tougher, but i doubt you'll ever break a handle of paper or linen micarta either.

B. Canvas may be grippier, "other things being equal" ... but other things don't have to be equal. Adding well-placed grooves & whatnot can give you a very secure grip even with paper. :thumbup:

 

[RussMo]

I have seen Paper Micarta chip out! Paper needs to be machined at a lower speed so as not to blow it out. It's tough for sure, but it can be chipped. My money is on G-10... If I could get G-10 on a FBM-LE, I would.

Workig in the turbine industry we are now using G-11, which works better than G-10 in the high temp range. Still see a lot of canvas micarta, seldom ever seeing the linen, and never the paper except as backer boards, washers, you know low volt and dry stuff.
It is very low on the impact scale.

 

[rbmcmjr]

Paper is superior in aesthetics and canvas is superior in grip, all other things being equal.

I use this photo a lot to illustrate:

The knife on the left has black paper micarta and the one on the right is black G10. You can see the textural differences without much difficulty. The G10 also feels "stickier" in my experience. I don't own a TAC handled knife with machined black canvas, or I would use that for comparison too. The hand-shaped canvas in the middle doesn't really compare with the machined stuff, in my opinion.

I think what I like most about the paper is that the only texture comes from the machining. You can really see the patterns in the handles in a way that isn't lost in the layers like you see with Tiger Hide or Snakeskin.

 

[silverdragon33]

i've never felt paper, but i really like linen. it feels more grippy than canvas. canvas has never felt really grippy to me unless it has an aggressive texture. linen however feels grippy smooth and textured, and more so than canvas when wet.

 

[RussMo]

Paper is superior in aesthetics and canvas is superior in grip, all other things being equal.

I use this photo a lot to illustrate:

The knife on the left has black paper micarta and the one on the right is black G10. You can see the textural differences without much difficulty. The G10 also feels "stickier" in my experience. I don't own a TAC handled knife with machined black canvas, or I would use that for comparison too. The hand-shaped canvas in the middle doesn't really compare with the machined stuff, in my opinion.

I think what I like most about the paper is that the only texture comes from the machining. You can really see the patterns in the handles in a way that isn't lost in the layers like you see with Tiger Hide or Snakeskin.

Well said Bro, and damn fine pics to boot!!!
I agree 100% in that Paper is the most BEAUTIFUL of the bunch because of the uniformity and flow of the material. The pics really show that.
Thanks,
Russ

 

[JWBirch]

Canvas micarta will have thousands of tiny/microscopic fiber hair ends at the surface, paper micarta and G-10 won't. With canvas micarta you get grip from the hairs and the texture. When your hand gets sweaty, or the canvas micarta gets just slightly wet the hair ends swell and you get better grip, to a point. With Paper micarta and G-10 you get most of your grip from the texture applied to the slabs. You may have had a G-10 slabbed folder that was super grippy when you first got it, then you notices a year later that it wasn't nearly as grippy as it was when new... but on Busse machined grips the texture isn't going to wear down like the little checkering on a folder. Just keep in mind that the texture is all you have though. When it gets wet, it gets slicker, unlike the canvas micarta. Now, too much wet and the canvas micarta gets slick too, but at any level of wetness the canvas micarta will be grippier than either Paper micarta or G-10. Impact levels are another level of expertise and experience I'll let the others handle, no pun intended, but I'll warrant (and Busse will warranty) that you'll never bust up one of their handles short of trying to do it on purpose.

Certainly you can measure that some are stronger than others, but for working handles that point may be moot to many. Because it isn't moot to many others, Busse now offers many handle choices that weren't available in the past. Confidence is a big issue with knives: if you don't believe in your knife you may not carry it, or choose to carry another. Now you can have whatever you, yourself have confidence in.

And while I feel that I get more surface grip from the little hairs on canvas micarta, some guys feel they get more overall grip from the big grooves in G-10, so even that argument can go either way, with no definitive answer available other than "go with what you, yourself prefer".

 

[shunsui]

I suppose you could increase the grippiness of canvas micarta by having it lightly bead blasted, removing more of the resin and exposing more canvas. Mine is mostly resin at the surface and only the texturing grooves gives it any real grip. I prefer the feel of the G-10. It has a feel something like a bar of Lava soap but with less grittiness.