Thoughts...Micarta ever going the way of Resiprene?

rt014

rt014

Joined
Jun 21, 2001
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We're seeing a lot of sweet G10 handled knives coming out of the shop these days. Seems like less and less Micarta.

Anyone else out there speculating on whether or not Micarta will eventually fade away as the handle material of choice?
 
I hope not. I actually like the feel of micarta better.

It's a very nuanced distinction, but the micarta feels slightly "softer" in my hand.

My sense is that the micarta also has a slightly better grip. YMMV.
 
rt014 said:
We're seeing a lot of sweet G10 handled knives coming out of the shop these days. Seems like less and less Micarta.

Anyone else out there speculating on whether or not Micarta will eventually fade away as the handle material of choice?
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My thought would be that most of the current Busse Traffic, is Ganzaa and BCS vs. the Standard Production pieces. Since people look for something "special" from their Ganzaa blades I think that's why the G10 is everywhere. I believe that micarta will still be offered for awhile on the production runs.

Greg
 
I also like the feel of Micarta and would hate to lose it. On the other hand if it's a pain in the a$$ to work with in the shop vs G10 there would be an efficiency aspect to moving toward G10....I have no idea if this is in fact true. Hopefully someone who has 'worked' with both can chime in.
 
Guyon said:
I hope not. I actually like the feel of micarta better.

It's a very nuanced distinction, but the micarta feels slightly "softer" in my hand.

My sense is that the micarta also has a slightly better grip. YMMV.
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I am with Guyon. I like micarta better overall.
 
rt014 said:
I also like the feel of Micarta and would hate to lose it. On the other hand if it's a pain in the a$$ to work with in the shop vs G10 there would be an efficiency aspect to moving toward G10....I have no idea if this is in fact true. Hopefully someone who has 'worked' with both can chime in.
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My guess is that micarta is easier to work. The glass fiber in G10 is probably harder on tools, and dangerous to breath. But I assume the folks in the shop are wearing proper respiratory protection.
 
resinguy said:
My guess is that micarta is easier to work. The glass fiber in G10 is probably harder on tools, and dangerous to breath. But I assume the folks in the shop are wearing proper respiratory protection.
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Yeah, I think Jerry and Garth usually slap on one of these. :p

dust_mask.gif







Note: This post is a joke. If you sand G-10 or micarta, you should wear a properly rated respirator.
 
Canvas micarta is way grippier than G10! +1 for canvas micarta!

Though I wouldn't mind if paper micarta came back as an option!
 
mikeymoto said:
Canvas micarta is way grippier than G10! +1 for canvas micarta!

Though I wouldn't mind if paper micarta came back as an option!
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The replacement of paper micarta largely with black G10 is another reason why I was speculating on the demise of micarta over the long term.
 
I would only get paper micarta on the knives I don't plan to use, cuz it just looks so sweet. Better IMO than G10.
 
Polished paper micarta would be a nice option. It's puuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrty. Not as grippy though, so ideally (IMO) a handle would have both some polished sections for aesthetics and some grooved/textured sections for good grip. I think you really could have the best of both worlds.
 
I highly doubt it that micarta will go away anytime soon. It in my opinion is a more user friendly material. It is more grippy and just plain feels better to me. The G10 is smoother and more slippery. The G10 combos do look darn cool though.

Respirators should be required for working both micarta and G10. G10 can kill you PDQ because of the glass fibers.
 
Another Vote for Micarta.

After Hefting and feeling how Slippery the G-10 was at Blade West I decided Not to buy any Large Busse knife I would intend to use that has that particular Handle.

Might be allright in a small knife, but I went for a New Model Game Warden in micarta as well.
 
I mourn the passing of black paper. I would prefer black linen to G10, given a choice.

Rick
 
I like canvas micarta better than G-10. On another thread somewhere I read that some people think that G-10 may become brittle over time. It was noted in that thread that G-10 is a relatively new material that is not as time tested as micarta. There was no data or back up evidence put forward to indicate that G-10 could become brittle. I do not think that G-10 will replace micarta.
 
MICARTA FREAKINGRULES!!!!​

Sadly though, as I stated in another thread I feel that it is on it's way out. The color options just can't keep up with G-10. The glossy, shiny look of G-10 is there all the time, not just when you rub oil on it and some believe that it is more durable than micarta (BS IMHO). Business sense may dictate Jerry going to a full line of G-10 only someday. I think it's a ways off, but it'll come... that sadly is inevitable.
 
Personally, I'd like to see the Black paper make a comeback!
I'd also like to see other colors of paper micarta available, I know they're out there!
 
I like all the handle materials but i would love to have a resiprene handle on a batac, after i field dress a deer i leave my BAIII soaking in hyrdrogen peroxide to get the blood out of the micarta.Resiprene would just be another option to the best knives made!!!!!BUSSE ROCKS!!!!!!
 
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