Titanium Handle

J

JCK

Joined
Nov 7, 2009
Messages
645
Ok, so about Ti handles on knifes. For example, Sebenza's, Sage 2's, SG2 JYD II to name a few.

How do you find Titanium handles, are they too smooth, or do yu find that you can still get a good grip with them, despite them having almost no texture?

Did you have to modify them at all, or find that was't necessary
Just wanted your opinions
 
I have had a couple and never found the lack of texture to be a problem. I even satin-finished a Sebenza and actually preferred the feel of it that way.
 
thanks for the reply, Do you think that as long as the ergonomics are good, and allows the user to get a good grip on the knife, through choils and guards and stuff like that that will not let the hand move much once the knife is gripped, then smooth Ti handles aren't a problem.

I bought a Sage 2, and wanted to make sure the Ti handles weren't too slipperly, otherwise thats like 215 bucks wasted.
 
G'day mate.

Personally I think texture is overrated. The shape of the handle is much more important. If your handle texture is coarse, you'll get blisters from using it.

No worries mate.

Kind regards,

Jos
 
JCK, the Sage 2 rocks! I got mine when it first came out, no issues with it at all, enjoy it/use it!
 
Thanks Jos and J_Roc, its just I can't handle the Sage 2, which is a bit of a downer, but I have heard only a few bad things about it, and it was all that person's personal opinion, and for stuff that didn't bother me, like weight.

Also the handle of the Sage 2 is meant to fit like a glove, so I guess that backs up what you said Jos.

I've never had a smooth handled knife, but then come to think of it, my BM615 is quite smooth, the black g10 is smooth and the micarta is smooth, but because of the finger grooves, it is not coming out of your hand easily.


Thanks for the explanations and inputs, much appreciated
 
If you don't mind BM's G10, you will have no problems with a Ti handle. In way you answered your own question in your first post (with a slight edit). ;)

"you can still get a good grip with them despite them having almost no texture"
 
ok cool, I just wasn't sure what to expect, as I only held a aluminium handled delica for about 3 seconds, before the lady at king of knives, snatched it off of me (thats a story for W&C), and that was smooth, but I liked the weight of it.

And I was just aboutt o ask, does the Ti have jimping, and I looked at the first thread that google gave me - http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38870 - wow, jimping, this seems so awesome, cannot wait for it to get here. Thanks for the input

EDIT: I jumped the gun, the poster put those jimping on the handles, but that would be pretty good I reckon
 
Ti on the Sage2 does not have jimping, but the thumb ramp and choil both have it, more than enough for a great grip. Guess I'll be carrying my Sage 2 today :)
 
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The advantage of titanium is light weight. For me it is a real advantage. I don't like heavy folders at all. If you feel the same, then a titanium handle is a great solution.
 
would you still say it has some weight to it, like enough to realise its still there?
 
I find that the shape and ergonomics of a knife and the location and sharpness of the jimping and choil are important elements moreso that the handle material.

Titanium scales are my preference as long as the above work for me and the grip is real good. I like my large Sebenza and my JYD2 quite a bit - these are the only 2 in my arsenal at the moment with titanium scales both sides.

If I really like a particular knife model but it does not meet all of my needs from an ergo or jimping standpoint then I look to see if the scale material is grippy to help overcome the shortfalls.

It sucks that we end up buying some of our knives blindly over the web due to a lack of stores. I think if I could have held several of the models before buying I would have passed.

I've got to start attending more knife shows.
 
Toyz said:
It sucks that we end up buying some of our knives blindly over the web due to a lack of stores. I think if I could have held several of the models before buying I would have passed.

I've got to start attending more knife shows.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input, even though I'm buying blind here, I'm sure the sage 2 won't dissapoint, and about the knife shows, there are hardly any in Aus, that I'm aware of, I've only heard of 1, which was ages ago
 
I love my Titanium frame locks and/or handled knives,my newest one it the Sage 2 and it's silky smooth but there's no problem with getting a good grip at all (maybe do to its shape). Most of my other Ti handled knives have some sort of holes or design in the handle that helps with the grip but all in all I find Titanium to be great handle material.
 
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Don't automatically discount a knife's grip just because it doesn't look like it has a poor grip. There's many knives, production and custom that feel great in the hand even though they look streamline.
 
SG2 JYD II Ti - has good fit and jimping top & bottom. Locks your hand right in.
 
I have dozens of Ti handled knives. They all work just fine. The Ti is heavier (denser) than Al but it has a better strength to weight ratio and is much more resistant to corrosion. Get an anodized Ti handle if you can because it would be much more resistant to scratching. The springiness of Ti means you can replace a liner lock with a frame lock. Fewer parts, more strength. I would have to say that Ti is my favorite handle material. I also have many knives with Ti blades, but that's a different story.
 
You wont have a problem with the RIL Sage 2, the ergo’s on the knife are fantastic.
 
I prefer the smooth handle of the Sage 2 for EDC because it doesn't abrade my pockets, and I have no problem getting a good grip on the Sage 2 and Ti Military, which also has a smooth Ti handle.

The plain Sebenza 21 handle is sand blasted, so it provides some texture to grip. I don't like they feel of the finish, but the grip is adequate.
 
I grew up using things like smooth red bone handled Case knives and Buck 110s, 112s and an LB7. I don't recall ever complaining about texturing being needed or having problems handling them. I don't mind smooth slab handles and have one in my pocket right now.

I don't think its really necessary to have textured grip for a folder but if its not too aggressive it can be a nice addition for aiding to extract the knife from the pocket for a better purchase of the handle. However, the draw back seems to be that it can also tear up the pants over time as it slides on the fabric so in this regard smooth on the pocket side is what I prefer.

STR
 
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