What's the toughest handle material- G10, micarta, or carbon fiber?

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hank_rearden said:
what about the paper stones on the buck ecolite folders?
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I've only worked with Paperstone on one knife handle and a couple small glassing tools. It seems to be pretty much on a par with paper micarta. Looks nicer, though... well, different. It has a sort of mottled appearance that I find attractive.

G10 is my go-to for durability.
 
yoda4561 said:
The very surface of canvas and linen micarta may absorb a very small amount of solvent in the exposed fibers. STR did some solvent and fuel soak tests with micarta handles and found that once that little bit of fuel burns off the surface there's no affect to the material.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=407828

*edit* Wow this is an ancient thread
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The linen micarta, as in the BK-11 scales, is very resistant to oil and water absorption/staining, as where the canvas/rough finish micarta (as in some ESEE's) is extremely prone to staining, and with very little use, can look quite nasty. For my tastes, I prefer G10, while cheaper then micarta, seems to not be an offering in most, if not all in the BK/Ka-Bar lineup. The zytel scales are the most practical, in terms of water/oil stain proofing, but the aesthetics leave much to be desired; of course, this is just my experience and opinion...your results may vary, or not.
 
I didn't see it listed in the first few pages so I'll suggest Kraton. It has good traction and is pretty sturdy too.
 
Carbon fiber is a stronger material, but it depends on how they are made, how thick etc. G10 is a form of Micarta, and can be manufactured using varying amounts of different materials, including carbon. Micarta was a brand. It was basically a resin and a cloth or paper. One of the guys who invented Micarta also invented bakelite. Look this stuff up on Google. Edit: It kind of sounded like I was being rude, but that wasn't my intention =).
 
Carbon fiber gets fatigued and causes sudden catastrophic failure of aircraft. Am I right?

I am suspicious of it.
 
toughness and strength aint as important to me compared to the grip and texture of the handle. Micarta and G10 for me.. dun really like CF.
 
redsquid2 said:
Carbon fiber gets fatigued and causes sudden catastrophic failure of aircraft. Am I right?

I am suspicious of it.
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Then again, knife handles are a totally different application from wing spars.
 
I'm still going to dig it back out due to curiosity and also because there are new materials (or variations of the old ones) on the market.
what about stuff like kirinite or raffir fibre?
I'specifically asking whether those might be suitable for folders like the benchmade 940 which doesn't have full liners.
 
Balistic Kevlar :) but it's a little on the heavy side

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redsquid2 said:
Then again, knife handles are a totally different application from wing spars.
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Yup... because steel, Aluminum and Titanium also all get fatigued and can fail in aircraft frames if not replaced on a schedule.

Yet no one worries about their durability in knife handles... or bicycles... If zytel (basically random glass fibre in nylon) is strong enough, then so are all the above other materials. I suspect the plain resins (Kirinite, Juma etc will be quite a bit weaker than any of the reinforced versions, but that doesn't really matter anyways since they are all still way stronger than needed for 99.99% of knife applications. Some may chip or break if dropped on hard surfaces, but that's a risk anyways
 
The Magician said:
Micarta I believe is made from linen, paper, canvas, etc. Some kind of epoxy is used too. G10 I believe is an epoxy and fiberglass resin compressed under tremendous force. I may be wrong on this, but AI think it is pretty close. The smoothness of Micarta will vary with type and finish. Canvas with a low grit finish will feel like a cat tongue. Paper is usually very smooth. I like Micarta, because that is what is on the Spyderco Viele. I actually never thought Carbon Fiber scales were that great. JMO.
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I was reading up on G10 vs. micarta earlier today and that is what I found. Micarta and G10 are similar in that both are epoxy resin impregnated. G10 is fiberglass cloth that is impregnated; Micarta is either canvas, linen or paper. I am partial to canvas micarta, as it is sturdy and has a very slip resistant finish. G10 may be stronger than any of the micartas, since it is fiberglass based but I am not certain on that (just an educated guess).

I am thinking of giving G10 a try on my next purchase, probably a Bark River Bravo 1.25; that is a sweet little fixed blade!
 
Personally I prefer G10 slightly because it won't absorb anything. I also love what companies have been doing with it and micarta. Very cool designs out there. If I found a knife I liked with micarta scales I'd buy it without a second thought.
 
This is the thread that never ends...

When we're talking about Carbon Fiber handles, are we talking about the thin polished slabs that Syderco uses for their folders or are we talking about the big chunks of random pattern matte finished stuff that Olamic uses for their fixed blades? I'd imagine there's a night and day difference.
 
true north said:
I am thinking of giving G10 a try on my next purchase, probably a Bark River Bravo 1.25; that is a sweet little fixed blade!
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I purchased some Bravo 1.25's in G-10 and micarta. Brand new, they both had a very smooth handle texture. I sanded the handles factory finish off on both a Orange G-10 one , and a natural canvas micarta one. After sanding the grip improved on both , but the micarta one had a little better grip , wet or dry. ( sanded with 220 grit)

Handle ergonomics play an important role also , and the Bravo's are very good for that even if the handle is a bit smoother.
I would not worry at all about strength issues with either substance. I give a slight preference to micarta ,though I own and use both.
 
Steve Taylor said:
The unquestioned nominee is Titanium. When the world ends it will still be functional.
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Hardly. It is strong for its weight and relatively inert, but has its issues too. It is relatively soft and scratches easily. And a nick or scratch in titanium will often lean to microfractures that propagate all the way thru the piece.
Kid across the street from me kept tossing money into titanium kickstands on his motorcycle, because they kept breaking. Took some convincing, but now he understands it is simply not as strong or reliable as steel, or even some aluminums like 7075.
Titanium is good for some things, not for others. Fine for a knife handle, but that choice is more about marketing and weight. It is not magical
 
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