Which is colder? Micarta or Wood

[fujita yuji]

Hi, WSS forumates.
I have a question on the handle material under cold environment.
Which is colder to hand, micarta or wood?

I put micarta scale for the first time on the blade I made this spring.
It's a great material, no slip under wet condition, no shrink or warp
yet giving natural texture and feelings. It's my favorite handle material at this moment.
The only remained concern about micarta for me is how it performs
in cold weather.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mcjhrobinson]

usually by then my hands are too cold to know the difference

 

[Jason B.]

if its really cold and wet the micarta can build a layer of ice.

 

[ZombaiO]

Wood has been used for thousands of years witout problems
IMHO there's nothing like wood for a handle material

 

[Munky88]

Both are perfectly fine for cold weather. Wood is a better thermal insulator, so if thats what your asking wood will feel warmer. Micarta wont be bad though.
Micarta is very tough, it has no durability issues with cold, or reasonable amounts of heat. Better so than wood at both extremes.

 

[Sparljo]

Dont be concerned about its performance in cold weather.

Throw it in the freezer overnight if you are really curious.

The reality is when it is cold enough that this might matter.... micarta and wood will both feel pretty damn cold.

 

[RussMo]

Both are perfectly fine for cold weather. Wood is a better thermal insulator, so if thats what your asking wood will feel warmer. Micarta wont be bad though.
Micarta is very tough, it has no durability issues with cold, or reasonable amounts of heat. Better so than wood at both extremes.

I work in the Gas Fired Turbine Ind, and Micarta is WAY better on thermal than wood will ever be. Micarta is designed to withstand over 300'F constant run time exposure.

if its really cold and wet the micarta can build a layer of ice.

This statement is 100% correct. Living in Alaska I have experienced this first hand while on a 4-wheeler in freezing rain. That's another story that got interesting.
************************************
As far as handle material one of the best going is G-10. Some people say that it feels slick to the hand, but if you hold on to it long the handle starts warming up. I would and do use G-10 on all my knives if that is an option. Other thing to remember is when it's cold most likely you will have gloves on and you have to ask your self does the cold really matter that much???
Good luck in what ever you do or choose!!!

 

[fujita yuji]

Thanks guys.
So that micarta will pose no problem as far as low temperature is concerned.
I understand that.

And yes, as RussMo said, if it is cold enought that difference
between wood or micarta really matters, I should wear gloves, in which case
I will have to be worried about things other than what material is used on handle.

 

[sodak]

Micarta is by far my favorite handle material. Better heat tolerance, it is impervious to most liquids, very strong. Also doesn't crack very easily or swell/shrink like wood does.

Wood can be a lot nicer looking though, and I know it's a pretty good handle material also, I just like Micarta better for it's durability.

 

[Joezilla]

Never had a problem with it myself. I haven't had it freeze overnight on any trips. If its cold to the touch stick it under your arm pit. Wakes you up faster than coffee

 

[jw2n]

My last trip to Alaska was winter on the Yukon. We had temps as low as -50 to -60. Micarta stood up with no prob. The plastic handles on the machetes we were using broke. We were using the machetes to build snow shelters and chopping pine. A couple of guys with wood or stag handles suffered failures, especially when chopping. At these temps nothing is touched without gloves, so as for relative warmth I dont think there would be much noticable difference. None of us experienced steel failures. This included knives, machetes, axes, hatchets, and bow saws. No attempt was made to warm these implements before use. Many people are suprised when I talk about the use of machetes in Artic conditions. They are standard issue for military.

 

[fujita yuji]

Thanks guys.
I have no experience with such a low temperature like jw2n mentioned. Very interesting.

How about sheath material?
I know leather is a tough material at low temperature as my winter climbing boots
are made with it.
But as a knife sheath material, I have mixed feeling about leather.

This time, I chose Kydex.
Doing great so far at room temperature. I especially love it because it never gets
soaked, nor does lose its stiffness easily.

How does it perform at low temperature?

 

[fujita yuji]

Sorry guys!
I should have done some research before asking....

http://www.kydex.com/briefs/122.pdf

this is the answer.
Kydex gets quite brittle at freezing level, not much change below that temperature.

 

[saxon]

Thanks guys.
I have no experience with such a low temperature like jw2n mentioned. Very interesting.

How about sheath material?
I know leather is a tough material at low temperature as my winter climbing boots
are made with it.
But as a knife sheath material, I have mixed feeling about leather.

This time, I chose Kydex.
Doing great so far at room temperature. I especially love it because it never gets
soaked, nor does lose its stiffness easily.

How does it perform at low temperature?

You might not like kydex at low temperatures. It will be very stiff and even break. For me, in extreme cold I find nothing better than orthopedic tanned leather. That is, leather which is left as rawhide in the center. It molds as stiff as kydex but will not crack. The sheaths made by the Lapps is a version of this leather and they deal with some very cold weather. They never had kydex and probably wouldn't use it.

 

[TheGame]

I haven't noticed any significant difference in using them in below 0. I prefer Micarta, however if it gets to cold I don't think it will really matter.

 

[Munky88]

again you should have no problems. It does get harder when it gets cold, and potentially could crack if abused. Theres no reason to be hammering on kydex though. under regular use you should be fine.

You have a freezer. Put a scrap piece in and play with it.

 

[koyote]

I regularly use many types of wood and micarta variants.

I personally have no issues with either- wood will tend to have more change in size over radical environmental changes.

I'm going to try and get some nice ice layering built up on a micarta handles that's been linseed oiled, might be another reason to oil my micarta

I think- especially with the rougher cloth micartas like blue jean, canvas, burlap- that you can get a lot of character and 'feel' out of them

 

[Rockywolf]

It's getting cold outside here, I'm going to do a bit of experimenting with these substances.