No one ever told you that, hey! One of the most durable handle materials. It is a very classy-looking option for hunting lovers. Carbon fiber is brittle, and will break upon sharp impacts. Elegant and smart storage solutions for your knives to keep them protected and tidy. As the more visual part of the knife, the choice of knife handle is influenced by the customers taste, culture, and preconceived ideas about what a knife should look like. G10 is a laminate composite made of fiberglass. Other variants of grip tape are more rubbery (like some of the stuff on tennis racket). Stabilized wood, though not entirely natural, offers so many benefits to the knife buyer that we had to include it here. When, however, it comes to the custom knifemaker's available choices, one have to dwell deep into the forums to get any information. As a premium material, ebony wood offers a fine grain that gives a mirror polish effect without trapping food particles. There are 2 main types of wood: softwood (which comes from coniferous trees pine, fir, spruce) and hardwood (which comes from deciduous trees beech, hickory, oak, walnut). This means that the closer the tang is to full tang, the better the handle is attached. Pakkawood is pieces of hardwood veneer combined with plastic resins to form a composite material. Most stainless steel-handles knives have smooth handles, which makes the knife get very slippery when wet. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Long Genuine Elk Antler Stag Roll Tip Knife Handle Cut Scales Materials at the best online prices at eBay! Mother of pearl handles give off an iridescent glow that makes them feel right at home on high-end knives. Ebony handles are particularly suited to users that appreciate a heavy handle to give solidity in the hand. TruStone. The natural grain adds a beautiful, elegant touch to any blade, and wood can easily be carved and shaped to your liking. It feels smooth and cool to the touch and has a sleek, modern look. You'll also find knife handles made from synthetic materials like G-10 and Micarta. Once again, dont be intimated by all the weird name and trademarks thrown around in product reviews. One of them is Zytel, a thermoplastic developed by DuPont. They range in price from very cost effective to mid-priced for handle material making Micarta and Phenolic extremely popular. So I tried to help you a bit Here is a guide to choosing the best blade material for your knife. Can be prone to scratching (more than stainless steel). Its also a good thing to have cordage readily available in any survival situation, whether it be for building a shelter, repairing your bag, making a bow drill. This means it will break when stressed extensively in other directions. Quite heavy and cumbersome, especially for EDC. However, it gives a knife a unique look that no other material will. So not a good idea for a survival or tactical blade. This material is mainly aluminium (as you might expect), but also contains other various metallic elements such as Magnesium, Nickel and Copper. Some manufacturers bank on handle design (including ridges and etching), or couple the steel with rubber or grip tape on the handle to improve the knifes reliability. Lets have a look. A good knife, with a good handle, often comes with a good tang. Rivets are the metal pieces, usually screws or pins that secure the tang to the handle. Wood handles are durable and typically not too expensive, either. are made by casting natural pine cones in resin and then cutting them into scales to fit a knife blade. Like its fellow synthetics. FRN is a really cheap material to manufacture, and is a good option is you have a limited budget. The knife industry uses various alloys of titanium (an alloy is a combination of several metals, so not one pure metal). G-10 is made of fiberglass and can be brittle, and thus doesnt resist impact well. Natural materials are wood, bone, pear, and abalone. Titanium blades and handles are non-ferrous (they dont contain iron), which means they wont rust (since rust is caused by the oxidation or iron). Most horn is considered an advanced material to work as it can be difficult to shape. Although teak doesnt have the blingy good looks of ebony or rosewood, treating it with an oil really rewards the effort as a deeper color and shine come up on its surface quite easily. What kind of knife handles should you include in your range? A traditional, comfortable, strong material. Products specifications : 100% Original Buffalo Horn Made Knife Scales; Premium Export Quality Products; G-10 is a popular handle material, known to be a fiberglass composite laminate. This is a great resource for those choosing their first knife or enthusiasts who want to try a new type of handle. Finger guards are not necessary but can be something to take into account when choosing a handle design. While its not as strong as titanium, its also not as expensive. Wow. On the opposite side of the spectrum, a professional chef jointing down large pieces of animal daily will be frustrated and possibly injured by a smooth textured, lightweight handle that offers little grip. G-10 is exceptionally durable, lightweight, and water-resistant. Fun fact: Micarta was originally designed to be an electrical insulator! Stainless steel is popular for its resistance to rust and corrosion. Their plusses and minuses are as follows: Carbon Fiber ' Carbon fiber ' is a generic term for any material made by weaving together strands of carbon which are then set into a resin. This is because the nylon strands in FRN are all arranged randomly, making it strong in all directions, whereas the strands in carbon fiber, G-10 and Micarta handles all lie in the same direction. I hope this was helpful and that you found what you were looking for. It may seem obvious, but it bears stating the size of the knife handle should be suited to the customers hand size. I'm in no way an expert on survival knives, but I want to share what I learn everyday from experience and by doing research. The stabilizing process makes wood both customizable (pattern and color) AND it protects the wood from U.V and color loss damage. Handle material isnt everything. ***The Kasumi blade by Sakai Takayuki is a reasonably priced line of traditional forged knives which work well for first time users as well as more experienced chefs.It is made to put soft kitchen knife iron on Yasuki's traditional . USA Specifications: Blade Material: CPM-S45VN Blade Style: Insingo Blade Length: 2.75" Overall Length: 6.50" Handle Length: Free Shipping on all Orders over $49.95. G-10 is one of the most durable handle materials on the market. Largest variety of handle materials with many sizes, types and colors. The result is a stabilized material that now offers increased density and durability without greatly changing the original appearance. Check out our natural knife handle material selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Today it has proven itself to be the ultimate cordage for bushcraft, survival , and basically any outdoors trip! As a note, teak isnt the MOST durable of woods, so its better on a knife handle thatll see gentler use or with a customer that understands caring for wood surfaces. Synthetic handle material like G10 and Micarta, Stabilized timbers and some natural timbers all produce toxic dust when cut, ground and sanded. Ultem is the new kid on the block and it's an awesome option for a handle material. The production of carbon fiber is quite an effort, and that will definitely reflect in the price! Looking forward to hearing from you! UltreX Burlap - Natural - 3/16" - Knife Handle Material SKU: HMUL-Burlap-Nat-.187 Starting at $6.12 Add to Cart UltreX Burlap - Natural - 1/4" - Knife Handle Material SKU: HMUL-Burlap-Nat-.250 Starting at $8.60 Add to Cart UltreX Burlap - Natural 1.5" - Knife Handle Material SKU: HMUL-Burlap-Nat-1.5 Starting at $13.50 Add to Cart For those involved in seafood or fish preparation, such as sushi or sashimi chefs, an octagonally shaped wa handle in the Japanese style offers more sideways grip when filleting and slicing slippery fish. An effective knife handle will give the user: These elements all need to be brought into conjunction with clever design and ergonomics that suit the task that the knife was created for. When making a unique knife that captures the look and feel of the great outdoors, a pine cone handle is a creative choice. SCRIMCAST BONE / HORN / IVORY. Bone handles offer another unique and natural knife handle material. Rosewoods are also dense and strong without being heavy or cumbersome. However, on the other hand, it is heavier that the other two, which can be cumbersome, whether you are using it for EDC (Everyday Carry) or survival. This also means that its a poor environment for bacteria to grow, so your buyer can be assured of good sanitation. It is extremely strong and durable, and has proven to be a safe choice for any types of conditions. Mother-of-pearls knives are generally quite expensive (makes sense to me). Carbon fiber is resistant to corrosion and temperature changes and knife handles made from carbon fiber can be sandblasted to enhance the gripping surface. Some brands, like Victorinox, have incorporated grip tape-like material in their knife designs: If you already own a knife and would like to increase the grip on it, then an option might be to add some grip tape to the handle. Learn about each material and decide which one best suits your needs and personal preferences. How far the blade extends depends on whether its a full tang or partial tang a full tang runs the entire length of the knife and handle, while partial tang only runs through a portion of the handle. This can cause the handle to feel a bit soggy and to decrease in quality over time. So you can feel good about ensuring they were put to good use even after they passed. An aluminium handle can get quite slippery, so I would recommend making sure the handle is textured aluminium, so that you are able to have a relatively good grip even when it is wet. Pakkawood is water impermeable, this means no material decay or warping. Wood Wood is one of the oldest, most popular types of knife handle material. Knives are one of the most useful kitchen tools, and every part of them from blade tip to handle guard works together to provide the perfect cuts and slices. It coats the inner shells of these creatures, and over time layers of the material can form a pearl. There is actually a large range of options to customize your bone handle. This is commonly done with wood or bone handles, although the later is mostly used in pocket knives, custom knives, or collectibles. Like Titanium, it is also non-ferrous, which means it is resistant to corrosion. If you are going to use it in wet conditions often, you don't want your knife handle to be made of soft or fine woods like black walnut; better to use hardwood or a stabilised wood, where the wood is injected with plastic. Bead blasting is a method of coating that involves blasting the surface of the handle with various materials such as sand or beads (hence the name). To get started choosing your next knife handle material, select the individual material option by name or image below: Black Gum Black Limba Bloodwood Bocote Bone Bubinga Buffalo C-Tek Camel Canarywood Carbon Fiber Cedar Chakte Viga Cherry Chinaberry Cocobolo Cord Wrap Damagrip Dymalux Ebony Flame Box Elder G10 - (Multi-Color) An effective knife handle is vital to the overall operation and handling of any knife. These handles usually have a polished, glossy appearance with a deep, rich coloring. Only the essentials you need. And one of them is the handles design. Which handle material is right for you? The Natural Black color of this unique organic material mean that every item is unique & looks beautiful. Proper treatment of your handles with oils such as, If you want a handle that offers the natural look of wood but is a bit more resistant to the elements, you may consider one made of. There are so many knife handle materials out there. Steel itself is an alloy of iron and copper primarily, and its manufacture is relatively cheap. . There are an assortment of plastics available with each formulation offering a specific set of properties. For this your customer can use food grade mineral oil or Boiled Linseed oil, which is much faster drying than regular Linseed oil. Synthetic materials include Micarta, G-10, celluloid, various rubberized materials and acrylic. FRN is known to be basically indestructible. More than a decade later, the company is renowned for crafting thousands of beautiful handmade knives, with a special focus on a quality convex grind and handles that are both solid and visually appealing. Other coatings: in some cases, the handles may be lined with a thin layer of another material, such as titanium or a ceramic. Its a great wood to retail because its ecologically sound if sustainably sourced, and the diversity of color within the species offers a lot of choice for your customer to pick from. What Are The Different Parts Of A Survival Knife? Given the unique nature of pine cones, no two patterns are exactly alike. With antibacterial properties and a natural resistance to moisture, ebony handles are both long lasting and tough in the kitchen. G10 knife handles offer many of the same qualities that make carbon fiber appealing: Theyre strong, durable, lightweight, and highly resistant to moisture, heat, and chemicals. Kraton knife handle Kraton. Sold by cast bricks, or cut to blocks, slabs and scales. I know, there are tons and tons of different handle materials. It can get slippery and can crack over time because it is porous. Just for starters, we hand pick all of our knife making handle materials at KnifeKits.com. Outdoor Troop also participates in affiliate programs with ShareASale, AvantLink, and other sites. This is wood that has been injected with polymer resin and treated under high pressure to make it denser and more durable. Cow bones are a common choice, and you can even use. Similar to bone, materials likeSpringbok, Blesbok, Kudu and Merino Rams Horn make distinctive knife handles. They offer a more polished appearance, are much easier to care for, and come in a wide array of shapes and colors. Bone is typically used from animals that died naturally. The resin can be dyed any number of colors including blue, red, green, orange, yellow, black, and white. Do Not Sell My Personal Information (CCPA). One of the Advantages is that the handle can be cast right onto a finished . Wooden handles are also porous, making them prone to cracking or breaking. The result is a material thats quite similar to carbon fiber, though much less expensive. Besides looking the part, your customer can be confident that ebony is also very dense, which makes for a tough handle thatll last. Other traditional horn material includesdeer horn andbuffalo horn which also make distinctive knife handles for outdoor enthusiasts. The material used to make a knife handle plays a big part in how comfortable, functional, and easy it is to use in the kitchen.