Knife Handles

Knife Handles

The handles of kitchen knives can be made from a number of different materials, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Classic pocket knives have handles made of many natural and man made materials. These included bone, deer antler, ivory, mother of pearl, wood, stainless steel and celluloid (plastic).

The industry has added a whole new group of high-tech materials to knife handles and some of these are described below:

Carbon Fiber

Carbon Fiber, also known as graphite, is a woven carbon material that is very tough and yet light. Besides being used as a knife handle material, it is used for countless things ranging from golf club shafts to race car wings. It is black, hard and smooth with the woven texture visible

Composite

Composite knives are made from laminated wood composites impregnated with plastic resin. G-10

G-10 is another high tech material used in tactical knives. This material is also hard, dense and yet light and is made up of layers of impregnated fabric. It is machined like metal. It provides a secure grip on the knife handle and is popular in higher priced tactical knives.

Graphite

Carbon Fiber, also known as graphite, is a woven carbon material that is very tough and yet light. Besides being used as a knife handle material, it is used for countless things ranging from golf club shafts to race car wings. It is black, hard and smooth with the woven texture visible

Kraton

Kraton is a textured soft rubber material that provides an outstanding grip on fixed blade knives. The downside to this material is that it is relatively soft and can chip out. Kraton trades off grip security for durability. Some folding knives have Kraton inserts in an otherwise metal or thermoplastic handle to improve grip security.

Micarta

Micarta is basically layers of fabric or paper that are impregnated with plastic and is available in many colors. Micarta handles are smooth and attractive and yet strong enough to provide good performance as a knife handle. They can be polished to a high luster.

Pakkawood

Pakkawood and Staminawood are commonly encountered composite wood handles. They are considered by many chefs to be the best choice because they are as easy to care for and as sanitary as plastic, they have the appearance, weight, and grip of hardwood, and are more durable than either. They often have a laminated, polished appearance, and may have intense or varied coloring.

Plastic

Plastic handles are more easily cared for than wooden handles and do not absorb microorganisms. However, plastics may also be less resistant to ultraviolet damage and may become brittle over time, resulting in cracking. Some plastics are also slippery in the hand. The material is lighter than most other materials, which may result in a knife that is off-balance or too light for some tastes.

Staminawood

Staminawood and Pakkawood are commonly encountered composite wood handles. They are considered by many chefs to be the best choice because they are as easy to care for and as sanitary as plastic, they have the appearance, weight, and grip of hardwood, and are more durable than either. They often have a laminated, polished appearance, and may have intense or varied coloring.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel handles are the most durable of all handles, as well as the most sanitary. Many argue, however, that they are very slippery in the hand, especially when wet. To counter this, many premium knife makers make handles with ridges, bumps, or indentations to provide extra grip. One disadvantage of some all-metal handles is that knife weight usually goes up considerably, affecting the knife's balance and increasing hand and wrist fatigue.

Titanium

Titanium is a metal known to be harder but lighter than steel. While stainless steel handled knives are usually on the heavy side, titanium provides the toughness and durability of a metal handle without so much weight.

White Micarta

White micarta makes a good substitute for elephant ivory.

Wood Handles

Wood handles provide good grip, and most people consider them to be the most attractive. They are, however, slightly more difficult to care for as they must be cleaned more thoroughly and occasionally treated with mineral oil. Most wood handles, especially those of ordinary varnished hardwood, do not resist water well, and will crack or warp with prolonged exposure to water. They should be hand-washed for that reason. Some people argue that ordinary varnished wood handles can harbor more microorganisms as the varnish layer wears off, thus requiring resealing or re-varnishing to seal the wood's pores.

Zytel

Zytel is a brand name of a thermoplastic compound that is molded into knife handles. Zytel is tough and practical as a handle material and inexpensive because it is molded. You will find this material in many reasonably priced and mid range tactical knives. There are other molded thermoplastics used in knife handles with other names and they provide similar performance and benefits.