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Showing 1 of 66 conversations about:
Glen8
671
Apr 30, 2019
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I would never think micarta to be a suitable material for a knife handle?
Pionkej
16
Apr 30, 2019
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Glen8If it counts for anything, I actually think micarta is a great material. I don't care for the "slickness" of many CF and metal knives. G10 has a great grip, but is often a "pocket shredder" for me. I actually "upgraded" my ZT350, PM2, and mini-grip with aftermarket micarta scales (my daily rotation knives). Grip texture is close to G10, but isn't so hard on pockets. The exposed fibers are absorbent, which allows it to take a "patina" over time (not a con, but something to be aware of). I like my daily carry items to tell the world I carry them daily, the patina can certainly be a negative if personal preference is a "clean and pristine" look.
fonedork
39
Apr 30, 2019
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Glen8Micarta is an ideal material for a knife handle, it is grippier than G10, it is grippy when wet, it is more abrasion resistant than G10, weighs significantly less than G10, it feels "warmer" and "softer" than G10 in the hand.
massdrop01
783
May 5, 2019
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Glen8One of the most used materials for knife handle. Perhaps less so for folder, but definitely still among the top materials
shakin_jake
71
May 22, 2019
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fonedorkI totally agree. My current EDC is micarta and gets a lot of use. I also have one or two straight razors that came with micarta scales. Great grip when shaving which is a very wet environment if there ever was one. That said, it’s the jimps on the spine (of a straight razor) which aids the best ability to grip a razor, though I shave with some w/o jimping and I’ve yet to drop them
Getting back to using micarta, it’s a nice addition IMO
Glen8
671
May 23, 2019
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fonedorkThanks for the feedback, obviously I don't know the knife industry all that well, do I! although I have a great many. Like I said in my previous post, I use micarta in my work quite a bit, for the purpose it was intended, as an insulator in electrical equipment. The stuff I use would not make a great knife handle, as when you cut or shape it, the edges where the layers of fiberglass are embedded into it, tend to flake off and have rough parts where the fiberglass interrupts the base material.
Now that I have been paying attention, I totally see that a lot of makers use it on some pretty top end knives, I'll have to give it a try some time. Thanks everyone
Glen8
671
May 23, 2019
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PionkejWell of course it counts for something! Thanks for sharing that kind of addresses what I thought would be the major drawback, the fiberglass embedded in micarta. Interesting, I think I'm going to seek out a micarta handled knife to give it a try. Like I said in a previous post, the micarta I work with regularly would probably not be ideal, but there is most likely lots of different grades that can be used, and you can get it with more or less fiberglass which is added for strength and to keep if from breaking apart, another reason I thought to my self it may not be very good for this, because it can be brittle. Again, different grades I'm sure, as, like you all have pointed out, it is widely used and much loved in the knife industry, so they must have found the right gradation to use for this purpose. When I cut the stuff I use at work, it most often has fibers from the glass inside that don't cut as well and you end up with these fiberglass fibers sticking out all over the place, and often a kind of hole or divet where the glass fibers are entering the base material, sometimes there's quite the 'hole' there where it enters. So you might see why I would make that statement!
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