There are many important factors that need to be taken into consideration when it’s time to buy a new knife. A few of those factors are blade steel, steel thickness, the overall size of the knife, and handle material. Many people focus on the first three factors mentioned and the handle material is a bit an afterthought. I think that is a mistake. Selecting the right handle material is almost as important as choosing the proper blade steel.

Lets say you are a spear-fisherman and you spend a lot of time in the water, as well as gutting and filleting fish. A knife with good

corrosion resistance is probably pretty important to you. A good stainless steel blade will resist the corrosive nature of salt water and your blade will last a lifetime. But suppose that knife has a walnut handle…. it won’t be long until the wood is cracked and warped beyond repair. Had the knife had a G-10 handle, it would last, or even outlast, the stainless blade it was attached to. I know this is a ridiculous and extreme example, but it gets the point across. Selecting the proper handle material for the job is as equally important as choosing the proper steel.

But, how do you choose the proper handle material for a knife?

That is the question we are going to answer in this article. Before we jump in and choose a handle material, we need to know what the most common material choices are and their strengths and weaknesses .

Handle Materials

Handle materials can be broken into two groups: natural materials and synthetics.

Natural materials have been used for knife handles for thousands of years. Lucky for us, natural handle materials have come a long way from the days of Ötzi the Iceman. Natural materials typically consist of naturally stable wood, stabilized wood, and bone/horn. These materials make quality knife handles, but are susceptible to heat, moisture and wear. They may experience swelling in regions with high humidity and cracking in arid environments; but don’t let this scare you off, if properly cared for, these handle materials will last a lifetime.

 Synthetic handle materials are becoming increasingly popular because of their stability and resistance to the elements. Synthetic materials are exponentially more water, heat, and wear resistant than their natural counterparts. This is due to the resin that holds them together. If left out in the elements, your handle scales will still be there long after the knife itself has rusted away. The three most popular synthetics today are G-10, Micarta, and Carbon Fiber. Each of these materials have their merits and each one makes a very suitable knife handle.

Natural Materials

Naturally Stable Wood

Naturally stable wood is exactly what it sounds like. Once dried it is stable in it’s natural condition, meaning no oils, varnish or coatings of any sort are necessary to protect the wood. In many cases naturally stable woods are very oily and very hard. The oil in the wood is what keeps the wood from absorbing or dissipating moisture. The absorption and dissipation of moisture is what causes wood to shrink, crack, swell, and warp.

In general, naturally stable wood is water resistant, not waterproof. Meaning the material can be used with wet hands or in the rain, but shouldn’t be submerged for any length of time. Extreme cold or heat can affect the wood and cause warping, cracking, swelling, or shrinking. In other words, don’t leave a knife with a naturally stable wood handle in your hot car… or your freezer.

The great thing about selecting wood for a knife handle is that wood is like a fingerprint, as in no two handles are alike. The grain pattern and color of wood varies greatly, even within the same species. There is no shortage of naturally stable wood to choose from; some common options are desert ironwood, osage orange, ebony, African blackwood, cocobolo, leopardwood, lacewood, rosewood, lignum vitae, and bocote.

Stabilized Wood

Stabilized wood is wood that has been made stable by placing it under vacuum and filling the pore space with resin. In a sense, the resin works the same way as the oil in naturally stable woods. Once stabilized, wood is less likely to warp, crack, swell, or shrink,

however, these things can still happen. After all… it is still wood. The main benefit of stabilizing is you can use woods that otherwise have no business being on a knife because they are too fragile, too susceptible to shrinking, or any number of other reasons.

In addition to resin, colored dyes are often included in the stabilization process. This results in wood in many different colors. The options are limitless. Some common stabilized woods are: bog oak, maple (curly, quilted, burl), box elder burl, mango, tamarind, koa, redwood, and buckeye burl.

Bone/Horn

Bone and horn are generally more stable than naturally stable woods, but are still prone to warping, swelling, cracking and shrinking. These materials have been used forever and are as effective today as the were thousands of years ago. Buffalo, elk, and stag are the most commonly used of these materials. There isn’t a lot to say about them, but if you want a knife that reminds you of grandpa, this is probably the material for you.

Synthetics

G-10

G-10 is a synthetic made of laminated fiberglass and epoxy resin. It is non-conductive and was originally used as electrical insulators. G-10 is a durable and strong material that is impervious to water, heat and cold. G-10 will not warp, swell, or shrink under the harshest conditions. You will have to work pretty hard to damage this material.

G-10 comes in many different color combinations and configurations. The color choices are abundant from natural jade, to pink, purple and camouflage, G-10 has it all. Not only does G-10 have multiple colors, there are also many patterned varieties available.

Micarta

Micarta was developed in the early 1900’s by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Like G-10, micarta has it’s roots in electrical insulation. It is a very stable material that is waterproof, as well as heat and cold resistant. Micarta is traditionally made out of linen, canvas, or paper, but can now be found in materials such as burlap, jute twine, and denim. Paper micarta is more fragile than the rest and is prone to cracking and chipping when dropped.

Micarta can be found in numerable color and material combinations. From natural canvas and linen to paper micarta with printed images, there is no shortage of material to choose from.

Carbon Fiber

Carbon Fiber is made of laminated carbon fiber sheets and epoxy resin. Like the G-10 and Micarta above, carbon fiber is impervious to water, heat and cold. However, carbon fiber is electrically conductive (albeit only slightly).

Of the mentioned synthetic

materials, carbon fiber is the least diverse in terms of color options. In most cases carbon fiber is found in it’s natural color state– black. However, carbon fiber has gained a lot of popularity in the knife industry and there have been a few folks who have specialized in creating carbon fiber handle materials. Thanks to them we now have carbon fiber with dyed resin, glow-in-the-dark, multi-colored and patterned varieties.

What Handle Material is Right for You?

Okay… Now that we have the boring, generalized, material types and properties out of the way we can start narrowing down what handle material best suits our needs. To keep things short and sweet, we are going to use a flow chart to get things narrowed down. This chart is a bit over simplified, but it will get us moving in the right direction, quickly. As you can see, the three biggest things to take into consideration are; how often the knife will be used around water,

whether or not you want to perform general maintenance, and personal preference.Now that you have selected a material type that works best for you, the real fun begins… selecting the handle material itself. The best piece of advice I can give here is, have fun and look at a lot of photos online to help you decide.

At the end of the day, choosing the proper knife, and handle, is a very personal experience. If you don’t like it you won’t use it, and if you are afraid of damaging it you won’t use it. Selecting the correct material type and a handle material that makes you happy will ensure that you will have a knife that will bring years of use and joy.