There are variety of knife handle materials on the market. You may dazzled about their concepts, or you may just hear of one of them. Then this article will tell you:
- Why is it important to choose the right handle material?
- What are the types of handle materials?
- What is the best kitchen knife handle material?
Why choose right handle materials is important?
Most people often fall into the trap of assuming that the knife handle is just an aesthetic asset of a knife, However, in reality, the handle is just as important as the blade for the kitchen knife safety because it is the point of contact between your hand and the knife blade which can help prevent slips and other bad accidents to happen.
The kitchen knife handles have a big impact on cooking preparation and results, for further details, knife handle contributes to:
- Cutting performance
- Grip comfort
- Amount of grip
- Elegance visual
- Water resistance and temperature resistance
- Durability and reliability
- Hand fatigue level
What are the types of handle materials?
1. Stabilized wood knife handle
Stabilized wood is a kind of high-density wood. the process of stabilized is to use a vacuum to remove the water and the air the wood holds, and then fill the voids with resin and color paste, then dry it to show a unique texture and gorgeous color.
The main factor for making stable wood is the shape, color, and texture. Because the yield rate of stable wood is very low, the loss rate is very high, and the crafting process is complicated and high-cost, so the price of stable wood is generally higher than other materials. what's more, it's expensive because of its uniqueness, that is if you fancy for the color of one product, there is no second one in the world.
2. G10 handle
G10 is a laminated composite of glass fiber and resin. "G" stands for glass fiber "10" means that glass fiber contains 10%. It was originally developed as a material for aircraft, which can withstand great strength without damaging deformation. G10 material has the characteristics of insulation, corrosion resistance and wear resistance.
G-10 handles are usually textured to provide the hand a good grip which is a important aspect about knife.
3. Color wood handle
The color wood handle is also made of wood, in simple terms, it is the color wood powder that is molded by high-density insulation board technology. During the process, the texture and color can be controlled by the process.
The control level of color difference, balance, toughness, and dryness have become important criteria for evaluating the quality of colored wood! It not only has the toughness and beautiful texture of high-end wood but also has the price advantage of ordinary wood.
In addition, it is a new type of environmental protection material. In addition to wood powder, phenolic resin is added too, so it has better anti-corrosion and waterproof performance. It does not contain 33 harmful substances like formaldehyde. Now the level of color wood integration is very high, and it can be compared with real wood in terms of visual and touch feeling.
4. Stainless Steel
Stainless steel knife handle delivers excellent durability and resistance to corrosion, in another hand, it’s not particularly lightweight.
In addition, stainless steel handles can be a little smooth, so manufacturers must add etching or ridges to provide extra friction. Usually, plastic or rubber will be combined with stainless steel to improve grip, but for heavy knives, we’d better avoid choose stainless handle because of the added weight can influence your cutting performance.
5. Aluminum
Aluminum knife handle has high-durability, usually anodized for color, hardness, and protection. It’s a low-density metal which has lightweight, it provides for a nice, comfortable feel to the knife without weighing the knife down.
The most commonly used type of aluminum today is the T6-6061 alloy which has overwhelming tensile strength. After appropriate texturized, an aluminum handle can offer a reasonably secure grip which is also comfortable and easy for extended use. On the downside, if you use stainless steel knife handle in winter, you may feel a little comfortable because of its conductive.
6. Titanium
The titanium knife handle is considered a better handle than Aluminum. though it is also a lightweight metal alloy, it is heavier, stronger, and more corrosion (rust) resistant. at the same time, the process cost is higher than the Aluminum handle, what's more, it has a high demand for the manufacturing machine.
In another hand, this won't let you feel cold when you use it in winter.
Titanium is also a good choice for a customized knife because it can be formed a unique and attractive color through the anodization process.
Pay attention to that both Titanium and Aluminum are easier to be scratched compared with stainless steel.
7. Carbon Fiber
Carbon fiber knife handle is the strongest materials in the industry, it's a high-tech material, it’s basically carbon strands woven together and then inject into a resin, then carbon fiber is being made it's one of the lightest materials and has a beautiful appearance. the most important, you can change the color of carbon fiber by change resin, is it magic?
Carbon fiber is stronger than steel and lighter than G-10. However, it has it's own disadvantages,it's easy to get fragile.
The production of carbon fiber is extremely complicated, so, it delivers a very expensive price.
8. Micarta
Micarta knife handles are made from various fabrics like linen, fiberglass, canvas, and carbon fibers which is lightweight, strong, and look somewhat better than G-10. It is one of the best choices for a knife handle.
Every coin has two sides, whether a Micarta handle is stylish depend on how it is formed, but, Micarta itself has absolutely no surface texture during the process, if you want stylish texture on it , the manufacturers have to spend more time and money on it because it needs people to carve texture manually. if do like this, you can imagine how expensive it will be.
In addition, it's fragile when experiencing high-level impacts.
9. Shellfish
Shellfish are generally used for high-end handmade knives, such as mother-of-pearl, abalone shells, and tortoise shells. High-quality shellfish are very expensive, fashionable, and tough materials, and they are mostly made into patches for knife handle decoration.
10. JADE
The handles made of jade are very beautiful. They are basically ornamental or collection knives, but they are not very practical.
What is the best kitchen knife handle material?
In addition to the material of the handle, the choice of handle is also related to your budget. If you really don’t know how to choose, we recommend choosing the G10 handle, which is currently the most popular handle on the market with good grip and affordable price and the appearance is also elegant-feeling.
Of course, if you have great requirements on the color and appearance of the handle, we recommend you choose stabilized wood handle which has visually stunning appearance.
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