Let's face it, there are many different tool holder materials to choose from. But which one is the best survival knife?
The quick way to solve this problem is simply to say that it depends on your needs and what you like. That's a perfectly correct point of view, but why not take a look at all the different materials and find out which one is best for survival and the knife used in the jungle.
In general, the best hilt material for survival knives is modern synthetic nylon, dense rubber, or other similar materials. The tool holder made of these materials can be used for a long time even under extreme conditions and is a comprehensively durable tool.
The main criterion for survival tool holder material
My main criteria for lifeboats are listed below. From most important to least important.
1, Durability
2. Grip
3. Feel the hand holding
4. Beautiful
1. Durability: Why this criterion ranks first is no accident. The need for durable hilt materials on knives, especially survival knives, cannot be overemphasized. Choosing a durable tool handle material can save you hours of worry and frustration.
When you have to use a knife in nature's most powerful wilderness, the last thing you need to worry about is the durability of the handle. This may not be obvious at first, but trust me, once your knife has been used for a few years and starts to wear out, you'll be happy to choose a durable hilt material.
Not only can you eliminate the pressure of doubting whether your knife will break under extreme conditions, but choosing a durable shank material can also increase the service life of your knife, even in everyday use. This criterion is not short-term, but focuses more on the overall lifespan of the knife and its use in later years.
2. Grip: A large part of the actual use of the knife is to hold the handle tightly. If the material chosen for the handle is smooth and shiny, it will be difficult for you to use the survival knife effectively.
Especially in survival and wilderness environments where you intend to use a survival knife, the situation and environment in which you operate is likely to be less ideal and enjoyable. In these cases, the need for the grip is magnified and almost non-negotiable.
So if you plan to use the Survival Knife in a survival state. (That's all there is to it when you want a survival knife in the first place.) You need a grip that is tight and easy to hold. It is this that makes the survival knife a survival knife, not a kitchen knife.
▲The grip of the handle is very important
3. Hand holding sensation: There is no fun to use a knife with a tingling sensation or other discomfort in the handle. For Survival Knife, this fact has not changed anything. I'm very important to this standard of survival knives because it either makes you use your knife or makes you afraid to pull it out of its sheath.
When you are in a difficult and unpleasant situation, the last thing you need is the handle of the knife to stab your hand or make it uncomfortable. Just solve this problem from the beginning and make sure the handle is comfortable and not in the hand.
This aspect of the survival knife handle also goes far beyond the comfort of the handle. It can improve your ability and skill to complete tasks with a knife.
In survival, many of the tasks you need to accomplish with a knife require skill, precision, and agility. A comfortable handle allows you to easily maneuver your knife to make it easier to accomplish anything that needs to be done.
4. Aesthetics: Last but not least, aesthetics and beauty. While this is far from the most important aspect of survival knives, it's always good to make your tools look beautiful. You should never choose a survival knife based solely on the aesthetics of the hilt, but there's nothing wrong with choosing a survival knife that meets all other criteria and is aesthetically pleasing.
Many people who buy survival knives for the first time are mesmerized by this standard and go too far. At first I had a hard time even calling it the standard. After all, a survival knife can still play its part, whether it looks ugly or beautiful. As long as it meets all other requirements, the aesthetics of the tool holder are less important for the overall function of the knife in its living condition.
Metal handle: "Metal handle" is a fairly broad concept with a large number of different metal options, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Below I will introduce you to some of the many available options. This is not an extensive list of all the metals used to make tool holders, just some of the more popular and best used metals.
stainless steel
Durability: 8 out of 10
Grip: 5 points
Feel the grip: 6 points
Aesthetics: 7 points
Of all the metal material handle options for survival knives, stainless steel is the most common one, and for good reason. Stainless steel is highly resistant to scratches, dents and corrosion. However, it is not immune to this kind of thing. It's just better and more corrosion resistant than other materials.
In cold climates, stainless steel can keep temperatures low and can be cold to an unpleasant degree. While this may not be a particular problem if the stainless steel shank is coated with different materials to improve grip, it still needs to be noted and remembered.
The main disadvantage of the tool stainless steel handle is the weight. While stainless steel isn't overweight, it's an overall dense metal, and if you carry a knife with you, it may take some time to get used to because it has a bit of a hand.
Some of the most common and best stainless steels I've seen for tool holders are 410, 416 and 420 stainless steels. Overall, it's a great, durable handle, and as long as you can see the weight increase in the past, it's all made of stainless steel.
▲The stainless steel handle of the surgical scalpel
aluminium
Durability: 7 minutes
Grip: 7 points
Hand holding feeling: 8 points
Aesthetics: 9 points
In terms of its properties as a tool holder material, aluminum is almost the exact opposite of stainless steel. Aluminum is a less dense metal, so it is more likely to produce dents and scratches. The advantage of this is that since aluminum is a low-density metal, it is usually lighter. However, it does have a very good feature with stainless steel: it is more corrosion resistant in most cases.
Although there are many different aluminum alloys, the most common aluminum alloy in the tool holder is T6-606. Aluminium alloy makes the metal tool holder lightweight and lightweight, while at the same time being very strong and corrosion resistant.
Another smaller factor is how aluminum maintains temperature. Aluminum keeps the cold very well even if it's not particularly cold outside. This may not be a big problem, but it can become very uncomfortable if used for a long time.
▲Aluminum alloy tool holder
Another benefit of aluminum tool holders is that they can be anodized (a finishing process of metal surfaces) and can be turned into almost any color. This makes them highly customizable, unique and very beautiful. Aside from the durability fit, this is not to say that it will collapse and rot on your hand, because aluminum has a low physical hardness and is prone to scratches and dents, so this category of scores will be removed.
titanium
Durability: 9 minutes
Grip: 8 points
Feel in your hand: 9 points
Titanium alloys are top-of-the-line and sometimes expensive, and if the price doesn't bother you, titanium alloys are a very good tool holder option. Titanium is very corrosion resistant, very durable and strong, although not as scratch resistant as stainless steel. It will withstand scratches and dents like aluminum, but its overall strength as a tool holder is very good, and in many cases, its disadvantages are greater than it.
The main factor is its weight, which makes up for its susceptibility to scratches and dents as well as price. Although titanium is a fraction heavier than aluminum, overall, titanium is a fraction heavier than aluminum. It is far from indestructible, but much stronger than both stainless steel and aluminum.
Unfortunately, inexpensive titanium alloys are often used as tool holders and blades, although they say "titanium" does not carry the full strength that high-quality titanium should have. The most common of these inexpensive titanium alloys is TC4 (Ti6Al4V), and Ti6Al4V (Titanium Hexalulfonium Tetravanadium) is a high-quality titanium alloy that is durable.
▲Titanium alloy tool holder
One thing to point out is how titanium keeps the temperature of its surroundings. Titanium is one of the few metals that tends to be very neutral in temperature in most cases, it doesn't hold a certain temperature very well, it seems to be at room temperature all the time. It also has a certain "elastic" quality, but it is also very strong.
Like aluminum, titanium can also be anodized and has a beautiful finish. This added advantage, combined with all the excellent qualities mentioned earlier, makes aluminum one of the best metal shank options for survival knives. The only major issue with titanium is price. If you can pay extra for a titanium tool holder, you'll be pleasantly surprised by its durability and performance.
Artificial synthetic tool holders: While synthetic materials may be slightly lower than metals in terms of overall durability, they are a reliable choice for tool holders because they are designed and manufactured specifically for this job.
They are generally light, waterproof, and very tight, which makes them score high on the standard list of survival tool holder materials. Another advantage of the artificial knife handle is that it does not rust at all! If, for some reason, you don't like the quality of a particular synthetic, fortunately, there are hundreds of different materials to choose from.
G-10
Durability: 8 minutes
Aesthetics: 5 points
The G-10 is a very popular tool handle material, especially among war survivors and outdoors. Although often referred to as the G-10, it is a glass fiber composite laminate made of glass fibers that are soaked in epoxy resin and then pressed together to form a very durable, lightweight, and robust synthetic material.
While the G-10 isn't meant to be used to hold tightly, its texture makes it feel good on your hands and doesn't slip easily when you use a knife. Overall, the G-10 is a very durable tool holder material, though, because it's made of fiberglass, it can be very brittle and won't be very good when hit hard.
▲G-10 tool holder
The main disadvantage of this material is fragility, but its aesthetics are also a disadvantage. While not the most unsightly material, the G-10 lacks the elegance and appeal of other materials. Otherwise, if you're not going to throw your knife around, and its aesthetics aren't a top priority, the G-10 is a very reliable option for your next survival handle.
Carbon fiber
The term "carbon fiber" is a very broad category that includes a large number of synthetic materials. Carbon fiber is made by weaving carbon fibers together before soaking them in artificial resin. The result is a very strong and aesthetically pleasing material that is very expensive and has very good performance.
Although carbon fiber is high overall, like most synthetic tool materials, it does not handle impact and pressure very well. Carbon fiber is likely not to break when used normally or when stressed in one direction, but once stressed in multiple directions or impacted by very hard objects, it has the potential to crack or break. In addition to brittleness, the main problem with carbon fiber is price. You'll pay a premium price for quality man-made materials.
The advantage of carbon fiber is that it is ultra-light. Its strength-to-weight ratio is staggering, making it one of the lightest but strongest materials on the list. It is also very tight and enjoyable to hold and use.
▲Carbon fiber knife handle and carbon fiber sheath
Carbon fiber can also be very beautifully made. Artificial resins can be dyed or dyed by carbon strips that make up the material. Carbon strips are usually woven together in such a way that they form a very attractive and beautiful pattern. Overall, carbon fiber is a very strong but fragile material with grip, aesthetics, and a good feel, making it an excellent tool holder choice.
Paragliding
Durability: 6 minutes
Feel in your hand: 4 points
Although the parachute rope is far from the best tool handle material, the main advantage is the built-in rope, which can be taken out and used in the living environment if necessary. In addition to this, the quality of the parasailing handle is not very good for survival knives.
The durability of the paraling is very limited. The handle wrapped in the material does not deteriorate quickly, but it will certainly wear out slowly and eventually fail. The grip of this type of knife handle is good, but it doesn't feel good to hold. In my experience, the bumpy feel of the handle of the parasand often sticks into my hand, and the grip is a little bit uncomfortable to use.
Some people may find the parastele handle neat and cool, but they are far from pretty enough. While the paraline usually has a lot of color options, it still doesn't make up for all the negative qualities. In summary, parachute cord may not be the best choice for survival handles that will be used frequently.
▲Umbrella rope knife handle
Mikata
Aesthetics: 8 points
It's no accident that Mikata is a very popular survival knife handle option. This humanoid composite has been around for more than a century and has been proven countless times to be used under extreme conditions, and even today it offers the same level of durability and practicality.
Mikata is made by dipping burlap, paper, linen or canvas in artificial resin and then pressing them together. The resulting material is light, very durable and very beautiful. However, it is usually more expensive and comes with mid-to-high-end knives.
Like other man-made synthetic materials, Mikata is very durable and at the same time very fragile. It's okay to apply pressure in one direction, but when pressure is applied in multiple directions or suffers a severe impact, it breaks or breaks.
Mikata is naturally smooth, but its texture can become very firm. If the texture is correct, Mikata can be held very comfortably and completed. Mikata can also be very beautiful, it comes in a variety of colors, and textured can add cool designs and patterns to the material.
▲Mikata knife handle
Overall, Mikata is an excellent choice for survival knife handles. It is durable, textured and firm, feels good, beautiful and is a well-rounded good handle. The two main drawbacks of Mikata are its brittleness and high price.
Natural handles: Natural materials have been used for hundreds of years and remain a reliable choice, far from being the strongest, most durable, or lightest material a tool holder can use. Although natural handles are inherently flawed, they are often very beautiful and allow the knife to return to its original natural roots.
Bones (including antlers, ivory)
Durability: 5 minutes
Grip: 5 points
Feel in your hand: 7 points
Bone handles have been made since the birth of humans and are still very beautiful and popular. While they are far from the most durable or practical materials, they are definitely a collector's treasure and are ideal for lightweight knives.
Since the bone is natural, it can crack and deteriorate over time. It is also very porous, which makes it very susceptible to water damage and deformation. As we all know, bones are slippery, especially when wet. This is not ideal for survival or any other situation that requires precise control of the knife. The bones can be textured to make them more gripy and grip easier.
The bone handle can be made very beautifully and elegantly. They can be carved, dyed, and manipulated in a variety of cool and beautiful ways. In general, the bone handle should be left to collectors or people who want a beautiful knife, but don't need to use it for high-intensity or intensive tasks.
▲ Bone knife handle and antler handle
timber
Grip: 6 points
Wood is by far the most popular natural handle material, and it is still a good survival knife choice even though there are many flaws. Wood as a knife handle can be very beautiful, durable, and feel good. However, this requires a little maintenance and, of course, the usual defects of a natural material that is meant to be broken down.
There are three main options for wooden hilts: cork, hardwood and stabilizing wood. While all three methods have the potential to work, they all have different durability, and only hardwood and stable wood are conducive to the survival of the handle.
Cork comes mainly from a variety of coniferous trees, including pine, fir and spruce. It is usually less dense and expands and worsens in humid climates. Hardwoods come from a variety of deciduous trees, including beech, oak and walnut. The stable wood comes from hardwood trees, which are soaked in artificial resin, making them more water-resistant and durable.
Wooden survival knife handles should generally be hardwood or stabilizing wood. This ensures that the handle is as durable as a wooden handle. However, no wood is completely waterproof, and continuous long-term contact with water will inevitably lead to decay or cracking.
Wooden handles can be textured and sculpted to improve grip and feel of the handles. They can also be made very beautiful by these graining and carving processes as well as wood dyeing. Overall, the wooden hilt is not the ideal hilt for hardcore survival knives, but it can be a great hilt for everyday carrying and lightweight use or decorative knives.
▲Hard wooden sword pattern
leather
Durability: 4 minutes
Nowadays, there are almost no all-leather handles. Often, leather is used to emphasize wood, bone, or other natural materials, but not the only handle material. This is mainly because of the durability of the leather.
Leather is not very durable, and while you can occasionally find a knife handle wrapped in leather, they are very rare and don't last long in regular use. However, the leather is very comfortable to hold and its grip is amazing when used as a tool handle material. It is also very traditional, boasting an elegant beauty that many other tool handle materials do not have.
Leather-trimmed hilts tend to be just good survival hilts, but all-leather hilts should be avoided. They simply don't have the durability needed to survive a knife.
▲ Leather knife handle
Brief restatement: Here's a brief overview of everything covered in this article.
Metal sword handle:
Stainless steel – durable, feels good and grip, and weighs heavily
Aluminium alloy – durable, beautiful, grip and feel good, light weight
Titanium alloy – very durable, lightweight, good feel and grip, expensive
Artificial synthetic tool holder:
G-10 – Durable, feels good and grip, not aesthetically pleasing
Carbon fiber – durable, feels good and grip, is very beautiful and expensive
Parachute rope - not durable, good grip, poor feel, not beautiful
Mikata – durable, expensive, aesthetically pleasing, grip and feel good
Natural handle:
Bones (including antlers, ivory) – not durable, unsightly, poor grip and feel
Wood – durable, aesthetically pleasing, feels good and grips
Leather – not durable, grip and feel good, beautiful
So which material is best? The wise see the wise, and unfortunately, there is no clear winner at the moment. I realized I didn't list every single piece of material, but I did my best to cover the main and important ones.
Now I can confidently say what I wanted to say from the beginning. It all depends on your preferences and needs. Okay, I said.
You might say to yourself, "But, that's the simple answer to this question, and it doesn't help much." "You're right. However, I have armed you with a range of knowledge that will help you decide on the best survival handle material for you.
I like to make a tool holder out of artificial synthetic material. I find these to be the most enduring and successful. But remember, that's just my personal opinion. You may or may not have the same expectations and needs as I do.
So, get out there and find yourself a killer survival knife with a handle that suits all your needs. When you're not sure about your choice or choice, see this article and wait.