What do you think of metal handles?

[jpm2]

I have one metal handle knife. It's cold, hot, and slick. If it were all I had to use, I'd glue moleskin to it.

[Abyss_Fish]

I voted other because it HEAVILY depends on finish and shaping. Every material can be done well. Spyderco’s bead blasted stone wash they use on the slysz designed models for instance is wonderfully soft to the touch, and gives a nice amount of grip. On the other hand I’ve had some not so nice Chinese “m390 Ti frame lock” amazon knives with far from pleasing textures.

On the other end I’ve definitely had some G10 and Micarta that I’ve really disliked, even though they’re generally my preferred materials. Again it’s all execution. Although I’ve never had Terotuff handles I disliked...

[Thunderpants]

My favourite knife right now is the MKM Root which is a titanium slipjoint. It's a smaller knife so the Ti just feels solid, rather than burdensome. It's such a well designed knife that the untextured metal isn't a problem either.

[kennethsime]

Aluminum is a nice balance, as in the BM 940. Almost as light as titanium, cheaper, and plenty strong. I like a stonewashed finish for metal handles, as in the 940 or a CRK Sebenza.

[kobold]

As most of us, I love titanium for both work and more gentlemanly roles. It is not slippery if the ergonomics are done right. We could have soap or banana peels for handle material with a secure grip if the handle is shaped right..

Of course metal handles can be treated / machined like the Umnumzaan, the Buck/Mayo TNT or my latest purchase the Böker Plus Urban Trapper in Titanium for additional grip, but mostly for looks.

Re, the argument that metals are cold: not if we carry the knife in the pocket, close to our body and that is when we need to wear gloves anyway, plus, different metals have different heat conductivity, and so that is a different discussion also.

[kobold]

I think it would show real opinions better, if we could vote multiple items, for those of us who like multiple materials.

[The Meat man]

Aluminum is a nice balance, as in the BM 940. Almost as light as titanium, cheaper, and plenty strong. I like a stonewashed finish for metal handles, as in the 940 or a CRK Sebenza.

Actually I think aluminum is lighter than titanium.

[JonLeBlanc]

I have a Stainless Delica which I like a lot, and used to have a Stainless Jester which was really nice (I think the heavier, more massive handle worked well on a small design), so I'm not opposed to metal handles, but I can say that there's no way I could deal with a copper handle.

=

Actually I think aluminum is lighter than titanium.

Aluminum is definitely lighter.
Al atomic mass = 26.98 u
Ti atomic mass = 47.87 u

[JonLeBlanc]

oops double post

[The Mastiff]

I like titanium but no other plain metal. I like titanium lockbacks especially.

[JD Spydo]

I really like what the one guy said about not liking metal ( especially stainless) handles with pinned construction. My Stainless handled RESCUE model has that and I've used the **** out of it and it has never given me any significant problems at all. But I do agree with what he said about wanting to see screw construction instead of pinned construction.

I also like the ability to dis-assemble knife handles. That's one big selling point I like about many of the GOLDEN Made models and the C-36 Military in particular.. I really don't see any reason why they couldn't have screw construction on all metal handles???

[GarageBoy]

Stainless steel handles are a nice retro touch, but kinda slippery

I can't imagine microtech and classic Benchmade autos in anything except aluminum

They can be bricks though, like the Benchmade presidio

[zuludelta]

I voted "ambivalent". I like how metal handles look & feel when they're done right, though I prefer G-10 or FRN.

[DSH007]

Voted "ambivalent."

I suppose generally, I'd say no to metal scales.. but, as others have mentioned, I feel that metal scales do not detract from a solidly designed knife with good ergonomics. They can definitely contribute to the negative performance of a poorly designed knife though.. It very largely depends on the knife itself.

For example, I like Ti scales on the Chaparral, SpydieChef & Mantra 2. I like aluminum scales on several non-Spydies I own.. Hogue EX01, ZT 0770, Kershaw Dividend, BM 940. There are pros and cons to carrying each, but they all fit my hand well and have finishes or jimping which provide sufficient traction during use. From a purely functional standpoint, G10 is all I'd ever need, but it's nice to change it up every now and again and throw some metal into the mix :)

[Sharp Guy]

Re, the argument that metals are cold: not if we carry the knife in the pocket, close to our body and that is when we need to wear gloves anyway, plus, different metals have different heat conductivity, and so that is a different discussion also.

I see a lot of comments about metal handles being cold. One thing I noticed is they also get nice and warm from being in your pocket. I kind of like that :) I wouldn't want to use one for an extended period of time outside in cold weather but inside I've never picked one up off my desk and thought "that feels cold".

Also, regarding Ti being slippery. I don't consider any of my Ti knives to be slippery. No, they're not as grippy as peel-ply G10 or textured FRN but they do have a very fine texture. Polished stainless steel is probably a different story. Other than a couple clip-it tools I don't own any of the stainless models. So I can't really comment there

[TomAiello]

I like metal on some knives. For a 'gent's' knife I think they're potentially very classy. I have knives with both copper and ti handles that I enjoy. I'm not a fan for hard use knives, because I find the stainless steel handles get slippery, and I need to texture them. Also, in cold weather, they are _cold_, even through gloves.

A nice textured ti, or even smooth copper or brass on a gents knife, I can definitely get into though.

[kobold]

I like, how copper, brass, bronze and silver are all antibacterial; 99.9% killrate.

edit: and antifungal.

[James Y]

I LOVE the SS Spyderco Police. I own 4 of them. I also own a couple of Harpies and SS Delicas. I like that the SS handles can be clipped tightly, yet not tear the pocket material.

That said, it is slippery. Sure, you can apply skateboard tape, but I tried it and didn’t like it.

I also have some Kershaws in SS handles. I have mixed feelings on those.

Other metals:

I really like the aluminum on my Alox SAKs.

I have a few other aluminum-handled, one-handed knives (by Kershaw and Benchmade). On these I have mixed feelings. I do like the aluminum handles on my CA-legal autos (one by Pro-Tech, and one by DKD Knives). Those are great.

The only titanium-handled knives I own are CRKs. Mine are the basic models, without any handle inserts. Good stuff.

Jim

[Bill1170]

The Alox handles on Swiss Army Knives are nice because of their texture. If only they could hold the tweezers and toothpick, I’d carry one instead of the butyrate-scaled models. I use both those little tools a lot.

A slim gent’s folder is good for metal handles. I have a few, but not for my work knives.

[Nate]

Voted "ambivalent."

I suppose generally, I'd say no to metal scales.. but...

Same. Used to be fairly solidly in the “no” camp, but then I got a PITS and loved it. Still a regular carry for me. As SharpGuy mentioned I also like how it gets warm from being carried, mine usually rides iwb.

Also like a few other metal-scaled knives in my collection: BM FACT, stainless Kopa, and a couple alox SAK Cadets.