Knife Handle Materials

STAG
derived from naturally shed deer antlers. When exposed to open flame, stag takes on that slightly burnt look. Very elegant material for pocketknives.
BONE
derived from naturally deceased animals. Bone is usually given a surface texture, most commonly in the forms of pickbone and jigged bone. Bone can be dyed to achieve bright colors (e.g. green, blue, and black). This is the most common handle material for pocketknives.
G-10
a fiberglass based laminate. Layers of fiberglass cloth are soaked in resin and are compressed and baked. The resulting material is very hard, lightweight, and strong. Surface texture is added in the form of checkering. G-10 is an ideal material for tactical folders because of its ruggedness and lightweight. It is usually available in black.
MICARTA
the most common form is linen micarta. Similar construction as G-10. The layers of linen cloths are soaked in a phoenolic resin. The end product is a material that is lightweight, strong, as well as having a touch of class (thus dressier than G-10). Micarta has no surface texture, it is extremely smooth to the touch. It is a material that requires hand labor, which translates into a higher priced knife. Micarta is a relatively soft material that can be scratched if not treated properly.
CARBON FIBER
composed of thin strands of carbon, tightly woven in a weave pattern, that are set in resin. It is a highly futuristic looking material with a definite "ahhhh" factor. Of all the lightweight synthetic handle materials, carbon fiber is perhaps the strongest. The main visual attraction of this material is the ability of the carbon strands to reflect light, making the weave pattern highly visible. Carbon fiber is also a labor-intensive material that results in a rather pricey knife.
ZYTEL®
Du Pont developed this thermoplastic material. Of all synthetic materials, ZYTEL® is the least expensive to produce, which explains the abundance of work knives that have this material. It is unbreakable: resists impact and abrasions. ZYTEL® has a slight surface texture, but knife companies using this material will add additional, more aggressive surface texture to augment this slight texture.
TITANIUM
a nonferrous metal alloy, the most common form of titanium is 6AL/4V: 6% aluminum, 4% vanadium, and 90% pure titanium. This is a lightweight metal alloy that offers unsurpassed corrosion resistance of any metal. It has a warm "grip you back" feel and can be finished either by anodizing or bead blasting. Aside from handles, titanium is also used as liner materials for locking liner knives for it is a rather "springy" metal.
ALUMINUM
just like titanium, aluminum is also a nonferrous metal. Commonly used as handles, aluminum gives the knife a solid feel, without the extra weight. The most common form of aluminum is T6-6061, a heat treatable grade. The most common finishing process for aluminum is anodizing.
ANODIZATION
an electrochemical process which adds color to titanium, which is especially conducive to this coloring process. Depending on the voltage used, colors can vary (high voltage = dark color, low voltage = light color).
BEAD BLASTING
a process by which steel, aluminum, and titanium are finished. Bead blasting is commonly found on tactical folders and fixed blades, for it provides a 100% subdued, non-glare finish.

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Types of Knives (from Wikipedia):

Knives as weapons:

As a weapon, the knife is universally adopted as an essential tool. It is the essential element of a knife fight. For example:

Ballistic knife: A specialized combat knife with a detachable gas or spring-propelled blade that can be fired to a distance of several feet or meters by pressing a trigger or switch on the handle.

Bayonet: A knife-shaped close-quarters fighting weapon designed to attach to the muzzle of a rifle or similar weapon.

Combat knife: Any knife intended to be used by soldiers in the field, as a general-use tool, but also for fighting.

Dagger: A double-edged combat knife with a central spine and edges sharpened their full length, used primarily for stabbing. Variations include the Stiletto and Push dagger.

Fighting knife: A knife with a blade designed to inflict a lethal injury in a physical confrontation between two or more individuals at very short range (grappling distance). Well known examples include the Bowie knife and the Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife.

Rampuri: An Indian gravity knife of formidable reputation having a single edged blade roughly 9 to 12 inches long.

Shiv: A crudely made homemade knife out of everyday materials, especially prevalent in prisons among inmates. An alternate name in some prisons is Shank.

Trench knife: Purpose-made or improvised knives, intended for close-quarter fighting, particularly in trench warfare, some having a d-shaped integral hand guard.

Butterfly knife: A folding pocket knife also known as a "balisong" or "batangas" with two counter-rotating handles where the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles.

Knives as sports equipment:

Throwing knife: A knife designed and weighted for throwing

Knives as utensils:

A primary aspect of the knife as a tool includes dining, used either in food preparation or as cutlery. Examples of this include:

Bread knife: A knife with a serrated blade for cutting bread.

Boning knife: A knife used for removing the bones of poultry, meat, and fish.

Carving knife: A knife for carving large cooked meats such as poultry, roasts, hams, etc.

Chef's knife: Also known as a French knife, a cutting tool used in preparing food.

Cleaver: A large knife that varies in its shape but usually resembles a rectangular-bladed hatchet. It is used mostly for hacking through bones as a kitchen knife or butcher knife, and can also be used for crushing via its broad side, typically garlic.

Butcher's Knife: A knife designed and used primarily for the butchering and/or dressing of animals.

Electric knife: An electrical device consisting of two serrated blades that are clipped together, providing a sawing action when powered on.

Kitchen knife: Any knife, including the chef's knife, that is intended to be used in food preparation.

Oyster knife: Has a short, thick blade for prying open oyster shells.

Paring or Coring Knife: A knife with a small but sharp blade used for cutting out the cores from fruit.

Rocker knife: A knife that cuts with a rocking motion, which is primarily used by people whose disabilities prevent them from using a fork and knife simultaneously.

Table knife or Case knife: A piece of cutlery, either a butter knife, steak knife, or both, that is part of a table setting, accompanying the fork and spoon.

Ulu: An Inuit woman's all-purpose knife.

Knives as tools:

As a utility tool the knife can take many forms, including:

Balisong: A folding knife also known as a "butterfly knife" or "batangas", with two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is hidden within the handles.

Bowie knife: Commonly, any large sheath knife, or a specific style of large knife popularized by Jim Bowie.

Crooked knife: Sometimes referred to as a "curved knife", "carving knife" or in the Algonquian language the "mocotaugan" is a utilitarian knife used for carving.

Diver's knife: A knife adapted for use in diving and water sports and a necessary part of standard diving dress.

Electrician's knife: A short-bladed knife used to cut electrical insulation.

Hunting knife: A knife used to dress large game.

Kiridashi: A small Japanese knife having a chisel grind and a sharp point, used as a general-purpose utility knife.

Linoleum knife: is a small knife that has a short, stiff blade with a curved point and a handle and is used to cut linoleum or other sheet materials.

Machete: A large heavy knife used to cut through thick vegetation such as sugar cane or jungle undergrowth; it may be used as an offensive weapon.

Palette knife: A knife, or frosting spatula, lacking a cutting edge, used by artists for tasks such as mixing and applying paint and in cooking for spreading icing.

Paper knife: Or a "letter opener" it is a knife made of metal or plastic, used for opening mail.

Pocket knife: a folding knife designed to be carried in a pants pocket. Subtypes include:

-Lockback knife: a folding knife with a mechanism that locks the blade into the open position, preventing accidental closure while in use.

-Multi-tool and Swiss Army knife, which combine a folding knife blade with other tools and implements, such as pliers, scissors, or screwdrivers.

Produce knife: A knife with a rectangular profile and a blunt front edge used by grocers to cut produce.

Rigging knife: A knife used to cut rigging in sailing vessels.

Scalpel: A medical knife, used to perform surgery.

Straight razor: A reusable knife blade used for shaving hair.

Survival knife: A sturdy knife, sometimes with a hollow handle filled with survival equipment.

Switchblade: A knife with a folding blade that springs out of the grip when a button or lever on the grip is pressed.

Utility knife: A short knife with a replaceable triangular blade, used for cutting sheet materials including card stock, paperboard, and corrugated fiberboard.

Wood carving knife and whittling knives: Knives used to shape wood in the arts of wood carving and whittling, often with short, thin replaceable blades for better control.

X-Acto knife: A scalpel-like knife with a long handle and a replaceable pointed blade, used for precise, clean cutting in arts and crafts.

Knives as a traditional or religious implement:

Athame: A typically black-handled and double-edged ritual knife used in Wicca and other derivative forms of Neopagan witchcraft.

Kirpan: A ceremonial knife that all baptised Sikhs must wear as one of the five visible symbols of the Sikh faith (Kakars).

Kilaya: A dagger used in Tibetan Buddhism.

Kris: A dagger used in Indo-Malay cultures, often by royalty and sometimes in religious rituals.

Kukri: A Nepalese knife used as both tool and weapon.

Puukko: A traditional Finnish or Scandinavian style woodcraft belt-knife used as a tool rather than a weapon.

Seax: A Germanic single-edged knife, used primarily as a tool, but may have been a weapon.

Sgian Dubh: A small dagger traditionally worn with highland dress.