Micarta is nearly impervious to water, is grippy when wet, and is an excellent insulator. Micarta is a popular handle material on user knives due to its toughness and stability. Rubber handles such as Kraton or Resiprene-C are generally preferred over plastic due to their durable and cushioning nature.
These are often used by major knife manufacturers. Injection molded handles made from higher grade plastics are composed of polyphthalamide, and when marketed under trademarked names such as Zytel or Grivory, are reinforced with Kevlar or fiberglass. Plastic handles are more easily cared for than wooden handles, but can be slippery and become brittle over time. In some countries it is now forbidden for commercial butchers’ knives to have wood handles, for sanitary reasons. Many beautiful and exotic hardwoods are employed in the manufacture of custom and some production knives. Modern stabilized and laminated woods have largely overcome these problems.
They do not resist water well, and will crack or warp with prolonged exposure to water. Wood handles provide good grip and are warm in the hand, but are more difficult to care for. Handles are often textured to enhance grip. Handles are produced in a wide variety of shapes and styles. The handles of knives can be made from a number of different materials, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Something such as a small coin, dove or a valuable item is exchanged for the gift, rendering “payment.” A common belief is that if a knife is given as a gift, the relationship of the giver and recipient will be severed. As early as 1646 reference is made to a superstition of laying a knife across another piece of cutlery being a sign of witchcraft. In Greece, a black-handled knife placed under the pillow is used to keep away nightmares. An athame, a ceremonial knife, is used in Wicca and derived forms of neopagan witchcraft. Samurai warriors, as part of bushido, could perform ritual suicide, or seppuku, with a tantō, a common Japanese knife. The knife plays an important role in some initiation rites, and many cultures perform rituals with a variety of knives, including the ceremonial sacrifices of animals. Knife symbols can be found in various cultures to symbolize all stages of life for example, a knife placed under the bed while giving birth is said to ease the pain, or, stuck into the headboard of a cradle, to protect the baby knives were included in some Anglo-Saxon burial rites, so the dead would not be defenseless in the next world. The knife plays a significant role in some cultures through ritual and superstition, as the knife was an essential tool for survival since early man. AntiCheat Last Version ( Aim+WH+SpeedHack Blocked)