Handle Materials
Fusionwood Handles
Fusionwood is created from select hardwood veneers that are vacuum impregnated with advanced, penetrating dies and engineering-grade phenolic resins. The result is a beautiful, highly engineered material that can be precisely crafted into a super durable handle that will be beautiful for a lifetime. The fusionwood handle material is produced in Vermont, USA using only sustainably harvested hardwoods. The handles are fabricated, assembled, handshaped and hand finished by skilled craftsmen in Shelburne Falls, Mass.
Black and Blue G-10
Our custom laminated Black and Blue G-10 handle material is the perfect fit for our knives. Black and Blue really symbolizes the durability of this material. If your knife was going to get into a scrap this the material you would want for it to survive. G-10 is the most durable handle material available for kitchen knife construction. It also finishes beautifully into a distinctive handle.
G-10 is a fiberglass cloth / epoxy laminate. It is essentially layers of glass cloth impregnated with epoxy and baked under thousands of pounds of pressure. The properties of the glass cloth fibers, which run crossways to each other, along with the binding properties of the epoxy, give the G-10 tremendous strength, durability, toughness and create a material that is impervious to oil, fuel, saltwater and most other solvents. For strenuous commercial applications which can turn a chef “black and blue” this is the handle material of choice.
Cocobolo
Cocobolo is the handle material of choice for folks who prefer the look and feel of natural hardwood. Cocobolo has been in use in the US as a material making fine cutlery since it was first encountered by American's during the creation of the Panama Canal. Cocobolo has a natural grain and beauty unparalleled in fine woods. It is different from many other woods in that it darkens over times. It is the ideal choice for a natural wood handle as it has natural resins that make it very stabile and resistant to damage from water. It's incredibly high density gives it solid weight for good balance in a knife and makes it incredibly durable. It is so durable that it is commonly used to make Billy clubs.
Cocobolo is an endangered wood species and we only buy our wood from our Costa Rican partners who sustainabiy plant and grow it on plantations that they have reclaimed from degraded cattle ranches.