Carbon Fiber Vs G10: Which One Is Better?

Introduction

Carbon fiber and g10 are the top two synthetic materials to make knife handles. This is why there’s always a comparison going on between both.

So, which one is better between carbon fiber vs g10?

In terms of strength and pressure handling ability, g10 has the upper hand. For heat resistance and stiffness comparison, carbon fiber performs better. It’s also super lightweight. However, it’s more expensive than g10. Also, carbon fiber is not as widely used in humid and wet environments.

That was only a part of the whole discussion. But it’s not enough. Read our piece to know the detailed comparison between carbon fiber vs g10.

Let’s begin!

Short Comparison Between Carbon Fiber vs G10

Before we go to a detailed discussion, let’s give you some surface ideas-

That was the sneak peek. Now, let’s move on to a detailed discussion about them.

Detailed Comparison Between Carbon Fiber vs G10

We’ve given you a short preview of the comparison between Carbon fiber vs G10. Let’s talk in-depth about the comparisons between the two materials-

Material’s Characteristics 

Materials play an important role in any product. Let’s imagine- 

The material of your Ravin crossbow isn’t up to the mark. Then obviously you’ll face problems with your Ravin crossbow. 

So, it’s important to go through Carbon fiber’s material introduction. They’re also known as graphite fiber which is made of strong micro-fine threads. 

These threads or filaments are thin and made of almost 100% of pure carbon. The process of making them is quite costly. That’s why carbon fiber is more expensive than g10.

In reverse, G10 is a melded material made from layers of epoxy-soaked glass cloth. These layers of glass cloths go through heavy heat and extreme pressure. 

As a result, the epoxy cures & the layers fuse together. It becomes an extremely tough material through this process. They’re also cheaper than carbon fiber.

Strength Comparison

It’s hard to tell which of the two mentioned materials is the strongest. Carbon fiber is five times stronger than steel. G10 also doesn’t fall behind, it’s extremely tough. 

To tell which one of these is stronger, we did a strength test. Before we share our experience, it’s advised not to perform this experiment yourself.

Now, we tried to hit a carbon fiber and a g10 bar with an ax. On our first try, the g10 didn’t crack but carbon fiber did. We tried hitting the g10 bar again with the ax. This time it did break but it showed resistance. 

From the experiment, we concluded g10 as the winner.

Pressure Handling Ability

For this comparison as well we’ve performed an experiment. 

We’ve put the carbon fiber and g10 over a thousand-pound of pressure within ½”. Neither of the materials broke down. They were able to withstand the pressure. But g10 was slightly better compared to carbon fiber.

This is due to the flexibility characteristic of the materials. G10 is more flexible than carbon fiber. While under pressure its flexibility gave it better advantages. 

So, g10 wins again.

Heat resistance

Here comes another experiment. We took a single bar of carbon fiber and g10 each. Then using a MAPP torch we heated both materials. 

Carbon fiber showed almost no change. However, g10 caught on fire and received quite a lot of damage. Turns out g10 is more flammable than carbon fiber. So, carbon fiber wins.

Stiffness

Our next experiment was to check the stiffness of both materials. We tried hitting g10 and carbon fiber bars with a sharp-edged knife. 

To our surprise, carbon fiber was stiffer than g10. While hitting with a sharp-edged knife it barely got any damage. On the other hand, carbon fiber almost got cut like wood. The knife was slightly damaged as well. 

If you’re looking for better knives, we recommend these-

You can even use them to make the best gobble call by hand.

So, in terms of stiffness, black fiber definitely wins.

Humidity Resistance

G10 is a widely used material in making knife handles. But it’s also a great material for making windsurfing fins. G10 not only performs well in humidity but also in soaking wet environments. 

Carbon fiber can handle humid and wet environments as well. However, it’s not as widely used as g10.

Lightness

Carbon fiber is lighter than g10. Due to its extremely lightweight characteristics, it’s used in air crafts and race cars. Its stiffness and lightweight ability give it an advantage in many works.

Final Result: Carbon Fiber Vs G10

Carbon fiber and g10 both are widely used in many works. They have a lot of similarities in many aspects. But both are different in their own way just like bowjax and limb saver.

After taking multiple experiments to evaluate them in different scenarios we got our result. It’s fair to say, g10 wins the people’s popularity. 

But, that doesn’t mean carbon fiber is any less useful than g10. Both of the materials are excellent in their own way.

Hopefully, this discussion was informative for you.

FAQs

Question: Does g10 melt?

Answer: G10 is a flammable material. But it has high endurance as it’s used in many mechanical and electrical devices. It gets burned but it won’t melt.

Question: Can carbon fiber’s stiffness be manipulated?

Answer: Yes, their stiffness can be controlled. Carbon fiber’s length and its fiber material play an important role in the stiffness. Using a mix of certain carbon fibers and changing their length alters the stiffness.

Question: What are carbon fibers made of?

Answer: 90% of the carbon fibers are made from polyacrylonitrile. The remaining 10% is made from rayon or petroleum pitch. All of them are organic polymers. 

Conclusion

That was all the information we could provide you about carbon fiber vs g10. Hopefully, we were able to assist you with your research.

Until next time, take care!