Kitchen knife handles are typically made from three types of materials: wood, metal, e.g.,stainless-steel or synthetic.
Below are descriptions of each kitchen knife handle material along with their pros and cons:
Wood
Kitchen knife handles that are made out of wood are the most attractive of the three and they provide the best grip of all handle types, however, there is one caveat; it will crack over time making it prone to bacterial contamination.
The type of wood that is put on many kitchen knives can range from North American rosewood to exotic woods such as the type that can be found in Africa and each type of wood handle impacts the price of a kitchen knife accordingly.
Metal
Kitchen knives that have metal handles are typically forged from one block of stainless-steel. A good example of a kitchen knife with metal handles are those made by Global-knife.
Metal handles are virtually maintenance free. They provide extra weight to counterbalance heavy blades such as those found on Chef’s knives.
One caveat of an all metal handle is that it become slippery in the hand when wet.
Plastic or Composite
Plastic kitchen knife handles are attractive but may crack over time, and similar to a stainless-steel handle they can become slippery when wet or during use. Many are embedded with anti-microbial agents that resist corrosion.